Finding Sinkholes

[Anchor Lead]
The Seoul City government has developed a system that can predict sinkholes on motorways in advance using big data. The system will go into operation next month to help prevent accidents. Here’s more.

[Pkg]

A vehicle equipped with a special radar scours the roads to detect potential sinkholes. When the pavement is removed...

[Soundbite] "It's about 60cm by 60cm."

...a hole measuring 60cm long and 45cm deep is uncovered. Last year 734 potential sinkholes were found in Seoul alone, and their number keeps growing by the year. To prevent accidents caused by holes in the ground, the Seoul City government has built a sinkhole management system based on the discovered holes and data on sunken areas. Using the system, the municipal government will classify the roads in the city and inspect roads with a high risk of sinkholes. Roads that are found to have holes will be reported in real time.

[Soundbite] Choi Yeon-woo(Official, Seoul City Gov't) : "We will be able to prevent accidents by detecting even the smallest holes in the ground in advance before sinkholes occur."

The government plans to hold a briefing for local governments nationwide to help them adopt the system in a bid to prevent sinkholes.