Oh Seong-ik

By Lee Kyung-min

A senior land ministry official has developed a mobile app that helps dog owners to discover the best routes for walking their pets.

Oh Seong-ik, director of the geospatial information division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said the app ― jointly developed by piedpuppy, a local app developer ― is a good example of how to best use spatial information for the benefit of the public.

"Spatial information managed by the government can be used for data mining, as enabled by satellite-based GPS data. How it can be analyzed and processed to enhance user convenience is the job of the government," he said.

He is responsible for Korea's geospatial business policymaking encompassing digital twin and satellite information management.

His previous work includes policymaking for the country's overseas construction industry. He assisted local builders' worldwide construction of energy plants, infrastructure development and city planning, and their implementation of public-private partnerships (PPP) and managing infrastructure funds for overseas construction.

The app available on V World, an online spatial platform, offers 100 recommended dog-walking routes around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

Users can use the mobile app to look for any animal playgrounds nearby and see how crowded they are. Operating hours are also mentioned.

The app was developed while he was organizing Smart Land Expo 2022, a ministry-hosted three-day annual event that ended Nov. 4.

"The idea came to me after I realized an increasing number of pet owners wanted to spend time walking their dogs, but had no relevant information. I thought of Olle Trail in Jeju, and how similar footpaths can be appreciated in the busy areas of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province."

The app will be updated to better meet the needs of dog owners, in cooperation with large portals such as Naver, to provide information on the nearest round-the-clock veterinarians available.

"Urban mobility and autonomous driving as part of future mobility businesses are key areas of the land ministry's policy focus, but we seek to introduce spatial information services that can be more easily felt and appreciated in everyday life," he said.