The government will combine artificial intelligence (AI) with three-dimensional information to lay the groundwork for a new leap in the geospatial information industry. It aims to move beyond conventional flat mapmaking and foster new industries by integrating data and AI technologies across society, including land, logistics, and transportation.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 3rd that it finalized the Fourth Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Geospatial Information Industry (2026–2030), which contains development measures for the next five years, after deliberation by the National Spatial Information Committee.
This measure aligns with the government's core policy stance of a "leap to become one of the world's top three in AI." As the value of spatial data grows by the day in cutting-edge industries such as Autonomous Driving, robot-enabled delivery, and the Smart City, it is intended to boost the global competitiveness of related corporations.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will first accelerate the buildout of six key 3D datasets that will underpin future advanced industries. Going beyond the 1:5,000-scale flat maps that have served as the standard, it will carry out the so-called "New Daedongyeojido (Grand Map of Korea)" project to convert the nation's terrain into precise three-dimensional maps. It also plans to expand the widely used 1:1,000 maps in parallel.
New dedicated maps to support the mobility sector will also be created. These include a precision road network that densely records lane markings, traffic signals, and crosswalk locations down to the centimeter (cm), a pedestrian navigation map for outdoor delivery robots, and indoor spatial information useful inside large complex buildings. In addition, the existing underground space map, which had been limited to buried-utility information, will be enhanced with soil and ground data to significantly strengthen disaster prevention.
To enable AI to learn smoothly from the collected visual materials, the government will create dedicated datasets and increase investment in research and development of a "GeoAI foundation model" that analyzes spaces on its own to aid policy decisions. Observation capabilities will also be strengthened by adding new satellites to the existing national land observation satellites and operating radar (SAR) satellites that are unaffected by weather, supplying vast space imagery data to industry.
Institutional hurdles will be removed so high-quality information can circulate actively in the market. Outdated security rules that blocked disclosure will be adjusted to reflect reality, and privately collected information will be allowed to be traded after appropriate security processing. Support facilities that let private corporations safely process nonpublic data within security zones will be expanded nationwide.
Information held by the public sector will be widely opened to the public through an integrated platform and the government's open platform "Vworld." Disaster simulations using a virtual national land model (digital twin) will be disseminated, and public-facing services will be expanded that use AI to preliminarily check whether factory establishment or land development permits are feasible. To ensure seamless linkage of disparate data, internationally standardized, machine-readable formats will be adopted and quality control processes will be automated.
Cadastral information will also be made three-dimensional in step with the trend of utilizing land in multiple ways. A 3D cadastre system will be introduced to supply raw material for proptech (property technology) and the Fintech industry, and private-sector participation opportunities in related surveying projects will be expanded to vitalize the market.
Tailored, win-win measures to strengthen the industrial ecosystem are also included. Startup support centers, currently located only in the greater Seoul area, will be expanded to the provinces to provide space, consulting, and prototype production assistance. Dedicated funds will be created to help capable, promising corporations compete in domestic and overseas markets, and the government plans to knock on the door of foreign markets with packaged offerings that bundle technology and government policies.
The government will also focus on cultivating on-site talent to lead the industry. Four-year universities will be added to specialized vocational schools to strengthen AI convergence education, and periodic retraining will be offered for those already in the field. In addition, the roles of related public institutions will be readjusted and statistical survey methods will be aligned with reality to improve macro-level policy efficiency. Given the rapid pace of technological development, the government plans to continuously communicate with industry stakeholders and experts to refine its policies.
Kim Yun-duk, Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "This Fourth Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Geospatial Information Industry focuses on developing the geospatial information industry into a core sector—such as an AI-era, private-sector-led convergence industry—from a government-led data-building industry, in line with the pan-government Republic of Korea AX grand transformation policy." Kim added, "Based on three-dimensional high-precision geospatial information and GeoAI, we will support solutions to issues across everyday life and industry—such as cities, logistics, mobility, and disaster safety—and actively support the geospatial information industry so it can develop into a future growth engine that underpins the leap to become one of the top three AI powers, the fostering of new industries, and balanced regional development."