Device and method for management of shared vehicles

A method for managing shared vehicles that are located in an area where a user is present, wherein the area includes multiple zones differing from one another, and each of the zones includes one or more parking lots, the method comprising:

• transmitting, via a communication circuit, an instruction to a terminal device to prompt the user to select, via the terminal device, from the multiple zones, a zone that includes a parking lot where the user will start use of a shared vehicle or a parking lot where the user will return the shared vehicle;
• receiving a transmission from the terminal device, the transmission including a designation of the zone that includes the parking lot where the user will start use of the shared vehicle or the parking lot where the user will return the shared vehicle;
• acquiring data of starting points of use of the shared vehicles as use history of the shared vehicles;
• generating training data by associating attribution information, the attribution information influencing use of the shared vehicles, with the use history of the shared vehicles, and storing the training data;
• calculating a demand for shared vehicles in each zone based on the acquired use history of the shared vehicles;
• performing machine learning using the training data to predict the demand for the shared vehicles in each parking lot based on prediction data of the attribution information;
• calculating a supply of shared vehicles in each zone based on a number of shared vehicles parked in each parking lot;
• and
• determining the parking lots included in each zone so as to minimize a value obtained by adding differences between the demand for shared vehicles calculated for each zone included in the area and the supply of shared vehicles calculated for each zone included in the area.

A shared vehicle management device for managing shared vehicles located in an area where a user is present, wherein the area includes multiple zones differing from one another, and each of the zones includes one or more parking lots, the shared vehicle management device comprising:

• processing circuitry configured to:
• transmit, via a communication circuit, an instruction to a terminal device to prompt the user to select, via the terminal device, from the multiple zones, a zone that includes a parking lot where the user will start use of a shared vehicle or a parking lot where the user will return the shared vehicle,
• receive a transmission from the terminal device, the transmission including a designation of the zone that includes the parking lot where the user will start use of the shared vehicle or the parking lot where the user will return the shared vehicle,
• acquire data of starting points of use of the shared vehicles as use history of the shared vehicles,
• generate training data by associating attribution information, the attribution information influencing use of the shared vehicles, with the use history of the shared vehicles, and store the training data,
• calculate a demand for shared vehicles in each zone based on the acquired use history of the shared vehicles,
• perform machine learning using the training data to predict the demand for the shared vehicles in each parking lot based on prediction data of the attribution information,
• calculate a supply of shared vehicles in each zone based on a number of shared vehicles parked in each parking lot, and
• determine the parking lots included in each zone so as to minimize a value obtained by adding differences between the demand for shared vehicles calculated for each zone included in the area and the supply of shared vehicles calculated for each zone included in the area.