Going forward, corporations developing future advanced technology services such as artificial intelligence (AI) or Autonomous Driving are expected to be able to use geospatial information more easily.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 16th it will preannounce legislation for a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the National Spatial Information Framework Act from the 17th to July 27 to align security regulations related to geospatial information with real-world conditions and to broaden the use of Digital Twin National Land and national land satellite data.
This move is a follow-up step to the National Spatial Information Framework Act, which was promulgated in Dec. last year and is set to take effect on Dec. 3. It aims to lay the groundwork for implementing the government's core tasks of "future mobility and K-AI City," establish an AI-based urban management system, and help related industries grow.
There are three key points in the amended decree. First, it clearly defines the procedures and methods for masking national security facilities, such as military installations or critical national infrastructure, so they are not exposed on maps and the like. Until now, the private sector had to use only data for which the government had already completed security processing. However, as private-sector map production and satellite image capture have recently become more active and data producers more diverse, many noted that the lack of security processing standards for private use had become an obstacle to business progress. With this institutional improvement, a pathway opens to safely filter geospatial information produced directly by the private sector, which is expected to make data distribution much more active.
Next, the threshold for the "security review" required to use restricted geospatial information—such as high-resolution satellite photos containing coordinates or precision maps with contour lines—is drastically lowered. Introduced in 2022, the security review is a system in which a managing body, such as the government or a local government, verifies whether an applicant requesting sensitive information has proper network segregation or security measures in place. But corporations faced fatigue because they had to undergo separate reviews by each institution every time they requested information. Going forward, if they reapply within one year of passing a review, only the changed parts will be checked and the rest will be exempted, which is expected to significantly reduce paperwork and processing time.
In addition, improvements were made to address refinements identified while operating Digital Twin National Land and the national land satellites. Digital Twin National Land, which supports decision-making for various administrative tasks such as climate change, disaster safety, and the environment, is now given clear development standards and a legal basis for building a public platform, which is expected to speed adoption across public institutions. The national land satellites, which recently succeeded in launching the second unit, will also solidify the composition and mission of a dedicated operating organization, guiding corporations, research institutes, and others to obtain satellite information more easily and use it in multiple fields.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will hold a briefing-cum-public hearing on the 23rd at 2 p.m. at the National Geographic Information Institute to hear from a broad range of fields, including academia, research institutes, and industry, on the amended decree. The event is expected to be a venue for in-depth discussion on the role of geospatial information in accelerating future transportation modes and AI cities, and on innovative approaches to security regulation.
Lee Dae-seop, head of the National Land Information Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "Through this Enforcement Decree amendment, we expect to simultaneously enhance the utility and security of geospatial information, which will greatly contribute to revitalizing the geospatial information industry."