ICT-based Air Quality Measurement
Information and communication technology (ICT) such as KT's telecommunication poles and base stations will be used to prevent fine dust damage.
On September 20, KT announced that the company will start the 10-billion-won (US$9 million) Air Map Korea project to collect and provide air quality data in a press conference at KT Square in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. For this project, KT decided to use about 4.5 million telecommunication poles, 330,000 base stations, 60,000 public phone booths, and 4,000 central offices in Korea as spots where KT will install devices to measure air quality based on the internet of things (IoT).
Among them, KT is planning to install 1,500 air quality measuring devices at major spots in Seoul and six major metropolitan cities and conduct pilot services in the first quarter of next year. The trial service will focus on the areas where vulnerable people such as children and the elderly live and the areas crowded with harmful facilities. KT plans to invest 10 billion won (US$9 million) in the pilot services for the Seoul and six metropolitan cities and the construction and future operation of an air quality measurement network platform.
To this end, KT will select a place where air quality can be measured most effectively through big data analysis until the end of the year. The collected data will be provided to the government through analysis of an open IoT platform. The IoT-based air quality measuring instrument can measure minute-by-minute data of six items -- ultrafine dust, fine dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxides, noises and humidity.
KT already signed an agreement to build air pollution monitoring networks with the Jeju Provincial Government in April of this year and has been running the networks in base stations, public telephone booths, telecommunications poles, local community centers and bus stops among others. On top of that, the company concluded agreements with the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education and is conducting trial services at ten schools. When necessary, the government will provide data to the general public. KT will link air quality measuring devices and related platforms to KT's platform to allow people to get their hands on air quality measurement.