EP4787281A1

EP4787281A1 - Race preparation presentation system and race preparation presentation method

Info

Publication number: EP4787281A1
Application number: EP24885459.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ryo Kamiya; LingYu Hsu; Alex VANDERHOEVEN; Osamu Uemura; Koji Shimomura; Shingo Ogawa; Shigeo Shiode; Shingo Takashima; Genki HATANO
Original assignee: Asics Corp
Current assignee: Asics Corp
Priority date: 2023-10-31
Filing date: 2024-10-17
Publication date: 2026-08-05
Also published as: JPWO2025094685A1; WO2025094685A1; AU2024371639A1

Abstract

In a race preparation presentation system 100, a registration storage stores participation registration information indicating race participation registration input by a participant and participant information indicating the participant. A preparation information storage stores preparation information input by the participant, as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race, in association with the participation registration information and the participant information. An input acquisition unit 54 acquires an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant. A relation analyzer 56 determines, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration. A preparation item presentation unit 58 presents the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a race preparation presentation system and a race preparation presentation method. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a technology for presenting information related to a race.

BACKGROUND ART

There is known a technology for extracting possessions information associated with past action information corresponding to future action information, on the basis of past action information related to a user's action in a past travel plan of each of a plurality of users, possessions information related to possessions when the action was performed, and future action information related to a user's future action (for example, Patent Literature 1).

RELATED-ART LITERATURE

PATENT LITERATURE

Patent Literature 1: JP 6450143 B2

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

However, in Patent Literature 1, it is necessary to provide information regarding actions the user himself/herself has actually taken in the past and information regarding possessions at the time when the actions have been taken.
The present disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information presentation technology for contributing to preparation for a race.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

In order to solve the above problem, a race preparation presentation system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a registration storage structured to store participation registration information indicating race participation registration input by a participant and participant information indicating the participant; a preparation information storage structured to store preparation information input by the participant, as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race, in association with the participation registration information and the participant information; an input acquisition unit structured to acquire an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant; a relation analyzer structured to determine, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and a preparation item presentation unit structured to present the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is a race preparation presentation method. This method includes: a process of acquiring an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant via a network; a process of reading information from an area in which preparation information input by a participant of a past race is stored as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race; a process of determining, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and a process of presenting the determined recommended item to the participation applicant via a network.
It should be noted that any combinations of the above components and mutual replacements of the components and expressions of the present disclosure among methods, devices, programs, temporary or non-temporary recording media in which the programs are recorded, systems, and the like are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an information presentation technology for contributing to race preparation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a race preparation presentation system.
[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating each configuration of a race preparation presentation server.
[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of race information.
[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of preparation information.
[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a screen that presents recommended items to a user.
[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of presenting a recommended item of a preparation item to a participation applicant of a race.
[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an accommodation reservation offering flow.
[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a race preparation presentation system according to a second embodiment.
[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating each configuration of a race participation registration server.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to the drawings on the basis of embodiments. In the embodiments and modifications, the same or equivalent components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted as appropriate.

(First Embodiment)

In a case of participating in a race such as a marathon or trail running, there are many articles to be prepared and many matters to be prepared for each race. Examples of the articles to be prepared include clothes and shoes to be worn on the race day, equipment to be worn, belongings, nutritional products, supplements, and the like. The matters to be prepared include, for example, arrangement of accommodation and transportation, planning of meals, planning of strategies and training, and the like.
In addition to a marathon and trail running, the race may include events such as running, walking, climbing, swimming, cycling, triathlon, orienteering, rogaining, and outdoor sports.
Preparation details for the race may vary according to a type, a content, a season, a course, a climate, and the like of the race. Further, preparation details for the race may also vary according to a level, a degree of experience, and a preference of a participating user. The articles to be prepared are often selected on the basis of convenience, functionality, and lightness, but may be selected on the basis of design. The matters to be prepared may vary according to a venue of the race and a resident area of the participant.
As a user's racing experience is longer, preparation can be made smoothly to some extent on the basis of the user's own experience or by patterning. However, even if the racing experience is long, the user is not always familiar with products with the latest function and design, and information of others on accommodations, transportation conditions, the latest training methods, and the like is useful in many cases. Whereas, in a case where the user's racing experience is short, the user often feels that it is difficult to prepare for a race as compared with a person having a long racing experience, and information based on actual experiences of others is essential.
Even if preparation is made on the basis of a sufficient experience or by sufficiently referring to information of others, a weather forecast on the race day may suddenly change unexpectedly as the race day approaches. In addition, the user may be forced to change a plan due to a change or a failure in a user's physical condition. In some races, such as trail running, a course change or course shortening may be announced due to weather or the like, after the race day comes close. In order to cope with the change in weather and the like, it may be necessary to hastily purchase clothing and equipment immediately before the race. Also in these cases, information of others may be useful.
Therefore, a user who performs race participation registration is caused to input information regarding articles to be prepared and matters to be prepared for each race (hereinafter, "articles to be prepared" and "matters to be prepared" are collectively referred to as "preparation items") and information regarding the user himself/herself and information regarding a racing experience, in addition to information regarding the participation registration and information regarding the participant himself/herself. Information on the input preparation items (hereinafter, referred to as "preparation information") is accumulated in a server and managed in association with the participant information, the racing experience information, and the like.
In a case where the user newly performs race participation registration, preparation items related to the race are extracted from the preparation information accumulated in the server and presented to the user, on the basis of a racing experience of the new participant user. The user creates his/her own preparation item list with reference to the presented information on the preparation items, to prepare for the race. The preparation item list created here is also accumulated in the server. As the information on the preparation items is accumulated in this way, it is easy to utilize the information as big data. A trained model trained on a correlation between the information on the preparation items and information regarding details of the race, a racing experience, and the like may be created, and a recommendation list of the preparation items for each user and each race may be created and presented on the basis of the trained model.
Fig. 1 illustrates a basic configuration of a race preparation presentation system 100. The race preparation presentation system 100 mainly includes a user terminal 10 and a race preparation presentation server 50. The race preparation presentation server 50 has a function of presenting preparation items for a race and a function of processing a race participation registration procedure. As a modification, the function of processing the race participation registration procedure may be constructed as a server different from the race preparation presentation server 50, and included in the race preparation presentation system 100. The race preparation presentation system 100 may further include a product sales site for online sales of products as the preparation items, a travel reservation site for accommodation arrangement and transportation arrangement as the preparation items, an insurance application site for selection of sports insurance or the like, and a partner server 90 structured to be able to inquire personal information associated with these services. The product sales site may be a site operated by a product manufacturer for direct sales. Alternatively, the product sales site may be an electronic commerce (EC) mall site specialized in online product sales mediation. The travel reservation site may be a site operated by a travel agency. Alternatively, the travel reservation site may be a site operated by an online travel agent (OTA), which is a company specialized in online travel reservation mediation.
The race preparation presentation server 50 and the partner server 90 are server computers connected to a plurality of user terminals 10, via a network 80 including the Internet, a local area network (LAN), and the like. The race preparation presentation server 50 may include a single server computer, or may include a combination of a plurality of server computers. A plurality or all of the functions of the race preparation presentation server 50 and the partner server 90 may be integrated into one server computer. The user terminal 10 is a terminal operated by the user, and may be an information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by the user himself/herself, or may be a personal computer. The user terminal 10 includes a combination of hardware such as a microprocessor, a touch panel, a memory, and a communication module.
The "race preparation presentation system" in the claims may refer to the entire race preparation presentation system 100 or may refer to only the race preparation presentation server 50. Alternatively, the "race preparation presentation system" may refer to a combination of the race preparation presentation server 50 and at least one of the user terminal 10 or the partner server 90, or may be implemented in a form of distributing or duplicating characteristic functions and storage functions of characteristic information such as personal information, in the race preparation presentation server 50, the partner server 90, and the user terminal 10.
A user who is a participation applicant of a race operates the user terminal 10 to access a race participation registration site constructed on the race preparation presentation server 50, and performs a procedure for race participation registration. In the process of race participation registration, information indicating the user himself/herself and information necessary for participation registration are input. At this time, preparation items suitable for the race for which participation registration is performed are presented to the user as recommended items. Note that the information indicating the user himself/herself and the information necessary for participation registration may be acquired by inquiring user's personal information recorded in another server, for example, member information recorded for another service, to the server. In the race preparation presentation server 50, information on preparation items input by other registered participants and past participants is accumulated, preparation items related to a race for which the user performs participation registration are extracted, and recommended items are determined. The user can select a preparation item from the recommended items and determine a unique preparation item with reference to the recommended items.
By further inputting information indicating a racing experience and a competitive level of the user himself/herself, a more suitable preparation item extracted on the basis of the racing experience and the competitive level of the user himself/herself is presented as the recommended item.
Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating each configuration of the race preparation presentation server 50. Fig. 2 illustrates functional blocks implemented by cooperation of various hardware and software configurations regarding the race preparation presentation server 50. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination of hardware and software.
The race preparation presentation server 50 includes, for example, a combination of hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a memory, a large-capacity storage such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk, and a communication module. These indicate that a general-purpose hardware configuration may be used as a server computer, and are not limited to these configurations. Alternatively, the race preparation presentation server 50 may be implemented in a form of a cloud server which is a virtual server constructed on the Internet. Similarly, in other servers described in this specification, the general-purpose hardware configuration or the cloud server may be used as these server computers.
A program having the following functions operates on the race preparation presentation server 50. The race preparation presentation server 50 includes, as functions thereof, a communicator 52, an input acquisition unit 54, a relation analyzer 56, a preparation item presentation unit 58, an output unit 60, a model generator 61, and a storage 62. The user terminal 10 and the communicator 52 of the race preparation presentation server 50 are connected to each other via the network 80. The storage 62 includes a race information storage 64, a registration storage 66, a preparation information storage 68, and a model storage 69.
The input acquisition unit 54 acquires an input of information regarding race participation registration by the user as a participation applicant, from the user terminal 10 on the network 80 via the communicator 52. In addition to information regarding the participation registration from the user, the input acquisition unit 54 acquires information indicating the user himself/herself, information indicating a racing experience of the user, competitive level information of the user, and the like, by inquiring of another server such as the user terminal 10 or the partner server 90. The information acquired from another server may be, for example, personal information recorded in another server in association with membership information for another service.
The storage 62 includes the race information storage 64, the registration storage 66, and the preparation information storage 68. The race information storage 64 stores race information 70 including race detail. The race information 70 includes information indicating an outline of the race such as a competition type, a date and time, and a venue of the race, competition details, a competitive level, a service to be provided, and the like. For example, in a case where the competition type is a marathon or trail running, the race information 70 further includes information such as a distance, undulation, cumulative elevation gains, aid station points, and aid station details. The race information 70 regarding past races includes weather information such as weather, a temperature, a humidity, and a wind speed on the day. The race information 70 is mainly information provided by a race organizer, but may be generated on the basis of information optionally provided by a participant of the race. However, for weather information in a race that has not been held, weather forecast information may be acquired from a predetermined weather information server from a predetermined period before the race date, for example, one week before the race date. The weather forecast information includes information such as weather forecast, rainfall probability, temperature forecast, humidity forecast, and wind speed forecast on the race date.
The registration storage 66 stores participation registration information 72 indicating race participation registration input by a participant and participant information 74 indicating the participant. In the participation registration information 72, information on a person who has performed participation registration is recorded for each race. In a case where a plurality of categories divided with a distance, a participation mode, and the like are set in one race, information on a person who has performed participation registration is recorded for each category. The participation registration information 72 includes information on a user who has performed a participation registration procedure as a participation applicant before the race is held, or information on a participant of a race held in the past.
The participant information 74 includes account information, personal information, racing experience information, information indicating a competitive level, and the like of the user who has performed race participation registration. The user's account information is information necessary for login to the race preparation presentation server 50, such as a user ID and a password. The user's account information is generated on the basis of information input in an account registration procedure when the user first uses the race preparation presentation server 50 or information acquired by inquiring of another server. The information acquired from another server may be, for example, personal information recorded in another server in association with membership information for another service.
The user's personal information includes: information such as a name, a nickname, an address, and a contact, attribute information (for example, information such as age and gender), physical feature information (for example, information such as a height, a weight, dimensions of each part of the body, and body composition such as a muscle mass and a fat mass), information on a team or an organization to which the user belongs, product purchase history information, and service reservation history information. Note that, in some companies or organizations, restriction conditions such as usage eligibility regarding a brand, a providing company, a color, and the like may be set in various products or services. For example, there is a case where a restriction is set for providing a sense of unity as much as possible with respect to a brand, a providing company, or a color, or a brand, or a providing company to be prioritized or a brand or a providing company to be avoided is set on the basis of a business relationship. In a case where the information on a team or an organization the user belongs is registered as personal information, and the restriction such as usage eligibility is set for the team or the organization the user belongs, such information regarding the restriction condition such as usage eligibility may be included in the personal information. The product purchase history information may be information indicating a history of products purchased by the user in the past in the partner server 90 as a site for selling products such as running wear and running shoes. The service reservation history information may be information indicating a history of service reservation by the user in the past in the partner server 90 as a site for mediating accommodation and transportation reservations.
The information on a racing experience includes information on races in which the user has participated in the past and record information such as completion time in each race. The information on the racing experience may be input by the user himself/herself, or record information may be acquired from an external device. The information on the racing experience may be obtained by inquiring of another server through an event platform, an official website of a tournament, or a sensor device (a wearable device or a portable device) that can record a user's personal activity history. As the information indicating the competitive level, running log data measured by the user with a watch or a smartphone having a positioning function may be registered by the user. In this case, a competitive level such as running ability of the user is determined and recorded with analysis based on the running log data. Specifically, the competitive level is determined by collating record information of the user and record information of participants who have participated in the same race in the past on the server, and classifying the user into the same competitive level as a plurality of participants with close times.
The preparation information storage 68 stores, as preparation items including articles to be prepared for use in a race, items defined by a race organizer as necessary equipment on the basis of the participation registration information 72 and preparation information 76 input by the participant, in association with the participation registration information 72 and the participant information 74. The preparation information 76 is stored in the preparation information storage 68 together with evaluation information 78 for each item specified by the race organizer as necessary equipment and for each preparation item input by the participant.
The model storage 69 stores a prediction model 79 for extracting a preparation item suitable for a race for which the user performs participation registration, on the basis of a correlation between the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78. The prediction model 79 is a model for analyzing a correlation of a large number of pieces of data included in each of the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78 by a statistical technique, and for example, principal component analysis or multiple regression analysis may be used. Alternatively, the prediction model 79 may be a model using machine learning (for example, deep learning). The model generator 61 generates the prediction model 79 by either statistical analysis or machine learning (for example, deep learning) using a large number of pieces of data included in each of the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78. The prediction model 79 may be a model obtained by fine-tuning an existing large-scale language model with information such as the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78. As a modification, the prediction model 79 may be a rule-based model artificially defined in advance using a large number of pieces of data included in each of the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78. A specific example of a method of generating the prediction model 79 will be described. As a first step, data such as the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78 are collected. The information to be collected includes a past race result of the participant, preparation items used at the time of the race, weather information, race topography and course information, and the like. As a second step, preprocessing of the collected data is executed. As the preprocessing, for example, data format shaping, missing value processing, abnormal value removal, category data encoding, and the like are executed. As a third step, a feature value suitable for construction of the prediction model 79 is selected. The data collected in the first step is to be a feature value useful for predicting an appropriate preparation item for the user. As a fourth step, a model suitable for prediction contents is selected. For example, a machine learning model such as a decision tree, a support vector machine (SVM), or a neural network may be used. As a fifth step, the data is applied to the selected model to train the model. As a sixth step, the trained model is evaluated, and improvement for enhancing performance is made. Specifically, the prediction model 79 is improved by performing evaluation using indexes such as prediction accuracy, precision, and recall of the prediction model 79, and adjusting a feature value and a hyperparameter. Through the above steps, whether or not a recommended item for the participation applicant is appropriate is evaluated while data such as an actual race result, feedback of the participant after the race, and specialized race analysis are continuously collected, and prediction accuracy is improved mainly in the sixth step.
The relation analyzer 56 extracts preparation items related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration, from the preparation information storage 68 on the basis of the prediction model 79. That is, the relation analyzer 56 analyzes a relation between preparation items and race detail information included in the race information 70, the information on the racing experience included in the participant information 74, the information indicating the competitive level, and the like using the prediction model 79, and extracts optimum preparation items. The relation analyzer 56 determines the extracted preparation items as the recommended items.
In a case where the evaluation information 78 is associated with at least some of the preparation items included in the preparation information 76, the prediction model 79 is formed such that the recommended items are determined on the basis of a priority according to the evaluation information 78 for each preparation item. As a result, the relation analyzer 56 can preferentially determine preparation items having a high evaluation, as the recommended items.
In a case where preparation items (hereinafter, also referred to as "past preparation items") input when the user who is a participation applicant has participated in the same race in the past are recorded in the preparation information 76 in association with the participation registration information 72, the prediction model 79 may be formed such that the past preparation item has a high priority for each user. As a result, the relation analyzer 56 can preferentially determine, as a recommended item, an item preferred by the user, an item regarded as a standard, or an item with which the user himself/herself has an experience or achievement.
In a case where preparation items (hereinafter, also referred to as "latest preparation items") input for another race in which the user who is a participation applicant has recently participated are recorded in the preparation information 76 in association with the participation registration information 72, the prediction model 79 may be formed such that the latest preparation item has a high priority for each user. As a result, the relation analyzer 56 can preferentially determine, as a recommended item, an item preferred by the user, an item regarded as a standard, or an item with which the user himself/herself has a latest experience or achievement.
In a case where the past preparation item, the latest preparation item, and the evaluation information of the user who is a participation applicant are recorded in association with the participation registration information 72, the prediction model 79 may be formed such that at least one of the past preparation item, the latest preparation item, and the preparation item highly evaluated in the evaluation information has a high priority for each user. As a result, the relation analyzer 56 can preferentially determine, as a recommended item, at least one of the past preparation item, the latest preparation item, and the preparation item highly evaluated in the evaluation information. The relation analyzer 56 may determine the recommended items such that, among the preparation items, an item such as clothes or footwear that does not fit the user's body has a low priority, on the basis of, for example, latest physical feature information of the user. The relation analyzer 56 may determine the recommended items such that, among the preparation items, an item that does not match the competitive level of the user has a low priority, on the basis of, for example, information indicating the competitive level of the user. The relation analyzer 56 may determine the recommended items such that, among the preparation items, an item whose service life has already elapsed has a low priority, on the basis of, for example, information on a purchase time of the user.
The relation analyzer 56 may re-extract the preparation items based on the prediction model 79 in consideration of weather forecast information on the race date from a predetermined period before the race date, for example, one week before the race date. That is, the relation analyzer 56 may re-extract the preparation items based on the prediction model 79 in a form in which the weather forecast information is added to the race information 70, the participant information 74, the preparation information 76, and the evaluation information 78. As a result, preparation items suitable for a situation of the day can be determined as the recommended items.
The relation analyzer 56 determines, at a first time point going back by a first period from a date of the race, the recommended items based on preparation information stored at the first time point, and determines, at a second time point going back by a second period shorter than the first period from the date of the race, the recommended items based on preparation information stored at the second time point. For example, since there is a high possibility that a larger amount of the preparation information 76 corresponding to the same race is collected at the second time point than at the first time point, it is possible to determine, by re-extraction, an optimum preparation item as the recommended item from information wider than at the first time point. Further, if the second time point is a predetermined period before the race date, for example, within one week, the recommended items can be determined more accurately in consideration of the weather forecast information.
The preparation item presentation unit 58 presents the determined recommended items via the output unit 60 to the user who is a participation applicant. As output contents to be presented to the user, the preparation item presentation unit 58 may include, in the output contents, information on a reason for recommendation and a degree of recommendation for each recommended item together with the recommended item. The output unit 60 presents the recommended items to the user by transmitting the output contents for presenting the recommended items generated by the preparation item presentation unit 58, to the user terminal 10, via the communicator 52 and the network 80.
Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an example of race information. The race information 70 includes information on a race for which the race preparation presentation server 50 accepts the participation registration procedure. A race information table 110 which is an example of the race information 70 indicates a race name in a first column 111, a race distance in a second column 112, a race type in a third column 113, a date of the race in a fourth column 114, a race venue in a fifth column 115, a race start time in a sixth column 116, information on undulation of a course in a seventh column 117, weather on the race day in an eighth column 118, a temperature on the race day in a ninth column 119, and a humidity on the race day in a tenth column 120.
The first row includes information on "A marathon" as a first item 121. A race name "A marathon" is included in the first column 111. Three types of distances, "42K", "21K", and "10K" are included in the second column 112. "Road" is included as a type in the third column 113. A date "2023/1/29" is included as a race date in the fourth column 114. Note that, "2023/1/29" is an example indicating a date of a race that has been held. "A city" is included as a venue in the fifth column 115. Three types of times "9:00", "9:30", and "10:00" are included as start times in the sixth column 116. "Flat" is included as undulation of the course in the seventh column 117. "Light rain" is included as weather on the race day in the eighth column 118. "14°C" is included as a temperature on the race day in the ninth column 119. "30%" is included as a humidity on the race day in the tenth column 120. The eighth column 118, the ninth column 119, and the tenth column 120 are recorded on the basis of actual weather conditions after the race is held.
The second row includes information on "B half-marathon" as a second item 122. A race name "B half-marathon" is included in the first column 111. A distance of "21K" is included in the second column 112. "Road" is included as a type in the third column 113. A date "2023/2/19" is included as a race date in the fourth column 114. Note that, "2023/2/19" is an example indicating a date of a race that has been held. "B city" is included as a venue in the fifth column 115. A time "8:30" is included as a start time in the sixth column 116. "Flat" is included as undulation of the course in the seventh column 117. "Sunny" is included as weather on the race day in the eighth column 118. "13°C" is included as a temperature on the race day in the ninth column 119. "20%" is included as a humidity on the race day in the tenth column 120. The eighth column 118, the ninth column 119, and the tenth column 120 are recorded on the basis of actual weather conditions after the race is held.
The third row includes information on "C trail race" as a third item 123. A race name "C trail race" is included in the first column 111. Two types of distances, "72K" and "35K" are included in the second column 112. "Trail" is included as a type in the third column 113. A date "2023/4/23" is included as a race date in the fourth column 114. Note that "2023/4/23" is an example of indicating a date on which the race is to be held. "C village" is included as a venue in the fifth column 115. Two types of time "8:00" and "8:30" are included as start times in the sixth column 116. Two types of cumulative elevation gains of "4900 mD+" and "1700 mD+" are included as undulation of the course in the seventh column 117. Since this race has not been held yet, the eighth column 118, the ninth column 119 and the tenth column 120 are blank.
The fourth row includes information on "D ultra marathon" as a fourth item 124. A race name "D ultra marathon" is included in the first column 111. Two types of distances, "100K" and "50K" are included in the second column 112. "Road" is included as a type in the third column 113. A date "2023/4/30" is included as a race date in the fourth column 114. Note that "2023/4/30" is an example of indicating a date on which the race is to be held. "D city" is included as a venue in the fifth column 115. Two types of time "5:00" and "5:30" are included as start times in the sixth column 116. Two types of cumulative elevation gains of "1800 mD+" and "600 mD+" are included as undulation of the course in the seventh column 117. Since this race has not been held yet, the eighth column 118, the ninth column 119 and the tenth column 120 are blank.
Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an example of preparation information. The preparation information 76 includes information on preparation items input from a plurality of participation applicants (that is, participation applicants before the race) or past participants (that is, participants after the race). In a preparation information table 130, which is an example of the preparation information 76, information on preparation items in "A marathon" is registered. In the preparation information table 130, in addition to an item name and an article name of the preparation item, information on necessity and a reason for selection for each item and feedback (not illustrated) after the race is associated. The information on necessity, a reason for selection, and feedback after the race signifies an evaluation of the preparation items by the user, and thus can be regarded as the evaluation information 78. Furthermore, in a case where there is an input of "Necessity" from a plurality of users who are participation applicants or past participants for the same preparation item, "Necessity" may be set on the basis of an average value after quantifying the necessity. Furthermore, information for specifying a user having a use history or an implementation history of the preparation item may be further associated with each preparation item.
The first row includes information on marathon shoes as a first item 131. "Shoes" is registered as the item name, and "G2000 of AAA company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "A" is set as the necessity, and "for race" is set as the reason for selection.
The second row includes cap information as a second item 132. "Cap" is registered as the item name, and "cap of DDD company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "A" is set as the necessity, and "for light rain forecast" is set as the reason for selection.
The third row includes outer wear information as a third item 133. "Outer wear" is registered as the item name, and "Soft shell of BBB company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "B" is set as the necessity, and "For when rain is heavy" is set as the reason for selection.
The fourth row includes wristband information as a fourth item 134. "Wristband" is registered as the item name, and "Wristband of BBB company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "C" is set as the necessity, and "Low price" is set as the reason for selection.
The fifth row includes information on a waist pouch as a fifth item 135. "Waist pouch" is registered as the item name, and "Pouch of AAA company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "C" is set as the necessity, and "for when there are few belongings" is set as the reason for selection.
The sixth row includes cap information as a sixth item 136. "Bag" is registered as the item name, and "bag 5 L of AAA company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "B" is set as the necessity, and "for when belongings increase" is set as the reason for selection.
The seventh row includes information on bottled water as a seventh item 137. "Bottled water" is registered as the item name, and "Water 500 ml" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "C" is set as the necessity, and "To drink before start" is set as the reason for selection.
The eighth row includes information on an energy gel as an eighth item 138. "Two energy gels" is registered as the item name, and "Gel of C company" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "A" is set as the necessity, and "because aid stations are sufficient" is set as the reason for selection.
The ninth row includes information on an amount of nutritional products, as a ninth item 139. "Nutritional products were reduced" is registered as an item name. "A" is set as the necessity, and "aid stations are sufficient" is set as the reason for selection.
The tenth row includes information on previous day's dinner as a tenth item 140. "Previous day's dinner" is registered as the item name, and "Curry and rice" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "B" is set as the necessity, and "Because it is a local specialty of A city" is set as the reason for selection.
The eleventh row includes information regarding accommodation on the previous day, as an eleventh item 141. "Previous night's stay" is registered as the item name, and "EEE hotel" which is a product name is registered as the article name. "B" is set as the necessity, and "Close to the venue" is set as the reason for selection.
Fig. 5 schematically illustrates an example of a screen that presents recommended items to a user. A recommendation output page 150 is a page generated by the preparation item presentation unit 58, and is a screen that presents recommended items determined by the relation analyzer 56 to the user and allows the user to select these recommended items as options. The recommendation output page 150 includes a first column 151, a second column 152, and a third column 153. The first column 151 is an area for displaying recommended items determined by the relation analyzer 56 in an aligned manner. The second column 152 is an area for inputting an evaluation in a form of "Necessity" for a recommended item selected by the user. The third column 153 is an area in which a reason for selection can be input as text in a form of free entry for a recommended item selected by the user. The reason for selection may also be an evaluation of the selected recommended item.
In the example of the recommendation output page 150, preparation items as recommended items determined by the relation analyzer 56 for a race called "F marathon" for which the user has performed participation registration are listed in the first column 151. At least some recommended item names are displayed in a form of link text 154, and are in a form of a link to a website. The link text 154 is a link to a sales site of the product or a travel reservation site. The user can click on the link to open the product sales site or the travel reservation site to check detail of the preparation item, and can also purchase the product or make a reservation. The user can select the recommended item as an item to be added to the user's preparation item list by checking a check box. Further, the user can also freely fill in an additional entry field 155 with unlisted preparation items.
In the second column 152, a column of "Necessity" corresponding to the recommended item selected by the user becomes active, and a rank such as "A" or "B" can be input. Also in the third column 153, the column of "Reason for selection" corresponding to the recommended item selected by the user becomes active, and the reason for selection and an evaluation can be input. The preparation item selected by the user, information on the necessity, and information on the reason for selection are registered in the preparation information storage 68.
For example, recommended item names including preparation item names and article names, such as "Shoes (G2000 of AAA company)", " shoes (T900 of BBB company)", and "Shoes (G1000 of AAA company)" are displayed. When the user selects "Shoes (G2000 of AAA company)" in the first column 151, the necessity "A" is registered in the corresponding second column 152, and the reason for selection and an evaluation are registered in text such as "Light and large repulsive force" in the third column 153.
In a case where the preparation item listed as the recommended item is a product sold at a store or a product sales site of the partner server 90, the preparation item is displayed in a form of the link text 154. Furthermore, display in the form of the link text 154 may be performed only in a case where the product is in stock at the store or the product sales site of the partner server 90. Furthermore, a related thumbnail image may be further displayed for every recommended item. The evaluation information 78 stored in the preparation information storage 68 may include stock information for each product acquired from the partner server 90. In this case, the prediction model 79 may be formed such that products in stock at the store or the product sales site of the partner server 90 are selected preferentially over products out of stock. Note that, in a case where participant information includes information indicating a team or an organization to which the participant belongs, and a restriction condition is set for the team or the organization, priority conditions or filter conditions such as a brand of a product or a service, a providing company, a common accommodation facility, and a common color may be added with reference to the described restriction condition.
As another example of the recommended item, a preparation item such as "Marathon accommodation package (J hotel)" may be displayed. In a case where this accommodation reservation is being accepted at a travel reservation site of the partner server 90, the accommodation reservation may be displayed in a form of the link text 154. In this case, the prediction model 79 may be formed such that an accommodation or a tour package for which a reservation is being accepted at the travel reservation site of the partner server 90 is preferentially selected over an accommodation or a tour package for which a reservation is not available.
Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of presenting a recommended item of a preparation item to a participation applicant of a race. A user who is a participation applicant of a race inputs information such as participant information necessary for participation registration (S10). The relation analyzer 56 analyzes a relation between preparation items and race detail information included in the race information 70, the information on the racing experience included in the participant information 74, the information indicating the competitive level, and the like using the prediction model 79 (S11). The relation analyzer 56 extracts preparation items related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration, from the preparation information storage 68 on the basis of an analysis result by the prediction model 79 (S12), and determines the preparation items as the recommended items to generate output contents (S13). The preparation item presentation unit 58 presents the output contents including the determined recommended items to the user (S14). The user selects any of the recommended items to create preparation items of the user (S15). It is also possible to input and register evaluation information and a preparation progress status for each preparation item, at the time of creating the preparation items of the user. For example, for "Article to be prepared", information indicating a progress status as to whether or not the user has already owned or purchased the article may be registered. For "Matters to be prepared" such as an accommodation reservation, information indicating a progress status as to whether or not the reservation has already been completed may be registered. For each preparation item, information indicating whether or not proposal for item replacement or change proposal is desired according to a situation change such as weather may be registered. The created preparation items are associated with the participation registration information 72 and the participant information 74, and stored as the preparation information 76 in the preparation information storage 68 (S16). The stored preparation information 76 is referred to for determination of recommended items to be presented to other participation applicants (S17).
In a case where the user starts editing the preparation items at a later date when the date of the race is approaching (Y in S18), if the race date is within one week (Y in S19), weather forecast information on the race day is acquired (S20), and the process returns to S11 to execute the analysis using the prediction model 79 again in consideration of the weather forecast information (S11). If the race date is after one week or more (N in S19), the process returns to S11 to execute the analysis using the prediction model again on the basis of the preparation information stored at that time (S11). The relation analyzer 56 re-extracts the preparation items (S12), determines the preparation items as the recommended items, and generates output contents (S13). The preparation item presentation unit 58 presents again the output contents including the determined recommended items to the user (S14). In response to the presentation of the recommended items again, the user can edit the preparation items by adding a new recommended item to the already-registered preparation items of the user or replacing or deleting the already-registered preparation items (S15). At this time, it is also possible to edit an evaluation for each preparation item that has been already registered. Furthermore, the preparation items can also be edited by adding review for each preparation item after the race. In a case where review for each preparation item is added after the race, an exclusive product or accommodation at a discount price may be displayed as a recommended item as an incentive from the partner server 90, at participation in a different race at a later date. When the user does not start editing the preparation item (N in S18), the flow ends.
Fig. 7 schematically illustrates an accommodation reservation offering flow. An accommodation facility 160 transmits reservation availability information 161 to the partner server 90 of a travel agency or OTA, and an accommodation reservation site 162 of the partner server 90 transmits reservation availability information 163 to the race preparation presentation server 50. Reservation availability information 164 is included in the evaluation information 78 in the race preparation presentation server 50, and is referred to for determination of a recommended item. When accommodation of the accommodation facility 160 is presented as a recommended item 165 to the user terminal 10, reservation availability information of the accommodation facility 160 is to be substantially presented to the user terminal 10.
Here, even after the accommodation facility 160 is fully booked or even after the acceptance of the reservation is finished, a vacancy may occur again due to the cancellation of the accommodation. In such a case, the accommodation facility 160 again transmits the reservation availability information 161 to the partner server 90, and the accommodation reservation site 162 transmits the reservation availability information 163 to the race preparation presentation server 50. Accordingly, in a case where the reservation availability information 164 of the accommodation facility 160 is reflected in determination of a recommended item and is presented to the user terminal 10 as the recommended item 165, the reservation availability information is to be substantially presented to the user terminal 10. Note that information indicating a progress status as to whether or not the accommodation reservation is completed may be registered as "Matters to be prepared", and the reservation availability information 164 may be reflected, as the progress status, in determination of a recommended item for the user whose accommodation reservation is incomplete. Alternatively, the reservation availability information 164 may be reflected in determination of a recommended item for a registered user who desires proposal for replacement or change of the preparation item.
As a modification, the accommodation reservation site 162 on the partner server 90 that cooperates with the race preparation presentation server 50 may enter into a contract that enables an inquiry about information on a registered race participant, with an operating entity of the race preparation presentation server 50. In this case, the accommodation reservation site 162 can acquire participation registration information 166 of the race from the race preparation presentation server 50, and can present an advertisement 167 indicating that the reservation of the accommodation facility 160 is available to the race participation applicant, on the basis of the information.
Similarly, not via an operating entity of the partner server 90, the accommodation facility 160 may enter into a contract that enables an inquiry about information on a registered race participant, with the operating entity of the race preparation presentation server 50. Also in this case, the accommodation facility 160 can acquire participation registration information 168 of the race from the race preparation presentation server 50, and can present an advertisement 169 indicating that the reservation of the accommodation facility 160 is available to the race participation applicant, on the basis of the information.

(Second Embodiment)

Fig. 8 illustrates a basic configuration of a race preparation presentation system 100 according to a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the race preparation presentation system 100 further includes a race participation registration server 92. The second embodiment is different from the race preparation presentation system 100 of the first embodiment in that the race participation registration server 92 processes race participation registration, and other points are common to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of common points will be omitted.
Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating each configuration of the race participation registration server 92. The race participation registration server 92 includes a communicator 252, an input acquisition unit 254, and a storage 262. The communicator 252 corresponds to a communicator 52 of a race preparation presentation server 50. The input acquisition unit 254 corresponds to an input acquisition unit 54 of the race preparation presentation server 50. The storage 262 corresponds to a storage 62 of the race preparation presentation server 50.
The storage 262 includes a race information storage 264 that stores race information 270, and a registration storage 266 that stores participation registration information 272 and participant information 274. The race information storage 264 corresponds to a race information storage 64 of the race preparation presentation server 50. The registration storage 266 corresponds to a registration storage 66 of the race preparation presentation server 50.
In the second embodiment, the race participation registration server 92 also has at least functions of the input acquisition unit 54, the race information storage 64, and the registration storage 66 among functions of the race preparation presentation server 50 according to the first embodiment. Information of the race information 270, the participation registration information 272, and the participant information 274 registered in the storage 262 is transmitted from the race participation registration server 92 to the race preparation presentation server 50. As a result, in the second embodiment, the functions of the race preparation presentation server 50 of the first embodiment are configured in a distributed or duplicated manner in the race preparation presentation server 50 and the race participation registration server 92.
In the second embodiment, many of characteristic functions included in the "race preparation presentation system" according to the claims are implemented in a form of being included by the race preparation presentation server 50 or the race participation registration server 92. Therefore, the race preparation presentation server 50 or a combination of the race preparation presentation server 50 and the race participation registration server 92 substantially corresponds to the "race preparation presentation system". However, the characteristic functions of the "race preparation presentation system" may be distributed or duplicated in the race preparation presentation server 50 and the race participation registration server 92, or may be implemented in such a manner that the race preparation presentation server 50 has many of the functions. Alternatively, the "race preparation presentation system" may refer to the entire race preparation presentation system 100. Alternatively, the "race preparation presentation system" may only refer to the race preparation presentation server 50. Alternatively, the "race preparation presentation system" may refer to a combination of the race preparation presentation server 50 and at least one of a user terminal 10, the partner server 90, and the race participation registration server 92. Alternatively, the characteristic functions may be implemented in a form of being distributed or duplicated in the race preparation presentation server 50, the race participation registration server 92, and the user terminal 10.
The embodiments have been described above. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments are examples, various modifications can be made to a combination of the individual components and the individual processing processes, and such modifications are also within the scope. In addition, the following aspects can be obtained by generalizing the above-described embodiments.
A race preparation presentation system according to a first aspect includes: a registration storage structured to store participation registration information indicating race participation registration input by a participant and participant information indicating the participant; a preparation information storage structured to store preparation information input by the participant, as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race, in association with the participation registration information and the participant information; an input acquisition unit structured to acquire an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant; a relation analyzer structured to determine, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and a preparation item presentation unit structured to present the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.
According to this aspect, a preparation item suitable for a race for which the user performs participation registration is determined and presented as the recommended item, on the basis of information on preparation items of the race input by a plurality of participants including other participants and past participants. As a result, it is possible to support the user's race preparation such that the user can receive a proposal for a preparation item that the user himself/herself has not experienced.
A race preparation presentation system according to a second aspect may further include a race information storage structured to store race information including race detail, in the race preparation presentation system according to the first aspect. The relation analyzer may determine the recommended item by analyzing a relation between a preparation item and a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration, on the basis of race detail included in the race information.
According to this aspect, a preparation item suitable for the race can be more accurately determined as the recommended item, on the basis of specific race detail, and race preparation of the user can be more effectively supported.
In a race preparation presentation system according to a third aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to the first or second aspect, the participant information may include information on a racing experience of the participant. The relation analyzer may determine the recommended item by analyzing a relation between preparation items and a racing experience of the participation applicant, on the basis of the information on the racing experience included in the participant information of the participant who has input the preparation information.
According to this aspect, a preparation item suitable for the user can be more accurately determined as the recommended item in accordance with the racing experience of the user, and race preparation of the user can be more effectively supported.
In a race preparation presentation system according to a fourth aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the preparation information may be stored in the preparation information storage together with evaluation information for each preparation item input by the participant, and the relation analyzer may determine the recommended item based on a priority according to the evaluation information for each preparation item included in the preparation information.
According to this aspect, a preparation item having a high evaluation can be preferentially determined as the recommended item. Therefore, a preparation item suitable for the user can be more accurately determined as the recommended item according to an actual evaluation of the preparation item, and race preparation of the user can be more effectively supported.
In a race preparation presentation system according to a fifth aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the relation analyzer may determine, as the recommended item, a preparation item input when the participation applicant has previously participated in a same race as a race for which the participation applicant has performed participation registration.
According to this aspect, it is possible to preferentially determine, as the recommended item, an item preferred by the user, an item regarded as a standard, or an item with which the user himself/herself has an experience or achievement. Therefore, a preparation item suitable for the user can be more accurately determined as the recommended item according to the preference of the user, and race preparation of the user can be more effectively supported.
In a race preparation presentation system according to a sixth aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the relation analyzer may determine, as the recommended item, at least one of: a preparation item input when the participation applicant has previously participated in a same race as a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; a preparation item input for another race that the participation applicant has recently participated; and a preparation item highly evaluated in evaluation information associated with each preparation item.
According to this aspect, at least one of the past preparation item, the latest preparation item, and the preparation item highly evaluated in the evaluation information can be preferentially determined as the recommended item, and race preparation of the user can be more effectively supported.
In a race preparation presentation system according to a seventh aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the relation analyzer may determine, at a first time point going back by a first period from a date of the race, a recommended item based on preparation information stored at the first time point, and determine, at a second time point going back by a second period shorter than the first period from the date of the race, the recommended item based on preparation information stored at the second time point.
According to this aspect, since there is a high possibility that a larger amount of the preparation information corresponding to the same race is collected at the second time point than at the first time point, it is possible to determine, by re-extraction, an optimum preparation item as the recommended item from information wider than at the first time point.
In a race preparation presentation system according to an eighth aspect, in the race preparation presentation system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the relation analyzer may determine, at a first time point going back by a first period from a date of the race, a recommended item based on preparation information stored at the first time point, and determine, at a second time point going back by a second period shorter than the first period from the date of the race, the recommended item based on the preparation information stored at the second time point and weather forecast information at the second time point.
According to this aspect, since there is a high possibility that a larger amount of the preparation information corresponding to the same race is collected at the second time point than at the first time point, it is possible to determine, by re-extraction, an optimum preparation item as the recommended item from information wider than at the first time point. Further, if the second time point is a predetermined period before the race date, for example, within one week, the recommended items can be determined more accurately in consideration of the weather forecast information.
A race preparation presentation method according to a ninth aspect includes: a process of acquiring an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant via a network; a process of reading information from an area in which preparation information input by a participant of a past race is stored as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race; a process of determining, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and a process of presenting the determined recommended item to the participation applicant via a network.
According to this aspect, a preparation item suitable for a race for which the user performs participation registration is determined and presented as the recommended item, on the basis of information on preparation items of the race input by a plurality of participants including other participants and past participants. As a result, it is possible to support the user's race preparation such that the user can receive a proposal for a preparation item that the user himself/herself has not experienced.
A race preparation presentation program according to a tenth aspect causes a computer to execute: a function of acquiring an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant; a function of reading information from an area in which preparation information input by a participant of a past race is stored as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race; a function of determining, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and a function of presenting the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.
According to this aspect, a preparation item suitable for a race for which the user performs participation registration is determined and presented as the recommended item, on the basis of information on preparation items of the race input by a plurality of participants including other participants and past participants. As a result, it is possible to support the user's race preparation such that the user can receive a proposal for a preparation item that the user himself/herself has not experienced.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure relates to a race preparation presentation system and a race preparation presentation method.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

50 race preparation presentation server, 54 input acquisition unit, 56 relation analyzer, 58 preparation item presentation unit, 62 storage, 64 race information storage, 66 registration storage, 68 preparation information storage, 70 race information, 72 participation registration information, 74 participant information, 76 preparation information, 78 evaluation information, 90 partner server, 100 race preparation presentation system, 165 recommended item

Claims

A race preparation presentation system comprising:
a registration storage structured to store participation registration information indicating race participation registration input by a participant and participant information indicating the participant;

a preparation information storage structured to store preparation information input by the participant, as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race, in association with the participation registration information and the participant information;

an input acquisition unit structured to acquire an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant;

a relation analyzer structured to determine, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and

a preparation item presentation unit structured to present the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.
The race preparation presentation system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a race information storage structured to store race information including race detail, wherein

the relation analyzer analyzes a relation between the preparation item and a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration to determine the recommended item, based on race detail included in the race information.
The race preparation presentation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
the participant information includes information regarding a racing experience of the participant, and

the relation analyzer analyzes a relation between the preparation item and a racing experience of the participation applicant to determine the recommended item, based on information regarding a racing experience included in participant information of a participant who has input the preparation information.
The race preparation presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the preparation information is stored in the preparation information storage together with evaluation information for each preparation item input by the participant, and

the relation analyzer determines the recommended item based on a priority according to evaluation information for each preparation item included in the preparation information.
The race preparation presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the relation analyzer determines, as the recommended item, a preparation item input when the participation applicant has previously participated in a same race as a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration.
The race preparation presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the relation analyzer determines, as the recommended item, at least one of: a preparation item input when the participation applicant has previously participated in a same race as a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; a preparation item input for another race in which the participation applicant has recently participated; and a preparation item highly evaluated in evaluation information associated with each preparation item.
The race preparation presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the relation analyzer determines, at a first time point going back by a first period from a date of the race, the recommended item based on the preparation information stored at the first time point, and determines, at a second time point going back by a second period shorter than the first period from the date of the race, the recommended item based on the preparation information stored at the second time point.
The race preparation presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the relation analyzer determines, at a first time point going back by a first period from a date of the race, the recommended item based on the preparation information stored at the first time point, and determines, at a second time point going back by a second period shorter than the first period from the date of the race, the recommended item based on the preparation information stored at the second time point and weather forecast information at the second time point.
A race preparation presentation method comprising:
a process of acquiring an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant via a network;

a process of reading information from an area in which preparation information input by a participant of a past race is stored as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race;

a process of determining, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and

a process of presenting the determined recommended item to the participation applicant via a network.
A race preparation presentation program causing a computer to execute:
a function of acquiring an input of race participation registration by a participation applicant;

a function of reading information from an area in which preparation information input by a participant of a past race is stored as a preparation item including an article to be prepared for use in a race;

a function of determining, as a recommended item, a preparation item related to a race for which the participation applicant performs participation registration; and

a function of presenting the determined recommended item to the participation applicant.