Korea to develop world’s first 3-D map for drones

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government said on July 21 it will develop the world’s first 3-D map exclusively dedicated to flying drones.

According to the Ministry of Land and Transportation, the programmed route will be helpful for it to control safety of drones and prevent accidents as they are expected to be widely adopted by diverse areas such as logistics, disaster relief and agriculture in the coming years. 

The ministry said it will be coming up with a new 3-D map for drones that better collects data on space and obstacle in a specific area. Thus far, 2-D maps have been used for flying drones but they have failed to effectively offer safer routes.

Of the nation’s five regions where the ministry is conducting diverse testing programs for drones, Jeonju in South Jeolla Province and Youngwol in Gangwon Province have been selected to test the mapping project.

The ministry said the mapping project would be helpful for Korea to introduce commercial drones in downtown areas earlier than other advanced countries.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)