Using Drones for Disaster Damage Assessment... Ministry of the Interior and Safety-LX Sign MOU to Promote Drone Utilization

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 8th that it will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation (LX) to promote the use of drones in disaster management.

Drones have the advantage of freely moving and viewing wide areas from high points, making them useful in various fields such as marine pollution patrols, power distribution facility inspections, and monitoring of algal bloom situations. However, their use in disaster management has been limited to pilot surveys of natural disaster damage sites, and the need for activation has been continuously raised.

LX, which is signing the agreement this time, is an institution specialized in spatial information and cadastral surveying and owns 85 drones. It can quickly dispatch drones anywhere nationwide and operates a control system that allows real-time drone control and video sharing.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and LX have been continuously cooperating to expand the use of drones in disaster management, including jointly conducting a pilot field survey using drones in March on heavy snow damage areas in Gangwon Province (Chuncheon, Hongcheon). With this MOU, they have pledged to make further efforts to "promote the use of drones in disaster management."

Additionally, to strengthen usability at the frontline during disaster response and recovery stages, they plan to enhance the collaboration system to ensure smooth cooperation between city/province and city/county/district offices and LX regional headquarters. Kim Hee-gyeom, Head of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters, said, "The most important thing for effective disaster response and recovery is to quickly and accurately grasp the situation on site," adding, "I hope this MOU will serve as a catalyst to increase drone utilization across all areas of disaster management and contribute to protecting the lives and property of the people."