Korea’s first national water service information center to support future-oriented national water supply policy setting on the basis of ICT will be established. Through big data analysis, this facility will control demand and production, and thus will help the people use water service at a relatively lower cost.
Korea Environment Corporation (KECO) announced on the 18th that it had been consigned a project of information strategy planning (ISP) for a national water service information center to be established as a subsidiary organization of the Ministry of Environment according to revision of the Water Supply and Waterworks Installation Act, and thus would work on the project until March next year. Following a national water service information center establishment in the second half of next year, the facility operation will start in full scale in 2016.
National water service information system is operated individually by a number of local governments together with KECO branches. KECO supports the related policy making by collecting and analyzing necessary information, such as about water quality control in water intake and purification plants, water volume control, statistics management, water service information basic plan and water supply source protection area management status.
However, as the system is individually established and each of the sub-systems is not compatible with one another, there are limitations in information collection and utilization. The overall information support system for the information processing and utilization is also insufficient. In addition, there is no control tower for integrated water service information management and information sharing.
The national water service information center to be established in the future will provide integrated management of the water service information systems operated individually by each KECO branch. It will also administer big data analysis by integrating data of various related information systems run by the local governments. In addition, through convergence of meteorological and spatial information, it will support the related policy and decision making processes. The big data analysis on water service usage will enable the establishment of various policies including water rate discount system.
“As it controls demand and production through big data analysis, this facility will also contribute to cost reduction,” said a KECO insider. “We will establish user-centered customized water supply policies.”
Shin Hye-gwon | hkshin@etnews.com