Standards and certification frameworks established to enable participation by private solution companies
Certification conducted by the Korea Information and Communications Technology Association (TTA).

Standards and certification systems related to integrated platforms have been established to allow private solution companies to participate in smart city integrated platform projects promoted by local governments, and certification will begin on May 2.

Last October, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport established functional specification standards related to the basic functions of the smart city integrated platform, linkage standard standards for linking services, and test standard standards for certification testing as industry group standards, and this time, the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association (TTA), a specialized certification body, carried out the certification.

Previously, only integrated platforms developed through government R&D were utilized in local government integrated platform projects*, but going forward, certified integrated platforms from private companies will also be able to participate in these projects.

While local governments have established and operated various information systems to address urban issues such as crime prevention, traffic, and the environment, there have been criticisms regarding inefficiency and duplicate budget investments as these systems are operated primarily on an individual service basis.

Accordingly, the government developed an integrated platform through research and development (R&D) projects that considers the information system operating environment of local governments and system linkage and compatibility between local governments ('13. 6.) and has been distributing it to local governments since 2015.

The private sector has been requesting the establishment of standards and interface specifications necessary for integrated platforms to revitalize the software market and facilitate local governments' participation in smart city projects.

Following the establishment of standards last year, the government expects that the creation of this certification system will stimulate the participation of private solution companies, leading to the development of excellent software through competition and contributing to the advancement of the smart city software industry.

Meanwhile, in order to ensure the stable construction and expansion of smart cities, securing interoperability through the standardization of common technologies, interfaces, and services has emerged as an issue, and in April of this year, a pan-governmental “Smart City Standard Policy Panel*” involving the government and specialized standardization agencies was established.

At this juncture, the establishment of a domestic integrated platform standard and certification system is evaluated as the first instance of a city-level integrated platform being standardized by an individual country, paving the way for future discussions on international smart city standardization.

Companies wishing to participate in the certification process should complete and submit the Test Certification Application, Implementation Specification (a document declaring the implemented functions and information of the test certification subject), and Self-Verification Confirmation to the Korea Information and Communications Technology Association.

Lee Seong-hae, Director General of Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized, “Since smart cities operate through the linkage of various services and systems within urban spaces, standards and interface specifications required for the smart city integrated platform are absolutely necessary.” He added, “Taking this certification as an opportunity, we will promote the linkage and operation of various information systems and "We plan to not only revitalize the stagnant domestic software (S/W) industry but also actively participate in discussions on international standardization for smart cities," they stated.