Seoul to Establish 'Public IoT Network' Citywide in 2023... Pilot Service in Eunpyeong, Guro, Seocho Within the Year

Establishing 421km IoT Network and Operation Platform Within the Year, Installing 1,000 Dedicated Base Stations by 2023
Providing IoT Services via Mobile Network Now Using Public Network Without Cost Burden

Seoul City Public Internet of Things (IoT) Network Target Configuration Diagram

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 11th that it will complete the construction of a ‘public Internet of Things (IoT) network’ throughout Seoul by 2023 and establish an ‘operation platform’ serving as a central control tower at Seoul City Hall within the year.

Once the ‘Internet of Things (IoT) network’ is installed across Seoul, data in various fields such as traffic, safety, environment, health, facilities, crime prevention, and disaster management can be collected through IoT sensors installed throughout the city. Data exchange between Seoul City Hall and the 25 district offices will also be possible. The IoT network enables rapid transmission of collected data and swift provision of related services, as well as utilization of the data through big data processing, refinement, and convergence. Previously, IoT services were provided via mobile communication networks, but now they can be offered through the public network without cost burden.

For example, services that citizens can directly experience, such as ‘remote water meter reading’ using IoT sensors, ‘IoT fire detection’ through power monitoring in traditional markets, and ‘IoT solitary death prevention’ using motion detection sensors in the homes of elderly living alone, can be implemented throughout Seoul.

Seoul City plans to provide data to startups and research institutions to create added value and develop various services that improve citizens’ quality of life.

The IoT communication network (LoRa backbone network) of 421 km will be constructed throughout Seoul within the year. The ‘operation platform’ will be established at City Hall within the year to comprehensively manage the overall operation of the IoT network, including smooth collection and distribution of various urban data collected through sensors across Seoul, and real-time management of base stations and network equipment.

‘Dedicated IoT LoRa base stations,’ which relay data, will also be installed in 1,000 locations by 2023 using public buildings such as community centers. The plan is to install them in 19 autonomous districts in 2022 and 3 autonomous districts in 2023.

Along with the construction of the ‘Internet of Things (IoT) network,’ Seoul City has selected three autonomous districts (Eunpyeong, Guro, Seocho) to sequentially launch pilot IoT services in safety, administration, and environment sectors within the year. The pilot services by district are: Eunpyeong-gu (Safety ? Risk Facility Safety Management), Guro-gu (Administration ? Smart Security Lights), and Seocho-gu (Environment ? Fine Dust Alert and Warning).

Eunpyeong-gu Hazardous Facility Safety Management Service

Eunpyeong-gu will start the ‘Risk Facility Safety Management Service,’ which monitors and responds in real-time to abnormal signs in aging facilities through IoT. Smart sensors totaling 103 units, which collect data such as building tilt and cracks, have been installed at 29 aging facilities in the district. The collected data is analyzed to assign a five-level safety rating to each facility for systematic management.

In Guro-gu, about 4,500 ‘Smart Security Lights’ that can detect and respond to malfunctions autonomously are installed and operated. A control system to operate and manage the smart security lights is planned to be established by November. Seocho-gu will complete the construction of an ‘Alert Talk Service’ by December, which analyzes the sources of fine dust, combines this with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to predict future occurrence areas, and informs citizens accordingly.

Lee Won-mok, Seoul City’s Smart City Policy Officer, explained, “In the future, not only communication between individuals but also communication between things is expected to increase rapidly. Therefore, the role of the Smart Seoul Network (S-Net) will not be limited to simple communication welfare but will serve as a core infrastructure function connecting the entire IoT network of Seoul.”

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