[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Develops Nation's First Tracking Control System Using Wireless Communication Beacon and GPS Location Detection Technology & Finds Missing Children in 10 Minutes During Drills, Expecting Great Effect in Preventing Child Disappearances at Daycare Centers... Yangcheon-gu Installs 18 Automatic Ventilation Devices in 2 Public Daycare Centers to Maintain Comfortable Air Quality
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] According to data from the National Police Agency, there are about 20,000 reports of missing children each year, and in the case of preschool children, the probability of finding them decreases significantly if the ‘golden time’ of 3 hours after disappearance is missed.
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has primarily used CCTV for crime prevention, but it has now integrated CCTV functionality into missing child searches by independently developing the nation’s first ‘Real-Time Missing Child Tracking and Monitoring Service,’ which is being provided to local daycare centers and receiving great response.
The ‘Real-Time Missing Child Tracking and Monitoring Service’ is an Internet of Things (IoT) system that connects an application (hereafter ‘app’) developed by the district, wireless communication devices called beacons that can communicate within a certain range, and CCTV to track the location of missing children.
The system operates simply. The daycare teachers have the ‘Smart Guardian (Missing Child Prevention Alert)’ app installed on their smartphones, and children are provided with beacons and bags to carry them. The beacons containing each child’s information are registered in the ‘Smart Guardian’ app, allowing teachers to know whether children are nearby. If a child goes missing, the app automatically reports to the ‘Gwanak-gu CCTV Control Center.’
Upon receiving a report, the CCTV Control Center verifies the information and descriptions through the app and immediately begins searching for the missing child. In fact, after conducting 12 mock drills from October to December, the average time to find a missing child was 10 minutes, which is much faster compared to the golden time of 3 hours.
So far, the district has distributed about 1,900 beacons to 38 daycare centers and linked them with approximately 5,300 CCTVs throughout Gwanak-gu. Next year, an additional 1,000 beacons will be provided to 25 daycare centers. Furthermore, 340 beacon detectors will be installed in blind spots where CCTV searches are difficult, upgrading the system to enable searches in those areas.
The district plans to actively use the ‘Real-Time Missing Child Tracking and Monitoring Service’ to prevent and search for missing children during outdoor field trips of daycare children within the region.
Additionally, as of 2022, the district has provided missing prevention GPS devices to about 350 disabled and dementia elderly individuals, and plans to distribute to an additional 1,000 people by 2026 at a rate of 150 people annually, linking them to the CCTV Control Center to create a safe city for vulnerable groups.
A district official said, “Through the nation’s first ‘Real-Time Missing Child Tracking and Monitoring Service,’ we expect great effects not only in preventing child disappearances but also in protecting vulnerable groups,” adding, “We will showcase ‘smart’ administration by promoting projects that incorporate various digital technologies and creative ideas to create a safe living environment for residents.”
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Ki-jae) announced that it has installed ventilation facilities that provide pleasant air quality without the need to open windows in two public daycare centers in the district to create a ‘Ventilation Safe Daycare Center’ safe from fine dust and other harmful substances threatening children’s respiratory health.
Young children in daycare centers, who are vulnerable to infections, spend most of their time indoors, but during heatwaves, cold spells, yellow dust, and fine dust periods, it is practically difficult to open windows for ventilation. Therefore, facilities that maintain clean air quality without opening windows have been continuously demanded.
Accordingly, to improve indoor air quality and create a safe childcare environment, the district installed 18 ceiling-type automatic ventilation devices in two daycare centers in the Mok-dong area, introducing a system that exchanges indoor and outdoor air without opening windows.
Notably, the installed ventilation facilities reduce heat energy loss, improving energy efficiency, and allow ventilation regardless of season or external environment, enabling pleasant air quality throughout the year.
The district plans to carry out ventilation facility construction next year in two daycare centers, one each in the Sinwol-dong and Sinjeong-dong areas.
Meanwhile, besides ventilation devices, the district supports air purifier rental costs for all daycare centers in the region through a city-district matching project called the Air Purifier Support Project.
Yangcheon-gu Mayor Lee Ki-jae said, “Through this daycare ventilation facility support project, we expect significant contributions not only to daily life quarantine but also to energy cost savings,” adding, “We will continue to provide necessary support so that our children can grow up healthy in a safe environment.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
