Big Data Usage Increases 28.3 Times... Vice Minister Jang Seok-yeong Announces Discounts for Startups

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "We will actively promote data utilization support measures, such as providing paid data for free or at a discount to startups with insufficient funding capacity."

Jang Seok-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced this on the morning of the 9th during a visit to KT, which oversees the telecommunications big data platform. The on-site visit was conducted to share the achievements of the Big Data Platform and Center construction project, a core project of the Digital New Deal's 'Data Dam,' and to hear opinions from the field.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has been building sector-specific big data platforms that support the entire cycle of data collection, processing, analysis, and distribution to supply high-quality data needed across industries. As a result, the data accumulated by private and public institutions increased to 3,246 types by the end of last year. User utilization reached 83,336 cases, a 28.3-fold increase compared to the previous year (2,942 cases).

Vice Minister Jang checked the current status of the big data platform operation and also met with operators of other platforms·centers and representatives of data-utilizing companies. Notably, at the site, cases were presented where data provided through the big data platform was used for service development and securing competitiveness by companies, drawing attention.

The AI-based spatial data company ‘Dabio’ secured high-quality aerial images from the forest platform and applied them to its service platform ‘EARTHEYE’ to develop a dead tree detection technology for national parks. It was explained that the time required was significantly reduced compared to manual visual interpretation.

The startup ‘Annotation AI,’ founded by AI experts, received de-identified closed-circuit television (CCTV) images, which were previously difficult to obtain, from the transportation platform and enhanced the performance of its data labeling automation tool, signing an $80,000 export contract with a Vietnamese company.

The social enterprise ‘Toopader’ acquired nationwide apartment management fee data, which was difficult for startups to access, through a financial platform and advanced services for energy saving and joint electricity bill reduction in apartment complexes.

Vice Minister Jang said, "Although the big data platform built through public-private cooperation has shown remarkable utilization results in a short period, it is necessary to produce tangible outcomes that companies and citizens can feel." He added, "To promote data-based innovation, we plan to actively pursue data utilization support measures, such as providing paid data for free or at a discount to startups with insufficient funding."

He also stated, "We will further activate the integrated data map to enhance data utilization across the nation," adding, "We will expand data supply that meets market expectations through full-cycle support, including consulting necessary for pseudonymized information processing and integration."

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