Starting December, Applied to 1,000 City Buses... Recognizing 24 Danger Signals Including Traffic Light Colors and Jaywalking
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] A service that combines big data and information and communication technology to drastically reduce car accidents caused by driver negligence and enable autonomous driving is becoming a reality.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 1st that, as part of the next-generation intelligent transportation system (C-ITS) demonstration project promoted jointly with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it will launch the "Automobile Connected Service," which integrates and displays information from vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure on actual urban roads through 5G convergence.
Until now, connected service demonstrations using Wi-Fi-based Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) have been conducted domestically and internationally, but Seoul is the world's first to implement automobile connected services fused with 5G mobile communication technology. The city plans to sequentially apply this service to a total of 1,700 vehicles, starting with 1,000 buses this year, followed by 1,600 buses and 100 taxis.
First, through all communication networks including 5G and WAVE, a forward traffic signal notification and violation warning service will be implemented, providing information on the traffic light color at the upcoming intersection and the remaining time until the green light ends. Additionally, deep learning video cameras installed in road hazard zones will detect jaywalking pedestrians, accidents inside tunnels, illegally parked vehicles, and stopped vehicles in curve sections 24 hours a day, notifying vehicles in advance via 5G. The service will also start 24 automobile connected technology-based traffic safety services that alert drivers to dangerous situations such as forward collision warnings and lane departure warnings.
In particular, to prevent accidents involving public transportation such as buses, a public transportation (bus)-specialized traffic safety service utilizing connected technology will be introduced for the first time worldwide, enhancing traffic safety in central bus-only lanes. It will provide advance warnings of pedestrian risks before entering bus stops located in the center of the road and support safe operation at stops with high accident risk by informing which boarding areas are occupied and whether there is a collision risk with overtaking buses.
Furthermore, by February next year, a service will be completed that provides information on driver driving habits and road-specific traffic accident risks through big data analysis.
The city expects that these technologies will reduce traffic accidents caused by driver negligence by more than 30%.
Seoul will also introduce a service that equips city buses and taxis with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors to collect locations of road collapses (potholes) and road construction, then provide this information to surrounding vehicles and private navigation systems. The city plans to manage pothole areas to ensure prompt repairs.
Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom collaborated on the development of this 5G automobile connected service. Samsung Electronics supplied Seoul with the world's first 'V2X' terminals capable of all vehicle wireless communications, while SK Telecom supported the development of ultra-low latency automobile connected technology that exchanges all information such as traffic signal data, vehicle location, and road hazards within 0.1 seconds through 5G communication.
Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, "Seoul, currently the world's best public transportation city, will lead the future mobility platform innovation city by commercializing 5G convergence connected technology, autonomous driving, unmanned drone taxis, and personal mobility (PM) ahead of others, setting global standards."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
