Pohang City Selected in Final Round of Ministry of Interior Big Data Contest... Secures 550 Million KRW for Fine Dust Response System Using Big Data

Reduction of Air Pollutants like Fine Dust Expected to Cut Social Costs

Solving Social, Economic, and Environmental Issues in All Areas of Life Using Big Data

Pohang City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City has secured 550 million KRW in national funding after its proposal titled "Big Data Analysis of Fine Dust for Achieving Net-Zero" was finally selected in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “2023 Advanced Information Technology Utilization Public Service Promotion Project.”

This public contest aimed to discover and spread new service models that can innovate public services by proactively introducing advanced information technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain into the public sector. It targeted central administrative agencies, local governments, and public institutions. A total of 23 organizations applied, and after a first round of document evaluation and a second round of presentation evaluation by a professional evaluation panel, four organizations including Pohang City were finally selected.

The project Pohang City applied for, “Establishment of a Fine Dust Big Data Analysis System for Achieving Net-Zero,” collects real-time data on fine dust concentration at bus stops, population density, and road cleaning vehicle operation information. It links and analyzes these with various data from the Pohang Big Data Integrated Platform to derive optimal routes for road cleaning vehicles aimed at purifying fine dust, serving as a decision support system.

Although the city has promoted fine dust purification policies across the urban area such as greenways and urban forests in response to increased fine dust caused by internal and external factors and the rise of vulnerable groups due to aging, policies for fine dust at bus stops used by 50,000 people daily and the status of road cleaning vehicle ownership remain insufficient.

To address these weaknesses, Pohang City applied for the contest project based on big data analysis. In the short term, it plans to contribute to reducing fine dust near bus stops through efficient use of limited resources, and in the long term, it aims to apply fine dust forecasting to establish support measures for vulnerable groups, utilizing the system in various ways.

A Pohang City official stated, “Big data is already being used throughout daily life and is a key to solving problems in all fields including economy, society, and environment,” adding, “Through the creation of a big data innovation ecosystem, which is currently a priority for Pohang City, and the promotion of contest projects based on big data, we will strive to leap forward into the 4th industrial revolution based on data.”