Seoul City, 'New Ground Subsidence Prevention Technology' 6 Cases Field Verification... "If Verified, Introduce to Construction Sites"

[Financial News] Seoul City has selected 6 new technologies to proactively prevent ground subsidence accidents and is starting field verification. The plan is to verify the applicability in actual excavation sites and to officially introduce the proven technologies to large excavation sites in Seoul.
Seoul City announced on the 24th that it selected 6 outstanding technologies from 22 submissions in the 'New Technology Competition for Ground Subsidence Prevention' held from April 30 to May 9.
The competition theme includes information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) based measurement and analysis technologies related to pre-detection, warning, real-time monitoring, and cause diagnosis of ground subsidence. The competition received 15 submissions related to measurement technology, 5 using AI analysis technology, and 2 other technologies.
The selected 6 technologies are advanced technologies for early detection and prediction of ground subsidence, integrating AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and sensor fusion. Specifically, they include ground subsidence risk prediction technology using satellite images and AI, detection technology combining intelligent closed-circuit (CC)TV and ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a smart measurement system capable of real-time measurement through underground sensors, a field warning system where warning lights automatically illuminate upon subsidence occurrence, acoustic-based subsidence detection technology using optical fibers, and a pre-warning technology based on reinforcement materials with embedded sensors.
The 6 new technologies will be applied to the construction sites of the 4th phase (sections 1-3) of Subway Line 9 and the Seoul Arena complex cultural facility in Seoul, where large-scale excavation work is underway, to verify their performance and effectiveness.
Field verification will be conducted for about 5 weeks starting from the 4th week of this month. The focus will be on how accurately each technology detects abnormal signs of the ground in actual field conditions.
The city stated, "External experts who participated from the competition stage will evaluate the field verification results to objectively verify the reliability and applicability of the technologies," adding, "After the completion of field verification, we will select excellent technologies through a final expert review and plan to introduce them as pilot projects in major excavation sites in Seoul from the second half of this year."
The selection committee is operated by receiving recommendations for judges from 13 professional societies, associations, and organizations related to underground safety, including the Korean Geotechnical Society and the Korea Underground Safety Association. The chairman is Professor Kim Seong-ryeol from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University.
In addition to this new technology competition for ground subsidence prevention, technology briefings are continuously held to actively discover and introduce new technologies in various disaster safety fields directly related to citizen safety. Topics are selected considering timeliness in the disaster safety field and are always received at 'Seoul Safety Nuri'.
Han Byeong-yong, head of the Seoul City Disaster Safety Office, said, "This field verification of new technologies for ground subsidence prevention shows Seoul City's strong commitment to protecting citizens' safety from 'invisible underground risks'," adding, "We will strive to actively discover and introduce creative new technologies from the private sector to ensure not only safety but also peace of mind for citizens."

chlee1@fnnews.com Lee Chang-hoon Reporter