Effective Disaster Response and Recovery with On-site Images Provided
Through National GeoSpatial Information Platform
The National Geographic Information Institute (NGII, Director General Sagong Ho Sang) has announced the launch of a new ‘Emergency GeoSpatial Information Service’. Scheduled for launch on March 4, the new service will employ satellites, aircraft and airborne drones to provide images from the site of forest fires and other large-scale disasters, along with high-precision geospatial information (maps and geospatial statistics data).
Disaster response agencies throughout the country, including central administrative agencies and local governments, will have immediate access to emergency geospatial information combining images of the disaster site, digital maps containing information on terrain and features, (buildings and roads, etc.), past time-series aerial photos, and national statistical data (population and housing, etc.). This information can be processed and utilized through the National GeoSpatial Information Platform (http://map.ngii.go.kr).
● (Key features) Superimposition images of disaster images and digital maps, time-series analyses, preparation of thematic maps and reports, etc.
Emergency GeoSpatial Information (EGI), by allowing for the disaster situation and on-site conditions to be ascertained even without visiting the disaster site in person, will make possible simulation and prediction of damage spread patterns and scientific assessment of damage scope. This is expected to have many applications in disaster response and restoration cases.
The NGII has adopted a phased approach to implementation of the EGI service, launching a pilot service and developing disaster response manuals and disaster response operations support systems ahead of launching the service in earnest.
The pilot service for large-scale disaster response was launched in 2020. The service has proved its utility in identifying, responding to and restoring damage from disasters; upwards of 30 disaster response agencies and local governments have requested that the NGII formalize the service.
The entire ‘EGI’ process is covered by a ‘Field Action and Measures Manual’ to ensure consistency in disaster response.
The service was then designated for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s ‘2021 Digital Public Services Innovation Project . The field operations support systems necessary for providing EGI were developed, and the service platform was further advanced.
The ‘EGI’ service will start with springtime forest fire response, and will expand to include storm and flood damage, and landslides. The service will later become part of a broader ‘Disaster Management GeoSpatial Information’ system which can be utilized throughout the entire disaster life cycle (prevention, readiness, response and recovery)
The NGII’s time-series geospatial data allows changes in disaster risk zones to be easily identified, making it possible to monitor areas where the most extensive disaster damage is expected to prevent and implement better readiness against disasters.
‘Disaster Management GeoSpatial Information’ will furnish various tailored geospatial data for production of disaster risk assessment and situation maps by central government ministries and disaster maps by local governments. The system is expected to contribute substantially to scientific decision-making and efficient disaster management by disaster response agencies.
NGII Director General Sagong Ho Sang said, “The ‘Emergency GeoSpatial Information’ service will be an opportunity to translate highly accurate and regularly updated national geospatial data into services that benefit the public interest in a more tangible manner.”
He added, “The NGII will continue to promote the service, collaborate with competent agencies and further advance the service so that disaster response agencies can appreciate the necessity of emergency geospatial information and disaster management geospatial information, utilizing this information in their operations.”
Please refer to the attached PDF.