Now I would like to introduce Construction Allimi, a website that can be accessed by anyone, without the need to login, to get information on construction projects being carried out in Seoul.

The pictures show how One-PMIS, “Allimi,” and citizens are connected to one another. Citizens can access real-time information on SMG’s public construction projects through a link to One-PMIS and the e-Government system. This system ensures better transparency in construction administration and allows for better public access to construction project information. Information disclosed on the Construction Allimi website include overview of construction projects, contract details, payment status, pictures of construction sites updated regularly, list of stakeholders, construction progress and other background information.

With this comprehensive information available, citizens can send their opinions and questions regarding specific construction projects, and receive replies from SMG via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in real time. On the website, one can enter the name of a construction project, or click on an administrative district on the Seoul map, and begin searching.

If the user clicks on a specific construction project from the list of search results, a screen like this will appear. This gives all the information on that project. Now I will show you what kind of information is posted on Construction Allimi. These are the seven main categories available.

First is “Construction Overview” which includes general information on a specific project. such as exact location of construction sites, construction period, construction scale, organizations and companies participating in the project, and names of managers related to the project. You can check project progress.

Contract details menu provides users details of contracts, including the names of the primary contractors and subcontractors. This section provides overall information on payment for projects and breaks it down by contractor and subcontractor. This section contains pictures of construction underway. Users can view periodically updated pictures of specific projects.

Contractor submits Daily reports, Weekly reports, and Monthly reports on One-PMIS, and pictures from weekly reports are disclosed on Construction Allimi. Therefore, citizens can see photos on a weekly basis to monitor progress. Clicking on an image will enlarge it.

SMG introduced a web camera video service for citizens to view construction sites in real time. Although users could not adjust the camera, they could watch streaming video at various locations of a construction site. This was quite popular. However, the National Personal Information Protection Committee decided that the service may infringe on the privacy of unrelated persons, so it was suspended indefinitely on June 29, 2015.

This section provides information on project participants, that is, the ordering entity, project supervisor, and contractor. Staff names, positions, company name, and duties can all be found here. Disclosing the full list of related stakeholders in a project ensures a greater sense of accountability throughout project duration.

This section provides other related information about projects. Here a list of any sanctions or penalties is disclosed, covering the entire lifecycle of a project from start to finish, such as documents supporting project period extension or curtailment against initial schedule.

The “Modification of Design” section lists reasons for changing design as well as evidence. In particular, as the project schedule is an important commitment to citizens, major information such as modifications to construction period is announced here. All delays are disclosed along with documents explaining the reasons. In addition, all project-related electronic documents issued by the SMG are disclosed in this section in real time. The information in this section is disclosed through linkage with SMG’s administrative system.

Construction Allimi also discloses details of penalties imposed on contractors or supervisors due to violations related to regulations, contractual obligations, or safety procedures. This is to ensure accountability in construction and construction safety.

This is the “Ask the Director” section. With this, citizens can send inquires, petitions or suggestions regarding public construction projects implemented by SMG’s Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters. Construction Allimi is not a one-way channel through which citizens only receive information. They can introduce petitions or suggestions for some parts of construction projects or request further information. Through linkage with SMG’s administrative system, SMG staff are able to check and respond.

The “Applications for On-site Visit” section goes even further. Although information can be shared online, SMG knows that it is also important for people to have the opportunity to see things for themselves and ask questions face to face. To facilitate on-site visits of construction sites posted on Construction Allimi, SMG’s Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters is disclosing public construction sites to local residents once a month, regardless of the size. Through this, SMG is working to minimize distrust of “sensitive” construction projects.
Residents interested in on-site visits can apply by phone or e-mail and SMG will fix the date and time after consultation.

A mobile version of Construction Allimi is offered as a subsection of “Mobile Seoul”, a representative application of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. However, as Mobile Seoul concerns the entire public administration of the city, the Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters is currently developing its own smartphone application for Construction Allimi for faster, more efficient transmission of construction information.

Lastly, one may be wondering how SMG determines the level of disclosure of information registered on One-PMIS. In Korea, there are of course laws and regulations on disclosure and protection of information. Hence, we need to be aware of potential conflicts between the need for privacy and citizens’ right to know. In principle, SMG wishes to share all information registered on One-PMIS. However, some information is not disclosed, including where such disclosure may infringe on privacy, security or a company’s operating profit.

Here is our principle. First, SMG strives to maintain an optimal balance between concerns over disclosure of sensitive private information and citizens’ right to know. Second, SMG makes an intentional effort to maximize the range of information to be shared as far as laws permit.
For example, SMG suspended the real-time video streaming service from June 29, 2015 upon a decision from the Personal Information Protection Committee attached to the Office of the President. However, under the principles mentioned earlier, SMG shares about 80% of the information posted on One-PMIS with citizens through Construction Allimi.

So far I have explained the disclosure of construction information on Construction Allimi. Once again, I would like to stress that, as many countries agree, corruption in the construction sector tends to be rather significant and directly related to citizen safety. Through disclosure of construction information, Seoul Metropolitan Government strives to satisfy citizens’ curiosity, and achieve transparency in construction administration. I hope this presentation on Allimi, SMG’s Construction Information Disclosure System has been informative. Thank you.