S-MAP (SEOUL 3D DIGITAL TWIN PLATFORM)

Good Practice

Time Mobility

S-MAP (SEOUL 3D DIGITAL TWIN PLATFORM)

S-Map is a comprehensive 3D digital twin platform that replicates the entire city of Seoul in a virtual environment. It integrates real-time data from IoT sensors, AI analytics, and environmental monitoring to simulate city functions, optimise urban management, and support time-oriented policies such as mobility flows and safety monitoring.

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South Korea

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the S-Map is to create an accurate 3D replica of Seoul, providing a foundation for time-optimised urban management.

Digital City Replica: 600,000 buildings have been precisely modelled in 3D, and it has mapped citywide terrain with 12 cm precision orthoimagery. It included high precision DEM/DSM with 1m×1m grid spacing, and high-precision 3D modelling of the Han River area.
Infrastructure Layers: It foresaw 6 types of underground facilities (water/sewage, gas, electric, telecom, heating), converting 2D to 3D visualization. S-Map uses 605 Internet of Things (IoT) fire safety sensors in public buildings and subway stations for interior mapping.
Real-Time Integration: IoT sensor network provides live environmental data, integrating CCTV cameras for construction site monitoring and AI and machine learning to enhance digital twin intelligence. By integrating it with cloud technology, the digital twin application has been accelerated.
Time-Based Applications: By creating building approval simulations, administrative review time is reduced, and real estate development decision making is accelerated. Construction monitoring allows for the minimisation of project delays, and the real-time safety analysis enables rapid emergency
response.

CONTEXT

In cities, time is the invisible layer shaping how we live and work. It dictates when traffic flows, when buildings breathe, and when people rest. Seoul’s S-Map Digital Twin Platform seeks to change this — by translating the city’s rhythms into data we can see, measure, and redesign. When cities can visualise where and how time is spent — in traffic, at work, under heat, or in safety — they can redistribute it more fairly.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

Launched in 2021, S-Map replicates the entire city of Seoul in an interactive 3D environment. It integrates real-time data from IoT sensors, AI-driven analytics, and environmental monitoring to simulate how the city functions through time. S-Map’s precision mapping and simulation technologies support efficient urban planning and administrative decision-making processes:

Mapping Mobility and Work: Through High-Definition (HD) road mapping, S-Map provides precise, lane-level 3D data that underpins new mobility models. This helps policymakers design working-time strategies that reduce congestion peaks and shorten travel times, turning what was once lost time into quality time.
Safety as a Foundation of Time Equity: S-Map’s AI-based Crime Vulnerability Analysis visualises risk areas in 3D, guiding patrol routes and CCTV placements. This ensures safer conditions and optimised working hours for field workers, reinforcing time equity and workplace dignity.
Citizens as Co-creators of Time: Through the S-Map Open Lab, citizens and students design spatial solutions using Seoul’s 3D data. Their projects — mapping safety, mobility, and welfare — make time management a shared civic responsibility.
A New Urban Contract: When cities can visualise where and how time is spent — in traffic, at work, under heat, or in safety — they can redistribute it more fairly. Seoul’s experience suggests that the future of sustainable working time will be modelled in digital space.

KEY ASPECTS

S-Map’s has been deployed since 2021, when it created a basic 3D replica with 600,000 buildings and 6 types of underground facilities. In 2022-2023, the Internet of Things (IoT) was integrated with 605 fire safety sensors and real-time monitoring. In 2024, AI analytics were included with 61,654-grid crime analysis and real estate simulations, and in 2025, indoor mapping with LiDAR for traditional markets and HD road mapping were also added.

S-Map has transformed how urban time is managed and distributed.

Administrative Time: Building height simulation allows processing faster permits and approvals, and construction site CCTV cameras create the opportunity for real-time oversight. Real estate simulations automatically detect violations, shortening review cycles
Safety Time: 61,654 grid cells were deployed for precise vulnerability analysis, which allows for a CCTV placement optimisation and patrol route recommendations. Monthly analysis of 24 indicators allows for evidence-based decisions.
Traffic Time: HD road mapping offers support for autonomous vehicles, and the inclusion of Mobile Mapping System (MMS) technology provides lane-level precision data Citizen Time: Open Lab projects with 53 submissions in 2024 allowed for citizen created solutions in domains such as safety, mobility, and welfare.

S-map allowed for exploring a cultural dimension with cultural heritage modelling, reconstructing the 2000-year history of Seoul in a virtual space, allowing citizens to explore the city’s evolution through time with culturally accurate 3D models of historic sites. It also provided educational resources and tourism content.

RESULTS

Comprehensive Indicators and 3D Risk Visualisation: 24 safety indicators analysed monthly, including CCTV coverage, sex offender, residence density, and population flow patterns. Five-level risk classification (1-5 grade, from “very good” to “very vulnerable”) is visualised through 3D mapping for intuitive understanding. This has been successfully deployed with Gwanak Police Station and District Office (6 departments), protecting time equity for field workers and residents.
Digital Construction Management: Construction process tracking with digital twin technology reduced project timelines by up to 15% through early identification of potential delays.
Time Impact Assessment: Analysis of construction impacts on citizen time, helping planners minimise disruptions to traffic flow, business operations, and residential access.
Citizen Participation: In 2024, 53 teams participated in the spatial information utilization competition, focusing on safety (23%), transportation (21%), welfare (21%), and environmental solutions (21%). In 2025, 47 teams joined: 16 general teams, 2 graduate teams, 22 undergraduate teams, and 7 high school teams developing spatial solutions for urban challenges. Winning proposals include crowd density risk maps, flood preparedness planning, crime vulnerability visualisation, and other urban safety solutions created by citizens.

Good Practice