The COVID-19 epidemic has caused significant changes in South Korea’s social landscape, the most noteworthy of which are issues such as non-face-to-face and contactless transactions in daily transactions, as well as the growing necessity for enterprises to undertake digital transformation.
Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the top policy makers in South Korea, planning experts in South Korea are of the view that smart cities are not a choice but a necessity. Sustainable and smart cities are one of the solutions to deal with the rapid acceleration of urbanization, which is fast becoming a major global issue.
Top policy makers in South Korea hoped to achieve their country’s vision by underpinning their strategy on the backbone of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT).
When Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IOT) come together, the outcome is AIoT, or artificial intelligence of things. Consider internet of things devices such as drones, autonomous vehicles and robots moving freely about the city, with real-time interactions between these devices, and artificial intelligence serving as the the mother-brain that regulating these devices.
There are various practical applications of AIoT in a smart city, including traffic monitoring by drones.
Another area AIoT could benefit is in smart office buildings. Some real estate owners have already decided to put up a network of smart environmental sensors in their office building.
These sensors can determine the number of people within the building and adjust the ambient temperatures and luminsity of lights to maximise energy savings. In another case, a smart building could also utilise biometric technology to control building entry.
AIoT could also be used to maximise the usage of urban resources. AIoT may identify accidents, unlawful parking, and adjust traffic signals to aid ambulances in getting to people who require assistance as quickly as possible.
The South Korean government would explore the applocation of AIoT in the following areas:
- Entertainment
- Energy
- Logistics
- Digital healthcare
- Agroforestry fishing industry
- Disaster safety; and
- Smart homes
Apart from this, they would also try to encourage more private enterprises to take part in growing this segment of sustainable and smart urban development.
Terra Link Research 