Naver Cloud announced on the 7th that it will collaborate with Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) to promote a disaster prevention project utilizing digital twin and drone technology in Japan.
Naver Cloud and Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Nagai City in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, and NTT East and NTT e-Drone Technology. Digital twin technology, which is described as 'moving reality into the virtual,' refers to the concept of accurately recreating the real world in digital space for simulations and other purposes. The participating organizations plan to expand the application of digital twin technology beyond disaster prevention to include urban planning and population flow analysis through this collaboration.
Japan is experiencing an increase in the frequency and damage of natural disasters due to global warming. Additionally, it is facing a compounded disaster prevention environment as it confronts labor shortages due to an aging population. Nagai City, in particular, suffers from large-scale flooding during heavy rains because of the Mogami River and its tributaries that run through the city.
Nagai City plans to establish a next-generation disaster prevention system that can predict natural disasters in advance and monitor them in real-time in collaboration with Naver Cloud and others. Naver Cloud has been named the core technology partner responsible for building the digital twin. The company aims to provide a digital environment that can comprehensively manage and analyze disaster situations by using drone-captured data to create a high-precision three-dimensional (3D) representation of the city and linking real-time data such as water levels, precipitation, and snowfall.
Nagai City plans to provide administrative data as a demonstration area and collaborate on feasibility verification. NTT e-Drone Technology will provide aerial photography data, while NTT East will oversee the project and support the construction of disaster prevention infrastructure and wireless networks.
Kim Yoo-won, CEO of Naver Cloud, said, 'The construction of this disaster prevention system was made possible based on Naver Cloud's diverse global project experience and proven technology. In the future, we will continue to contribute to solving social issues through technology and drive substantial changes by working with global partners.'
Separately, Naver Cloud showcased the AI care phone service 'CLOVA Care Call' for elderly individuals living alone in collaboration with Izumo City, Japan, last June. This service allows artificial intelligence (AI) to regularly call to check health status, and if abnormalities are detected, it supports immediate action by connecting to relevant agencies.