CHUNGBUK / SOUTH CHUNGCHEONG — South Chungcheong Province is expanding the scope of public drone applications to promptly inspect disaster and accident sites and provide critical field information for various administrative tasks.

The provincial government announced on the 7th that it is operating a "Real-time Integrated Drone Video Control System" connecting the provincial headquarters with 15 cities and counties, while actively pursuing administrative cooperation by directly shooting and providing requested footage according to departmental needs.

Established in 2018, the integrated control system allows the provincial and city-county operation centers to view footage captured in the field in real time.

The province has continuously upgraded the system by expanding city-county networks and introducing artificial intelligence (AI) video analysis functions. It is currently being utilized in fields requiring rapid on-site assessment, such as disaster/accident response and traffic management.

This year, drones were deployed in joint provincial and municipal drills simulating wildfires, water accidents, structural collapses, and pine wilt nematode damage, including the "Safe Chungnam Training."

Drones also supported safety management during major events like the Taean International Horticultural Therapy Expo by monitoring the venue and major traffic corridors in real time.

Furthermore, the province is expanding administrative applications by directly filming and providing footage tailored to departmental needs, such as promoting the designation of the Chungnam Free Economic Zone, inspecting illegal encroachment facilities, and supporting policy PR. This year, through 186 administrative collaborations, a total of 140 square kilometers was filmed.

In addition, the province directly filmed and edited 27 square kilometers—including Naepo New Town and 54 cadastral resurvey districts—replacing external outsourcing and saving 250 million won in the budget.

Going forward, the province plans to continuously discover fields requiring real-time monitoring and strengthen drone support systems tailored to administrative demands by expanding filming support across departments.

Lim Taek-bin, head of the Land and Spatial Policy Division, stated, "Drones have the advantage of quickly inspecting sites that are difficult for people to access and providing necessary information in a timely manner. We will continue to expand application areas so that drones can be utilized as a practical business tool across various administrative fields, including disaster safety, on-site inspections, and policy support."

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