Building IoT-based weather observation infrastructure to mark World Wetlands Day

As the ecosystem environment rapidly changes due to climate change, the importance of scientific observation and data accumulation for wetland conservation is increasing.

In particular, long-term meteorological information is used as key data for analyzing the causes of biodiversity changes, and the establishment of infrastructure to reliably collect this information has been identified as a challenge.

On the 2nd, KT announced that it installed automatic weather observation equipment at the Wondong Wetland in Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do to support the National Institute of Ecology's environmental research in celebration of World Wetlands Day.

The equipment was built based on KT's communication technology and is the first case of applying Internet of Things (IoT) technology to a wetland site.

The newly installed automatic weather observation equipment operates on renewable energy, utilizing solar energy. Its low-power, remote communication capabilities enable continuous monitoring of key meteorological factors such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity, and the real-time transmission of measured data.

The National Institute of Ecology plans to use the accumulated meteorological data for analysis of wetland ecological changes and research on wetland biodiversity.

KT and the National Institute of Ecology signed a business agreement in August last year to conserve biodiversity, which is declining due to climate change. This equipment installation is significant as it is part of a cooperative project under the agreement and establishes a foundation for continuous meteorological environment observation in the Wondong Wetland.

Going forward, KT plans to collaborate with the National Institute of Ecology and Yangsan City to gradually expand field-oriented biodiversity conservation activities, including removing invasive species and improving habitats for protected species. A KT representative stated that the company plans to strengthen collaboration with specialized organizations, leveraging digital technology, to continue its efforts to address climate change and preserve ecosystems.

Meanwhile, World Wetlands Day is an international commemoration established in 1997 to commemorate the Ramsar Convention, which was signed in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971. It is operated to raise awareness of the value and importance of wetlands and emphasize the need for conservation.