'Smart Navigation' Alerting June Traffic Signals and Jaywalking Risks Released

Seoul City Opens 14 Types of Digital Road Infrastructure Data Including Traffic Light Colors, Remaining Time, Jaywalking, and Road Sinkholes
Information Connectable to Existing Navigation Without Expensive Equipment Over 2 Million Won... Connected Services Now Available
Initially Opens Traffic Signal Information at 597 Locations in Downtown and Gangnam... Sequential Expansion Planned
Briefing for Related Companies on 29th, Private Navigation Companies to Be Selected Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Police Agency, will open 14 types of digital road infrastructure data to sensitive navigation companies. Until now, road infrastructure data such as traffic signals and pedestrian hazards were only accessible to certain vehicles equipped with high-priced devices costing around 2 million KRW, such as autonomous vehicles.

On the 24th, Seoul announced that it will open 14 types of data to the private sector, including traffic signals such as traffic light colors and remaining time, jaywalking pedestrians, and illegal parking locations. The city expects this opening to go beyond simply providing data to the private sector, expanding into a continuous connected service where cars communicate with each other and with roads digitally to warn of dangers ahead in advance.

The city explained that as part of the C-ITS demonstration project promoted jointly with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it will provide digital road infrastructure data collected to navigation companies, enabling not only bus (1,600 units) and taxi (100 units) drivers equipped with special devices but all vehicle drivers to use advanced connected services.

Accordingly, smart navigation systems are expected to be launched as early as June. The city plans to start services in cooperation with the private sector that inform drivers of traffic light colors and remaining signal time down to the second, warn of collision risks with pedestrians in blind spots, and provide information on dangers on the road such as stopped or illegally parked vehicles inside tunnels.

The city expects that once this service is commercialized, informing drivers of signal times will reduce accident risks caused by sudden acceleration and fuel waste, and decrease traffic accidents caused by driver negligence by more than 30%. Additionally, since it can predict traffic conditions by integrating various government data, it anticipates improved optimal route guidance and higher accuracy in estimated arrival times.

The opening of traffic signal data will initially target 597 locations on 22 roads where central bus lanes operate, including downtown inside the Four Major Gates, Yeouido, Gangnam, Sangam, Yanghwa, and Sinchon roads. This covers a total section of 151 km. The city plans to expand the opening of traffic signal data to 2,468 locations on all city roads with six or more lanes by June next year. This means about 45.9% of all traffic signal controllers’ information will be opened.

Before opening the road infrastructure data, the city will hold an online briefing session on the 29th for portals, automobile, and telecommunications companies, and plans to select private navigation companies to provide services to citizens next month. The city will select around 3 to 5 companies through a selection committee composed entirely of external members.

Professor Ko Jun-ho of Hanyang University said, “Just as navigation systems freed drivers from the stress of finding unknown routes, this opening of digital road infrastructure data will be a digital innovation milestone that allows drivers to receive advance warnings of traffic signals and various hazards ahead, drastically preventing traffic accidents.” Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, “Taking this data opening as an opportunity, Seoul will further develop ultra-low latency connected technology that links cars and road infrastructure via 5G and digital means, leading the future transportation market including autonomous driving.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.