AI to Prevent Flood Damage... Busan Establishes Collaborative System for Extreme Rainfall Response Technology Development
by Kim Yongu
Published 06 Mar.2026 10:25(KST)
Linked with "Busan Safety ON",
Real-Time Risk Detection, Prediction, and Evacuation Route Guidance
AI is emerging as a solution to flood damage. Busan City has begun collaborating with national research institutes to develop AI-based urban flood response technologies.
On March 6, Busan City (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that at 1:30 p.m. in the Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters conference room on the 15th floor of Busan City Hall, it will sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) for cooperation on the development of an "AI-Based Extreme Rainfall Response Platform" with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and Korea Railroad Research Institute.
This collaboration aims to leverage Busan’s disaster safety response capabilities and urban environmental characteristics as a testbed, supporting the field application of the "Development of Digital Urban Flood Control Technology for Realizing a Flood-Safe City," a convergence-based basic project under the National Research Council of Science & Technology. The project, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, will invest approximately 38.4 billion won over five years from 2025 to 2029.
Kim Gi Hwan, Director of the Busan City Citizens’ Safety Office, and the division heads of the four national research institutes will attend the signing ceremony.
Through this collaboration, the city plans to advance AI-based urban flood prediction and control technologies and to build a smart technology-based urban safety management system that can proactively respond to increasingly severe extreme rainfall events caused by climate change.
Until now, flood risk prediction has relied on weather observation sensors and meteorological information installed in certain disaster-prone areas, which limited the scope of observation and required significant time for analysis. The city expects that the adoption of AI-based real-time rainfall analysis using closed-circuit (CC) TV technology will expand the observation range.
In addition, by integrating urban data such as underground structures, water and sewage pipeline networks, and disaster history-which were previously managed separately by each department-the city will strengthen its disaster response foundation. A hybrid prediction technology that combines physical models and AI, as well as comprehensive three-dimensional analysis of aboveground, surface, and underground data, will enable the preemptive prediction of flood depth and extent and provide scenario-based response strategies.
The cooperation period is four years. Each institution will jointly conduct technology development and field demonstrations, and will cooperate on: ▲ institution-specific technology development ▲ data provision and sharing ▲ demonstration of urban flood and geological disaster response technologies ▲ formation and operation of a working council, among other areas.
Busan City will provide urban data such as drainage pipeline networks, topographical and facility information, sensor data, and flood history, and will conduct step-by-step demonstrations focusing on areas that are habitually prone to flooding.
The city will also strengthen functions such as real-time risk detection and prediction and evacuation route guidance by linking the existing "Busan Safety ON" urban safety integrated information service. Citizens will be able to more quickly access flood risk information at the administrative district level, receive guidance to avoid dangerous areas, and view optimal evacuation routes in real time.
Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, "As extreme rainfall events that are difficult to predict due to climate change become more frequent, there is a need to shift the urban flood response system to a more scientific and proactive approach. We will strive to protect the lives and property of citizens by establishing a city flood prediction and response platform using AI and digital technologies."
He also emphasized, "We will continue to advance the urban safety management system by utilizing cutting-edge technologies and create a safe city of Busan where citizens can feel secure even under extreme weather conditions."
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