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Untitled Solution

record_id: recC08EfIIrq2YHM5 city: Seoul solution_title: Seoul Safety App: Real-Time Disaster Information and Emergency Response quote: "in 2018, Seoul launched a safety portal that provided real-time disaster information and began 'Seoul Safety App' service." context: "Seoul has been providing Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS) to minimize losses from disasters. Adding up to this service, in 2018, Seoul launched a safety portal that provided real-time disaster information and began 'Seoul Safety App' service." hazards:

  • Flash/surface flood
  • River flood ai_intensity_score: 72 models_used:
  • anthropic.claude-4.5-sonnet iterations: 13 searches: 15 validated_claims: 28 documents_scraped: 17 wall_time: 21m 41s repository: resilience-scanner-deepresearcher-2 commit: 7112fa66 uncommitted_changes: true branch: main script: researcher.py generated: 2025-11-01T19:49:59.461098

Solution Overview

In 2018, Seoul launched a safety portal that provided real-time disaster information and began the Seoul Safety App service.[8][6][9] This digital infrastructure represents a comprehensive approach to disaster preparedness and emergency response, integrating multiple technological systems to protect residents from various hazards including floods, fires, and other emergencies. The platform has evolved to incorporate advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence, and mobile technologies to deliver timely warnings and coordinate emergency services across the metropolitan area.

Technical Components

The technical architecture encompasses multiple interconnected systems designed to collect, analyze, and disseminate disaster information. In 2023, Seoul created a cutting-edge digital platform with big data and AI for disaster response that provides disaster response support and digital operation control function where various disaster information is integrated.[1] The platform integrates and manages diverse administrative information owned by the Seoul Fire Headquarters, analyzing the information with AI and big data to deliver advanced digital information from the 119 reporting to on-site response stages.[1] The city developed a comprehensive flood forecasting system and an early warning network to better prepare for increasingly frequent and intense rainfall events.[2] Starting in 2023, Seoul became the first in the country to operate a flooding forecast and warning system designed to alarm and guide citizens in advance so that they may acknowledge the situation and evacuate.[10] The Seoul intelligent disaster prevention and safety system is based on the population density data collected by security cameras.[6] The technology includes an intelligent people counting and crowd detection system that automatically detects crowd density and informs of signs of risk.[6] The Republic of Korea has been providing information to the public through wireless emergency alerts using mobile phones.[3] In Korea, the WEA service based on cell broadcast service technology has been implemented since 2005, and local governments and central authorities have had the power to send such messages since 2017.[3] They send warning messages to individual cell phones connected to the base stations of mobile service providers in a designated area.[3]

Implementation Details

The implementation unfolded through multiple phases beginning with pilot programs in 2017. The Ansimi app began as a pilot service in 2017 before its implementation across all of Seoul in October 2018.[5] In May 2017, four autonomous districts of Eunpyeong-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Seongdong-gu and Dongjak-gu first adopted the Anshimi program, and it was extended to all 25 districts with full service starting from October 25, 2018, following one year and five months of preparation and improvement period.[7] Anshimi uses the control tower operated by each autonomous district to monitor risk situations in real time by linking a total of 39,463 CCTVs installed in Seoul for crime prevention as of the end of June 2018 with smartphone applications.[7] In 2022, Seoul's goal was to create Seoul 119 big data center that manages 119 dispatches and fire administration information, make a 3D map of disaster-prone facilities including nursing homes, and ensure firefighters can use it when rescuing lives.[1] The Seoul 119 big data center makes an infrastructure integrating information about 119 calls and dispatches, field information, and disaster data from related agencies, and serves as a public data provider via big data platforms of the National Fire Agency and the SMG.[1] Seoul launched the central disaster safety and countermeasure headquarters on May 15, 2023, which operated around-the-clock until October 15, 2023.[10] The SMG plans to develop an algorithm that guides paths for disaster prevention patrol by analyzing each region's time slots where disasters are most likely to take place.[1] The algorithm for the preventive patrol paths generates big data encompassing fire, rescue, first aid, life safety, and dispatch data accumulated over the past two decades.[1]

Benefits and Impacts

The system has demonstrated substantial adoption and operational effectiveness since deployment. The Anshimi application recorded 16,483 downloads during the pilot period from May 2017 to September 2018, with 3,614 people joining the service and using it 7,055 times as of September 2018.[7] As of September 2023, the Ansimi app had 224,604 total downloads and 211,481 recorded cases of app service use.[5] When using Ansimi in emergency situations, the app automatically alerts the relevant district CCTV control center, and a police patrol is dispatched to the area by the control center.[5] The Anshimi application has photo taking and video shooting functions, which means even situations in the blind spot of the CCTVs can be transmitted to the integrated control center through images or videos to ensure a quick response.[7] Starting in November 2023, users of the Ansimi app became able to view the locations of more than 23,000 emergency call booths.[5] Emergency Ready App provides multilingual support in English, Chinese, and Japanese for 36 services, including disaster alerts, safety guide, and civil defense shelter locations.[4] The Korean central authorities and local governments issued warning messages about various hazards, including typhoons, fires, fine dust, and infectious diseases.[3] Since 2020, WEA messages increased dramatically due to COVID-19, amounting to nearly 50 times more than the previous year.[3]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

This integrated digital infrastructure directly addresses climate-related hazards through specialized forecasting and early warning capabilities. The comprehensive flood forecasting system and early warning network specifically target increasingly frequent and intense rainfall events that pose growing risks to urban populations.[2] The flooding forecast and warning system operates to alarm and guide citizens in advance so that they may acknowledge the situation and evacuate when flooding is highly likely due to downpours.[10]

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