Vulnerable Facilities Management Now Safer with Smart Glasses

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province is intensively managing the safety of small vulnerable facilities remotely by utilizing 'smart glasses' based on the Internet of Things (IoT).

The province announced on the 19th that it was selected as the host agency for the 'Remote Safety Inspection Service Using IoT-Based Smart Glasses' in a public competition project hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for the '2020 Expansion of Public Services Using Advanced Information Technology.'

Accordingly, the province secured 850 million won in national funds and invested a total of 1.2 billion won including provincial funds to establish the system in 15 municipalities within Gyeonggi Province this year and to uniformly introduce the system across all 31 municipalities by next year.

The 'Remote Safety Inspection Service Using IoT-Based Smart Glasses' is a project in which employees wearing eyeglass-type smart glasses observe risk factors and hazards of facilities at the scene, and experts can consult on repair and reinforcement measures in real time by sharing the field footage without having to visit the site.
The smart glasses are equipped with functions using augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to measure actual objects, compare real images with previously stored images, and display the status values of invisible structures on the screen.

In addition, the province plans to attach sensors to facilities that have undergone remote safety inspections and require major repairs or ongoing maintenance to continuously measure displacement, and to alert the managing entity when tolerance is exceeded. Database management of facility and inspection result tracking information is also expected to become possible.

The province expects this service to address issues such as accelerated deterioration of small vulnerable facilities in daily life, increased number of facilities, shortage of on-site expert personnel, and wide geographical limitations of Gyeonggi Province, and to greatly contribute to protecting the lives and property of residents by immediately responding to disasters to prevent secondary accidents.

In particular, this project is an upgrade in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution era of the 'Expansion of the Residents' Safety Inspection Request System,' a campaign promise of the 7th Mayoral Term that Gyeonggi Province is implementing.
The Residents' Safety Inspection Request System is a project where residents can request safety inspections of retaining walls, embankments, cuts, buildings, and other structures closely related to our daily lives, and field experts visit the site directly to conduct free inspections. The province has conducted safety inspections at an average of 184 locations per year.

Han Dae-hee, Head of the Provincial Special Safety Inspection Task Force, said, "By establishing a remote safety inspection system through cooperation with the Information Planning and Administration Office, the Residents' Safety Inspection Request System will be activated and facility safety inspections will be resolved more swiftly," and added, "We will continue to explore various measures to protect residents' lives and property."