Seoul Metro win the "Railway 10 Technology Awards," thanks to a subway congestion calculation service by convergence of big data

- Seoul Metro's transportation card + SK Telecom's big data converged 'Subway congestion calculation model'

- After guiding the congestion level 4 color, the standard deviation for each time period is reduced by about 30%, and the passenger dispersion effect is verified.

- Pilot operation of real-time on "TTOTA Jihachul" and "TMAP Public Transportation" apps...Expanding to all routes in the future.

# Mr. A, who leaves work on subway line 2 in Gangnam. Mr. A, who was stressed out about getting on a train full of people leaving work, now enters the platform with a light heart. This is due to the mobile phone app (TTOTA Jihachul, TMAP public transportation), which allows you to know the "disturbance" of the train scheduled to arrive in advance. Mr. A, who found a train compartment with low congestion in advance, used the subway comfortably today.

■ The "Subway congestion calculation model" jointly researched by the Seoul Metro with SK Telecom won the 2021 Railroad Top 10 Technology Awards. It is the best railway technology award in Korea that selects excellent technologies and products in the railway field developed in Korea during the year. It is organized by the Korean Society For Railway.

■ The "Subway congestion calculation model," which was honored by the award, is a technology that can determine the real-time congestion level of how many passengers boarded a subway car. The Seoul Transportation Corporation will link and fuse train operation information such as the total number of passengers identified by transportation card data with SKT's mobile communication big data installed in each subway compartment to analyze the number of passengers by heat discrimination, compartment.

■ Seoul Metro has been providing real-time congestion by subway compartment d on big data through the Seoul Metro's official mobile app "TTOTA Jihacul" and "TMAP Public Transportation" apps since July this year.

▲ Through the “TTota Jihachul” app (left and middle) and TMAP public transportation (right) apps,

From July this year, you can check the real-time congestion level of subway line 2.

▲ A schematic picture of the 100% congestion level (160 people on board) in the subway.

(Seats (54), 54 room passages (2 rows), 13 entrances*4=52 persons)

■ The congestion level for each compartment is displayed in four colors (▲ 80% or less is leisure, ▲ 80-130% is usually, ▲ 130-150% is caution, ▲ 150% or more is congestion), allowing passengers to intuitively identify congestion and refer to subway use.

○ "Subway congestion" is an indicator of whether the standard number of passengers (160 people) in one train is more or less than this (100%) as the reference point.

○ Seoul Metro and SKT provide real-time congestion by compartment on Subway Line 2 through “TTOTA Jihachul“ and TMAP Public Transportation app. In case of Lines 1 to 8, they provide predicted congestion.

■ Seoul Metro said that the standard deviation of congestion by subway line 2 (Seoul National University Station to Gyodae Station) decreased by up to 30% as a result of a pilot subway congestion service since June last year. Since September, the scope of information provision has been expanded from congestion of whole train to congestion in each compartment.

○ The factors that reduce the standard deviation of may vary, such as extending new routes or weather, but the standard deviation by time has decreased. As a result of comparative analysis before and after the pilot operation by Seoul Metro, the standard deviation of congestion by time decreased by more than 30% when the congestion level (average congestion level of 100% or more) between the Seoul National University Station and the Gyodae station was measured every 10 minutes.

■ While the use of the subway is increasing as the step-by-step daily recovery begins in earnest, Seoul Metro said that if you check the congestion level of the subway in the app "TTOTA Jihachul" and "TMAP Public Transportation", you can use the subway more safely while keeping your distance in your daily life.

■ Seoul Metro plans to further increase the accuracy of real-time subway congestion through in-depth research with SKT, and expand real-time congestion guidance services to all subways (Line 1-8) operated by Seoul Metro in the future.

■ Meanwhile, Seoul Metro explained that it has measured and serviced in various ways, such as checking the number of passengers and tracking routes using transportation cards, and that it has increased the accuracy of measuring congestion beyond its limitations through scientific big data convergence.

○ Measured_by_eye: The most basic method mainly used for traffic surveys is a method in which investigators directly board the subway to check and calculate the number of people. The approximate congestion level can be identified, but there is a problem that the reliability is not high and only the survey timing value is reflected.

○ Transportation card data-d route tracking: When passengers get on and off the subway, they estimate the route d on the transportation card information entered into the terminal and calculate the number of passengers on the subway passengers. Seoul Metro has been implementing an SNS notification service for the "Subway congestion forecast system" using this method since mid-2020.

○ Passenger’s weight sensor method: In the case of new vehicles on Line 2, which have been in operation since 2018, a device that detects the weight of passengers with automatic sensors and measures them in real time to guide congestion is installed on the platform.

▲ New vehicles on Line 2 have a device that guides the degree of congestion through a destination information post.

■ Seoul Metro President Kim Sang-beom said, "We seem to have been highly praised for finding a clue to solving traffic problems due to the shift in the idea of converging communication and transportation card data," adding, "We will continue to take the lead in realizing social values through cooperation with companies and institutions."

■ Kang Jong-ryul, SK Telecom CSPO(“ICT Infra” area), said, "We are happy that SKT's big data analysis capabilities and traffic data from Seoul Metro meet to services that customers can experience in the COVID-19 era."

*CSPO: Chief Serious-accident Prevention Officer

▲ Officials from both organizations are receiving awards at the Korea Railroad Association Awards. (From the left, Lee Seonghee, head of Seoul Transportation Corporation, Choi Hyemin, SKT manager, Jang Hyunwoo, SKT manager)