The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Kim Yun-deok) has finalized its 4th Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Spatial Information Industry (2026–2030), which shifts spatial information from a two-dimensional, map-centered approach to high-precision three-dimensional data grounded in AI. With the government having declared 2026 the ‘first year of Korea’s leap into becoming one of the world’s top three AI powers,’ the plan envisions transforming spatial information from a government-led data-building effort into a private-sector-led convergence industry.
 [코리안투데이] A conceptual diagram of urban spatial analysis based on three-dimensional high-precision spatial information and GeoAI © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 3rd that it had finalized the 4th Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Spatial Information Industry (2026–2030), prepared under the Spatial Information Industry Promotion Act, following deliberation by the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Committee (chaired by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport).
Spatial information is the core data infrastructure needed for emerging industries such as digital twins, autonomous driving, robot delivery, smart logistics and AI cities to function. The new plan focuses on building high-precision three-dimensional spatial information that AI can read and analyze, thereby creating a foundation for easy and rapid convergence use across fields including national territory, cities and transportation. This ultimately means services that use data to predict and respond to everyday problems residents face, such as disasters, traffic and permitting.
The plan consists of three key strategies and 12 implementation tasks. First, the government will build six types of three-dimensional, high-precision spatial information as core infrastructure for the AI era. Moving beyond the existing 1/5,000-centered two-dimensional maps, it will turn the entire national territory into a high-precision three-dimensional map dubbed the ‘New Daedongyeojido,’ and will also expand the creation of 1/1,000 maps. A mobility map to support the future of transportation and logistics will also be prepared. The government will build a high-definition road map that depicts the nation’s legal roads down to the centimeter level, including lanes, traffic safety signs and crosswalks, and will also develop a pedestrian map for outdoor mobile robots along with spatial information for large-scale, high-density indoor spaces. The integrated underground space map will be upgraded from its current focus on the location of facilities to also include ground-related information, helping to prevent disasters and manage underground spaces in three dimensions.
The spatial information that is built will be turned into training data so that AI can use it, and on this basis the government will pursue the development of a GeoAI foundation model that analyzes space to support decision-making. To this end, it will expand related research and development (R&D) investment. Alongside operating land observation satellites No. 1 and No. 2, it will additionally introduce satellites No. 3 and No. 4, and will also adopt radar satellites (SAR) capable of round-the-clock observation regardless of weather conditions, providing a variety of satellite imagery. It will also nurture an industry that uses AI to analyze and supply the large volumes of collected satellite imagery.
The second strategy is to build a foundation for the active distribution and use of high-precision spatial information. The government will realign disclosure-restriction standards to fit reality and will allow private companies to distribute spatial information they produce themselves after security processing. The ‘Spatial Information Safe Zones,’ equipped with security facilities and analysis tools and currently operating at two locations in Seoul and Daejeon, will be expanded. Spatial information held by public institutions will be more extensively gathered into the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Integrated Platform (K-GeoP) and provided through the open platform V-World (vworld.kr), boosting public use. In addition, the government will expand the Digital Twin National Territory model for disaster prediction and response and increase GeoAI-based services such as the ‘Land Development Permit Pre-Diagnosis Service’ and the ‘Factory Permit Service’ to support people’s daily lives and business activities. It will overhaul data standards and quality-management systems to improve interoperability, and will pursue the introduction of machine-readable AI-Ready standards and the automation of quality management. In line with the trend toward three-dimensional land development, it will introduce a three-dimensional cadastral system and reorganize continuous cadastral maps to support the use of emerging industries such as proptech and fintech.
The third strategy is customized support to strengthen industrial competitiveness. Startup support centers, currently located only in the Seoul metropolitan area (Pangyo), will also be established in regional areas to provide office space, startup consulting and prototype development. For competitive small and medium-sized enterprises with strong technology, the government will broaden opportunities to participate in projects through the spatial information fund, innovative challenge-type R&D, open innovation, and ‘K-Geo Festa,’ Korea’s largest spatial information expo. To support overseas expansion, it will develop package export models that link corporate technology with government policy and will establish cooperation frameworks with overseas diplomatic missions and related agencies. It will also expand talent development, designating four-year universities in addition to the 19 spatial information specialized schools that currently include high schools, junior colleges and graduate schools, and will strengthen education in new technologies such as AI as well as capacity-building training for current workers. The roles of public institutions such as LX Corporation, the Spatial Information Industry Promotion Institute and the Spatial Information Quality Management Institute will also be expanded.
Meanwhile, as of December 2024, the spatial information industry had sales of 11.3 trillion won, 5,854 businesses and 74,067 workers.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok said, ‘This 4th Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Spatial Information Industry, in step with the whole-of-government drive for a nationwide AX transformation, focuses on developing the spatial information industry from a government-led data-building industry into a core industry such as a private-sector-led convergence industry in the AI era.’ He added, ‘Based on three-dimensional high-precision spatial information and a GeoAI foundation, we will support the resolution of problems across people’s lives and industry as a whole—including cities, logistics, mobility and disaster safety—and will actively support the spatial information industry so that it can grow into a future growth engine that underpins the leap into becoming a top-three AI power, the fostering of new industries and balanced regional development.’
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