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Busan Metropolitan City to Prevent Flooding in Advance with AI: Establishing a Cooperative Framework for Extreme Rainfall Response Technology Development

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) today (March 6) at 13:30 in the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Conference Room on the 15th floor of City Hall with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and the Korea Railroad Research Institute for the “Development of an AI-based Extreme Rainfall Response Platform.”

This cooperation has been prepared to promote the successful on-site application of the National Research Council of Science & Technology’s convergence-type core project, “Development of Digital Urban Flood Control Technology for the Realization of a Flood-Safe City,” by utilizing Busan Metropolitan City’s disaster safety response capabilities and urban environmental characteristics as a demonstration base.

This project has a total research budget of approximately 38.4 billion won funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and will be conducted for five years from 2025 to 2029.

The signing ceremony will be attended by Kim Kyung-duk, Assistant Mayor of the Citizen Safety Office, and the heads of the four national research institutes.

Through this cooperation, Busan Metropolitan City plans to advance AI-based urban flood prediction and control technologies while establishing a smart technology-based urban safety management system capable of proactively responding to increasingly severe extreme rainfall caused by climate change.

Previously, flood risk prediction relied on meteorological observation sensors installed in limited disaster-prone areas and weather information, resulting in restricted observation coverage and significant time required for analysis and decision-making. Busan Metropolitan City expects to significantly expand the observation range by introducing “AI-based real-time rainfall analysis technology using closed-circuit television (CCTV).”

In addition, the city will establish a faster disaster response foundation by integrating and managing urban data—such as underground structures, water and sewer networks, and disaster history—that had previously been managed separately by different departments.

Furthermore, by combining physical models with AI-based hybrid prediction technology and conducting integrated three-dimensional (3D) analysis of aboveground, surface, and underground environments, the system will predict flood depth and flood extent in advance and automatically present response scenarios tailored to each situation.

Through this approach, the city aims to realize a full-cycle disaster management system that connects detection, prediction, simulation, and response, and to establish a proactive response foundation by identifying flood-vulnerable areas in advance.

The cooperation period will last four years, during which each institution will jointly conduct research and development as well as field demonstrations based on their respective technologies and expertise. Major areas of cooperation include specialized technology development by each institution, mutual provision and sharing of data, demonstration of technologies responding to urban flooding and geological disasters, and the establishment and operation of a working-level consultative body.

Each research institute will advance technology development by combining its specialized expertise, while Busan Metropolitan City will provide urban data such as drainage networks, topographic and facility information, sensor data, and flood history. In addition, the city plans to conduct phased demonstrations focusing on frequently flooded areas to verify the field applicability and effectiveness of the technologies.

Busan Metropolitan City also plans to enhance real-time risk detection, prediction, and evacuation route guidance functions by linking the system with its existing integrated urban safety information service, “Busan Safety ON.”

In particular, citizens will receive flood risk information at the administrative-dong level more quickly and will be able to check optimal evacuation routes in real time along with guidance to avoid approaching hazardous areas. In addition, faster operation of detention and drainage facilities is expected to shorten flood duration and achieve practical damage reduction.

Furthermore, the establishment of an integrated platform will enable advance analysis of flood risks during urban development and redevelopment projects as well as large-scale construction, and is expected to contribute in the long term to building “flood-resilient urban infrastructure.”

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “As unpredictable extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent due to climate change, it is necessary to shift urban flood response methods to a more scientific and proactive system.”

He added, “We will do our utmost to protect the lives and property of citizens by establishing an urban flood prediction and response platform utilizing artificial intelligence and digital technologies.”

He continued, “Going forward, we will continue to advance the city’s safety management system using advanced technologies and build a safer Busan where citizens can live with peace of mind even under extreme weather conditions.”