Blockchain and IoT to Take Care of Seoul’s Decaying Private Buildings
Blockchain and IoT to Take Care of Seoul’s Decaying Private Buildings
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- SMG will build a “Blockchain-based Safety Checkup Platform for Risky Structures” and manage building’s safety based on digital data
- Using the IoT sensors attached to buildings, the city will monitor and send warning signals when risks are detected
- Starting with 46 buildings for test operation in December, the system will be applied to 824 old buildings in Seoul from 2022
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, June 8, 2021 –For the first time in Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) applies blockchain and IoT to the safety management of old private buildings.
With cutting-edge technologies, the system will automatically detect and prevent risk factors of buildings.
The SMG will introduce a “Blockchain-based Safety Checkup Platform for Risky Structures” in December to take care of 824 buildings that are more than 30 years old or designated as facilities prone to disasters. So far, officials have had to visit the buildings for on-site inspections. Seoul, however, aims to switch current safety inspections from in-person to digital.
For example, IoT sensors attached to the wall measures the slope and cracks of a building. Then, blockchain networks save and analyze the data to prove the accuracy of such information and abnormal changes to the structure. Once risks are detected, safety alert text messages are sent to the district office and the building owner so that they can take preventive measures.
The SMG, the autonomous district office, and the owners can monitor the current status and other data 24/7 via computers and smartphones.
This is the very first case of converging blockchain technologies with IoT. Blockchain technologies, in particular, guarantee transparent history management, nipping forgery and falsification in the bud. The accuracy and security will be enhanced further as well.
Seoul expects to identify dangerous situations, take preemptive measures, and secure data more effectively once it kickstarts the platform. In addition, objective data is expected to allow the city government to determine the cause of various safety accidents. Such data can also be used to settle conflicts related to safety incidents and establish better safety management measures.
Buildings subjective to the platform are hazardous buildings designated and managed by the municipality, dilapidated buildings built more than three decades ago, and slopes near housing, such as breast walls and artificial faces of slopes.
*As of May 2021, there are 120 hazardous buildings, 598 small dilapidated buildings, and 106 slopes near housing.
From this September, the SMG intends to attach IoT sensors to approximately 46 old private buildings in 25 districts as a pilot project in December. The city has a plan to expand the project to 824 decaying buildings across the capital from 2022.
Kim Seong-Bo, Deputy Mayor of Housing & Architecture Headquarters of Seoul, said, “By applying leading technologies in managing the safety of uildings, the SMG will shape a reliable architectural administration for our citizens. As a result, we will improve the predictability of safety management for private buildings, and thus prevent numerous kinds of safety accidents.”
<Real time Status of IoT Censors in Seoul>
<Status of Safety Management for Risky Structures>