Ocean Monitoring App

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The ocean poses some hazards but it's hard to identify them with a naked eye. A smartphone application using augmented reality like the popular game Pokemon-Go has been developed to notify beach-goers of danger.

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Many families visit wetlands to spend time together.

[Soundbite] Lee Jong-eun, Yoo Jung-in(Vacationers) : "It's very shallow even far away from here."

An aerial survey shows that this wetland has a deep furrow where water depth increases abruptly. Back in 2013 five high school students drowned to death in one such furrow. Reverse waves and rip currents, which pull swimmers deep into the ocean all of a sudden, also pose threat to beach-goers. Recently developed is a smartphone app notifying users of furrows and rip currents in the sea. When a smartphone camera is flashed against the beach, augmented reality technology, like the one used in the game PokemonGo, shows the dangerous spots. The app also has a radar that sends alert signals when a furrow is nearby. It also notifies users of high and low tides and water temperature. The app is being operated on a pilot basis in 17 areas including Haeundae and Daecheon beaches. Next year the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration will expand service areas to over 50 locations.