BC Card and Ministry of Science and ICT Selected as Lead Operators for '2022 Data Flagship Project'

Development of Pseudonymized Data Integration for Hyper-Personalized Travel Curation and Commercial Area Analysis Services by Year-End

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] BC Card announced on the 10th that it has been selected as the lead operator for the '2022 Data Flagship Project' by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The Data Flagship Project is a public initiative where industry, academia, research institutes, and government collaborate to solve major social issues and revitalize the data ecosystem based on data and artificial intelligence technologies.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) have been selecting lead operators for new tasks annually since 2013. This year's Data Flagship Project requires the lead operator to develop services that the public can tangibly experience based on pseudonymized data linkage.

Through the 2022 Data Flagship Project, BC Card plans to form a consortium with TDI, a big data analytics specialist company, and by December, build ▲ hyper-personalized travel curation services and ▲ commercial district analysis services by travel destination based on pseudonymized data linkage of dispersed heterogeneous data such as travel-related consumption and individual mobility patterns.

Existing travel-related data mainly consists of statistical data on groups sharing certain characteristics, limiting the accurate reflection of individual user traits. Additionally, the data is dispersed by type, category, and producer, making comprehensive analysis challenging.

BC Card, as the only pseudonymized data linkage specialized institution among financial companies, explains that it can create synergy between dispersed data through financial and non-financial pseudonymized data linkage and analysis algorithms, and analyze traveler characteristics on an individual basis to provide hyper-personalized travel information.

Accordingly, individuals traveling can receive customized travel information such as routes tailored to their travel preferences. Furthermore, local governments and small business owners can effectively derive strategies to enhance regional competitiveness and increase sales based on commercial district analysis information. The company also states that as the number of users increases, both the volume of data and the accuracy of algorithms improve in a virtuous cycle, contributing to the sustainable competitiveness of the domestic tourism industry.

BC Card plans to first build a data platform centered on Jeju Island and provide it to the Korea Tourism Organization and Jeju Tourism Organization. Subsequently, through continuous service advancement, the target areas will be expanded nationwide.

BC Card expects that its selection for the Data Flagship Project will further strengthen its competitiveness in public data business. Shin Jong-chul, Head of BC Card's Data Linkage Business TF (Executive Director), said, "As the only pseudonymized data linkage specialized institution among financial companies, BC Card will enhance national travel satisfaction and actively contribute to the digital innovation of the tourism industry through this Data Flagship Project. Going forward, BC Card will play a key role in enhancing sustainable national competitiveness based on data technology."