As Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and the next-generation technology C-ITS are gaining attention as technologies that can simultaneously solve traffic congestion and ensure citizen safety, many cities in Korea are introducing ITS and C-ITS systems tailored to each region.

ITS and C-ITS not only prevent traffic accidents involving pedestrians, including children and the elderly, but also improve the flow of vehicle traffic by scientifically and automatically operating and managing traffic facilities, and can respond quickly to accidents. They can also alleviate traffic congestion by providing accurate traffic information with an optimal signal operation system.

Seoul City operates cutting-edge V2X-based facilities that can proactively respond to autonomous driving and traffic changes, and various cities, including Incheon and Anyang, are actively introducing and utilizing ITS-based facilities such as smart intersections and crosswalks to ensure the safety of citizens.

This article takes a closer look at the status of ITS and C-ITS adoption in each region.

■ Seoul Metropolitan City

Since October of last year, Seoul City has been providing real-time road hazard, signal, and vehicle status information of the next-generation intelligent transportation system of Seoul C-ITS as the first open API in Korea through the 'Public Data' and 'Seoul Transportation Big Data' portals.

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▲Seoul Transportation Big Data Portal Main Screen (Image Source: Seoul City)

It provides traffic signal and remaining time information at major intersections (788 locations) in the city center, and is scheduled to expand to all intersections with four lanes or more (3,660 locations) by 2024.

Seoul C-ITS, in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is currently operating V2X-based cutting-edge facilities in urban areas such as Sangam and Gangnam and on roads with dedicated central bus lanes to proactively respond to autonomous driving and traffic changes.

In addition to 'traffic signal information', 'road hazard information' such as intersection hazard information and pedestrian information collected from 1,700 vehicles (1,600 city buses and 100 taxis), 'vehicle information' such as vehicle location and sudden acceleration/deceleration, and map data It also provides back-based information.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said, “If citizens can integrate real-time C-ITS data with other traffic data through the open API service, we expect that a new system that can promote driver convenience and traffic safety will be researched and developed.”

■ Incheon Metropolitan City

Incheon City distributed a press release in April stating that it had built the nation's best traffic control center based on the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to improve traffic flow and prevent accidents, and had begun operating it in cooperation with the National Police Agency.

Incheon City was finally selected for the 'Intelligent Transport System (ITS) Competition' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2021 and invested approximately KRW 24.9 billion, including national funds, to build an ITS system.The celebration is over.

This is to improve the flow of vehicle traffic by integrating information and communication technology into the transportation system, scientifically and automatically operating and managing transportation facilities, and responding quickly to accidents.

▲Incheon Intelligent Transportation Comprehensive Situation Room (Photo source: Incheon City)

Incheon City's Intelligent Transportation Information System (ITS) has introduced the nation's first cutting-edge systems, including: △Establishment of a smart intersection system, △Traffic situation management based on digital twins, and △Advanced signal control system.

It is an advanced signal control system that implements the ‘Incheon-type emergency vehicle priority signal’ service.

This system provides emergency vehicles with a continuous green light from the dispatch point to the destination, enabling them to arrive quickly at the regional trauma center by providing a green light not only for fire dispatches but also when transporting severely injured patients.

■ Anyang City

Anyang City has judged that the CCTV operation system, which is distributed by department according to installation purposes such as traffic, crime prevention, disaster relief, and environment, has limitations in responding quickly and comprehensively in the event of an emergency or sudden change. Therefore, it has focused on linking, integrating, and managing CCTV by purpose and field into an ITS platform.

From 2020 to 2023, each department will utilize the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's public offering projects such as 'Establishment of a Smart City Integrated Platform' and 'ITS Expansion Project' to secure safety infrastructure such as CCTVs.We have promoted a digital platform integration project and established a foundation for integrated management of incidents and accidents within the city.

▲ Anyang City ITS concept map (Image source: Anyang City)

In particular, the efficient improvement of ITS operation methods by incorporating AI technology and the budget reduction through joint response to CCTV regardless of installation purpose were introduced as exemplary cases of intelligent transportation systems.

Anyang City presented a plan to expand and develop the public service role of the intelligent transportation system based on the above, and was honored with the grand prize at the Gyeonggi Province City/County Intelligent Transportation System Best Practice Presentation Contest held in May.

■ Cheonan City

Cheonan City announced in July that it would begin constructing ITS field infrastructure in earnest.

The LG Uplus consortium, which was selected as the ITS construction project consultant in December last year, completed the purchase of key items for the construction of the facility, including LED floor traffic lights, electronic boards, and network equipment, after conducting a field survey by June.

The plan is to install smart intersections, smart crosswalks, roadside base stations, and emergency vehicle notification electronic display boards at 198 major roads, including Beonyeong-ro, Ssangyong-daero, and Cheonan-daero, by October.

The facility collects real-time traffic volume, number of waiting vehicles, etc. by applying a variety of sensor-based convergence detection systems, and simulates future traffic demand and flow and implements big data visualization.It is expected that it will provide transportation policy analysis data.

Smart intersections install image recognition cameras at major intersections and use deep learning technology to analyze images to collect information such as real-time traffic volume, vehicle types, occupancy rates, and speed, thereby establishing a policy basis for analyzing appropriate signal operation and providing collected data for analyzing traffic patterns.

Smart crosswalks are expected to prevent pedestrian traffic accidents and enhance traffic safety in areas with a large floating population or in child and elderly protection zones by installing detection sensors, floor signals, etc. in crosswalk areas to extend pedestrian signal times and provide audio-visual information to pedestrians depending on the situation.

Section traffic information collection devices are installed within intersections to collect information on vehicles passing through equipped with Hi-pass terminals, which is used to create highly reliable section traffic information and provide road electronic sign information.

■ Changwon Special City

Changwon Special City announced that it has completed the '2021-2022 ITS Construction Project', which was selected as a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public offering project in October of last year.

This project was selected as a national support project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in September 2020, and was promoted by securing KRW 2 billion in national funds over two years from 2021. The detailed design contractor was selected through the project performance capability evaluation (PQ) in April 2021, and construction began in October of last year and was completed in 2022.

Key facilities include: △20 CCTVs that can control traffic information in real time; △8 VMS (Variable Message Signs) that provide road traffic conditions such as traffic congestion and sudden accidents; △10 smart intersections that collect and analyze video information by intersection direction to implement the optimal signal system; △A sensor signal system that automatically detects and grants left turns only when there is a left-turning vehicle on a road outside the city, thereby facilitating straight traffic on the main road. 17 locations △1 emergency vehicle priority signal system was established to secure golden time.

▲ Changwon Sensitivity Signal Concept Diagram (Image source: Changwon City)

Changwon City has secured 700 million won in the 2023 public offering project, and has been selected for four consecutive years (2020-2023), enabling it to gradually expand the 'Intelligent Transportation System Construction Project'.

Director of Safety Construction and Transportation Cho Il-am said that in preparation for the downward adjustment of driving speeds due to the “implementation of Safe Speed 5030” and the occurrence of chronic traffic congestion on major arterial roads due to the steady increase in traffic volume, the plan is to continuously expand and build an intelligent transportation system to apply an optimal signal operation system and provide fast and accurate traffic information.

■ Daegu Metropolitan City

Daegu Metropolitan City is launching a pilot project to build an 'AI Safety Integrated Crosswalk Platform' utilizing cutting-edge ITS technology in the western part of the city to create a safe crosswalk pedestrian environment for citizens.

This project aims to provide drivers and pedestrians with customized accident prevention information by using AI-based cameras to detect pedestrians and vehicles around crosswalks, and to provide crosswalk accident prevention information such as automatic extension of walking time, jaywalking prevention guidance, and right-turn vehicle guidance.

This service is a solution to the existing smart crosswalk projects that were mostly carried out at high costs and did not meet standards. By integrating functions that apply the standard specifications of the Road Traffic Act for the first time in Korea to complement the shortcomings, it is possible to improve the accuracy of information and reduce infrastructure construction costs.

The budget required per location is △100 million won for a smart crosswalk and △30 million won for an AI safety integrated crosswalk.

Looking at the main functions by situation, first of all, the automatic pedestrian signal extension service automatically extends the pedestrian signal to protect pedestrians who have limited travel time, such as children, the elderly, and the disabled, who are crossing the crosswalk.

The jaywalking accident prevention service provides pedestrians with voice guidance to prevent jaywalking, thereby guiding them into a normal signal waiting state, and provides vehicles with information on jaywalking pedestrians through their navigation systems.

The right-turn vehicle traffic accident prevention service provides audible warnings to pedestrians when a right-turning vehicle is entering, and provides right-turning vehicles with legal information, such as real-time pedestrian signals and crosswalk entry waiting status, through navigation to help prevent accidents.

In addition, real-time pedestrian information provided on crosswalks is essential data for autonomous vehicles to drive safely, and we plan to link it to enable autonomous driving support through advancements in the future.

The business section was selected at 12 locations in Seo-gu where unmanned surveillance cameras were not installed among the crosswalks in the children's protection zone, taking into account the connection with the ITS-based autonomous driving demonstration route from Seodaegu Station to the national industrial complex, and the pilot operation was conducted.After analyzing the effectiveness of the project, including reducing accidents and enhancing safety, through the spirit, we plan to review whether to expand it to include elderly protection zones and disabled protection zones.

■ Wonju City

Wonju City announced in June that it had launched the '2023 Wonju City Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Construction Project' in earnest.

This ITS construction project was selected as a public offering project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and is being promoted with a total project cost of 2.04 billion won (1.3 billion won secured from the national road budget). After completing the administrative procedures (design, bidding, task review, etc.), it began on June 26.

The 2023 project plans to install △DSRC-RSE, a section traffic information collection device using Hi-pass, at 7 locations on Gangbyeon-ro, △8 smart intersections in the corporate city that collect intersection traffic information, and △6 CCTVs that can monitor traffic flow in real time on major roads in the area with heavy traffic volume.

In addition, various data such as accident and construction information, traffic accidents, sudden information, weather information, etc. received from Wonju City Traffic Information Center and TBN Korea Traffic Broadcasting will be provided on road electronic displays through AI models at expected locations with a high risk of accidents, such as ‘watch for vehicles ahead’ and ‘ensure safety when entering intersections.’

■ 2023 e4ds Automotive Conference

The paper will be presented at the 2023 e4ds Automotive Conference on November 1 ( https://www.e4ds.com/seminar_introduce.asp?idx=138 ) and will discuss ITS and C-ITS in detail.

It consisted of presentations on the history and future of ITS, standardization trends, C-ITS and 5G V2X technology trends, radar, security technology, and insights into autonomous driving technology trends.

For more information, please visit the ' 2023 e4ds Automotive Conference ' page, and if you participate in the e4ds news homepage renewal event, you will also have the opportunity to participate for free.