| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The integration of CCTV tasks into the center was aimed at eliminating unnecessary redundancy in administration, reducing expenditures, and improving the efficiency of the district’s public service. The CCTV job integration went beyond the premises of the district office and included the district police agency, which depends on CCTVs a lot. In the Information Age, the roles of local governments keep increasing in Korea but their resources do not. The district’s cross-agency collaboration is something that many other government agencies in Korea must emulate. For the district office, the integration of all CCTV tasks into the center helped streamline the functions of its entire organization. For the residents, the integration sharply improved the speed of responding to various emergency situations and the quality of public services involved in those situations.
○ October 2009
Seodaemun-gu applied for a special grant from the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the establishment of the Integrated CCTV Control Center.
Through a number of meetings and the submission of additional documents, the district office convinced the city government of the necessity and impact of the initiative. Fully convinced, the municipal government agreed to provide a 1.2 billion won grant for the project.
○ November 2009
The district office selected the project contractor through an open bid. Together, they made the basic design for the center. The contractor then worked out a detailed plan for the center based on the basic design.
○ January 2010
The district office secured office space of 198 square meters on the 6thfloorofitsofficebuilding.Thecontractorbeganwork.
The work was delayed somewhat because of plenty of feedback from all the relevant parties after the contractor’s interim project progress report. A better control center was built, however.
○ November 2010
The work was completed. Tests were conducted. The district office hired all the required personnel. The center was launched.
○ April 2011
The district office signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seodaemun Policy Agency on the use of the center’s facilities and collaboration in the implementation of tasks designed to enhance residents’ safety. A close collaborative relationship was built between them.
○ December 2011
The district office installed the “early disaster warning and alert system through its own live music/news radio channel.” The radio channel broadcasts music and news on cultural events through numerous speakers installed along Hongjecheon Stream and the slopes of Ansan Mountain. In emergency situations including flooding and wildfires, the channel issues early warnings and alerts to residents to minimize damage to human lives and property.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Seodaemun-gu is the operator of the Integrated CCTV Control Center. Prior to the completion of the center, CCTVs in the districts were run by seven different organizations for the diverse purposes such as anti-theft, surveillance of bike racks, prevention of illegal waste dumping, monitoring of illegal vehicle parking on streets, surveillance of the district office building, surveillance of car illegal stopping, and disaster monitoring. Wastage was severe due to redundancy. Through the installation of the integrated tower, Seodaemun-gu prevents wastage in budgets and human resources while significantly improving its ability to respond to emergencies.
CCTVs increasingly play an important role in the identification and pursuit of criminals, by the Seodaemun Police Agency in its endeavor to prevent crimes and enforce the law in Seodaemun-gu. The establishment of the integrated center was directly linked to the interests of the police agency. In the processes of planning and building the control center, the district office consulted with the agency sufficiently. Police officers are now stationed in the center round the clock. In April 2011, the district office and the district police agency executed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration in the efficient operation of the center; they have been closely cooperating with each other on a range of issues ever since.
As one of its districts, Seodaemun-gu asked the Seoul Metropolitan Government for financial support for the center project. Only through numerous meetings to convince the relevant officials of the necessity and expected positive outcome was the district office able to secure the city government’s approval for financial support.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The initial investment in the integrated control center was estimated to be around 14.4 billion won. The Seoul Metropolitan Government agreed to give a grant of 12 billion won to the district office because of the high feasibility of the project. The district office paid the remaining 2.4 billion won. Later, the district office also asked the city government to subsidize the establishment of an “early disaster warning and alert system through its own live music/news radio channel.” The city government agreed to support fully the 6.3 billion won project.
The Integrated CCTV Control Center was possible due to the country’s relatively highly developed information and communications technology. More than 800 CCTVs are installed in the district, and they are all connected to the center through IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) and VPN (Virtual Private Network). Firewalls have been installed in the network to make sure all information stays private. A geographic information system (GIS) displays the location of each camera. It ensures that the center can respond to diverse incidents in the district immediately. The control center can easily deal with various situations because all the information there are visualized and centralized. The information storage capacity of the center is as much as 200 TB (terabyte), so its visual information can be stored for a long time and used for various purposes.
Seodaemun-gu has hired 16 monitoring personnel for the center. The Seodaemun Police Agency has dispatched 4 police officers to the center. These 20 people run the center in shifts round the clock so that the center can respond to any situation at any time.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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Seodaemun-gu has been able to save a significant amount of manpower and money by integrating the control of all CCTVs operated by seven different departments. Currently, the center efficiently controls a total of 893 CCTV cameras installed in 376 locations throughout the district. In terms of manpower, the center has reduced full time manpower needs by 26 persons per year. With regard to its budget, the center has saved a considerable amount of money in direct costs on CCTV purchases and maintenance as well as on telecom expenses. In terms of indirect costs, the operation of the integrated center has brought about incalculable positive results to the community including crime deterrence, faster response to crimes, minimization of damage from disasters, and quick responses to various other emergency situations. The operation of the center has also greatly helped the district improve the protection of its residents’ private information. The center does its best to eliminate any risk of information being hacked. Residents have much more faith in the security of the CCTV information controlled by the center.
Seodaemun-gu has established an IP (Internet Protocol)-based radio station to broadcast early warnings and alerts for emergencies along the walking path of Hongjecheon Stream (2.4km) and part of the hiking course of Ansan Mountain (0.6km), which are frequented by residents for various leisure activities. The establishment of such a system is the country’s first. The system is equipped with 14 digital amplifiers and 171 rock-shaped speakers that match the surroundings very well. The system ordinarily broadcasts a selection of music albums and important cultural news that might interest those enjoying leisure activities. When a wildfire is detected, or a flood is predicted on CCTVs, the broadcasting system issues warnings/alerts immediately to minimize damage to residents’ lives and property.
Between 2011 and the first half of 2013, the integrated center supplied the police with up to 1,767 pieces of visual information required for police investigations of various crimes and traffic accidents. The information helped the police not just catch criminals much sooner but also make far fairer decisions on who to blame in car accidents. The fact that visual information is recorded at the center helps deter crimes against persons and property in the district.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Seodaemun-gu has established two committees to ensure that its Integrated CCTV Control Center is operating lawfully and efficiently. In April 2011, the Seodaemun-gu office and the district police agency joined forces to establish the “Anti-crime CCTV Operation Committee,” which meets twice a year and when necessary. It checks whether the center is being run efficiently, discusses ways of expanding the CCTV network in the district, and reviews requests for the supply of visual information for the purposes of crime prevention and solving crimes. In January 2011, the district office set up the “Operation Council of the U-Seodaemun Integrated Control Center” composed of 15 council members including civilians and public officials from department having CCTV operations. The council holds regular meetings twice a year and extraordinary meetings whenever necessary. It monitors and evaluates the operation of the integrated control center including evaluating CCTV monitoring personnel, their performance, and the operating results of each section of the integrated center.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Seodaemun-gu has a relatively low financial self-sufficiency rate. It would have been difficult to finance the initiative on its own. The district office contacted the metropolitan government with a basic plan for the center. Through numerous meetings, it eventually convinced the city government of the necessity and potential effects of the initiative and secured a 12 billion won special grant from the government for the establishment of the center. The district office also persuaded the city government to provide the former with a 6.3 billion won grant for the installation of an early disaster warning and alert system at the center through the district’s live music/news radio channel.
Installing CCTVs is desirable to protect resident’s lives and property, yet any leaked information might infringe on residents’ privacy seriously. To prevent such violation, Seodaemun-gu has enacted the “Guidelines for CCTV Operation and Management in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.” They stipulate limited access to visual information and rules for the safe storage and transmission of the information. The district office is doing its best to protect residents’ rights to privacy as much as possible.
For integrated CCTV control, it is crucial to establish a network that connects all the relevant CCTVs to the center. Leasing a network was estimated to cost the center 2 billion won each year. The district office has built its own broadband telecommunication network that connects the district office, various agencies under its auspices, and all of its CCTVs. It has saved a significant amount of money while ensuring high-quality administrative service.
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