Some 190 categories and roughly 150,000 records of public space information across Seoul
Map-based search and analysis functions, from searching and browsing to comparing information
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched an online ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map (https://space.seoul.go.kr)’ that brings together some 190 categories and roughly 150,000 records of public space information across the city. Land information determined through urban planning, Seoul’s open public spaces, and the status of public buildings can all be viewed at a glance on a map.
The city linked and integrated public-space-related data that had been scattered across various systems managed by the central government and others. It is also newly disclosing to citizens information from internal systems that, until now, had been used as basic reference material for the city’s public architecture policy decisions and planning but had not been made public.
Seoul space information that had previously been scattered across numerous systems—including the government’s Sae-um-teo construction administration system, the Land Use Regulation Information Service, and the Integrated Real Estate Records System (all under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), the Road Name Address Guidance System (Ministry of the Interior and Safety), and the Seoul Urban Planning Information System—has now been gathered in one place.
To build the site, the city carried out surveys of public-space-related systems, information collection, and information analysis, and explored ways to present the data starting in 2015, before selecting and classifying the spatial information for ‘public spaces’ and ‘public buildings.’ In 2017, it built a system reflecting this content and operated it on a trial basis through the city’s internal administrative network.
The biggest feature of the ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map’ is its map-based search and analysis functions. Anyone can easily find information on the map, from urban-planning-related information such as use districts and zones, to public spaces like parks and plazas, to public buildings such as libraries and daycare centers, and even the city’s major space improvement projects.
Users can also select several pieces of Seoul’s spatial information they want to know about all at once. The information is overlaid on the map so users can compare the status of public spaces and grasp spaces in a multi-layered way. Integrated browsing of parcel information—such as building registers and land use plan confirmation documents—is possible. The map is also equipped with a simple analysis function that lets users grasp at a glance the distribution of Seoul’s public spaces and public buildings by administrative district.
In addition, the ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map’ serves as a platform for two-way communication between citizens and the public sector, using public space as the medium. Citizens can access information anytime and anywhere to discuss space-related issues in their neighborhoods and can post and share opinions on discovering idle spaces in their area or improving spaces. The city can reflect these in its policies to directly improve overlooked areas, or dispatch private-sector experts to seek out improvements.
The ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map’ is broadly organized into four categories: Space Search, Space Analysis, Seoul Projects, and Citizen Participation.
△Space Search – Users can view at a glance on the map the locations and current status of basic information such as land information (e.g., use areas and districts determined through urban planning), public spaces such as plazas and open public spaces, public buildings such as welfare facilities, public care facilities for elementary school students such as Uri Dongne Keeoom Centers and care centers, living service facilities under the 2030 Seoul Community Plan, and information on the city’s major urban and architectural projects.
△Space Analysis – This menu lets users grasp the status of public spaces through parcel-based, region-based, condition-based, and public-value analysis functions. The parcel-based analysis function allows users to look up a parcel’s area, owner, and building and land information. Region-based analysis lets users check the status (number) of public spaces and public buildings by district (gu) and neighborhood (dong). Condition-based analysis lets users extract parcels according to settings such as land ownership, use area/district, and land area. Public-value analysis lets users grasp the distribution of public buildings by type within a 2 km radius of an area of interest.
△Seoul Projects – This introduces information on major projects the city is pursuing, such as cases of improving spaces within Visiting Community Service Centers, the city’s space innovation projects (projects utilizing urban infrastructure) including the creation of the Garden of the Sun at Jonggak Station, and design competitions. △Citizen Participation – This is a communication space where citizens participate directly to identify and propose public spaces in their neighborhoods that need improvement.
Going forward, the city plans to survey citizens’ opinions and expand its data on public spaces of high interest, continuously improving the ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map’ so that it is useful in citizens’ daily lives. It also plans to establish a ‘My Own Analysis Space’ to improve ease of use, and to build neighborhood space maps by linking citizen communication with private-sector experts.
Kim Tae-hyung, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Space Improvement Bureau, said, “We expect the ‘Seoul Spatial Information Map,’ which incorporates the integration of public space information, easy space analysis, and an online communication space, to be used not only in the public domain but also in citizens’ everyday lives.” He added, “To ensure it becomes an ongoing communication platform created jointly by citizens and the public sector, we will actively gather and reflect the opinions of the citizens who use the service directly, and establish it as a system that citizens can enjoy.”