What Kind of Place is the U-road?
The "U" in U-road stands for Ubiquitous. It symbolizes a connection between information and communications which can happen regardless of location. U-road has constructed infrastructure where citizens visit frequently, utilizing ubiquitous technology. Citizens' athletic records are automatically measured, and histories of health care services are offered for them. It has been set up along the riverside of the Shinchun for about 2.4 km from Sangdong Bridge to Daebong Bridge and also in Suseong Amusement Park.
What Facilities are There?
Tags ) When someone attaches this tag to their body and does exercise at Suseong Amusement Park or the riverside of Shinchun, their exercise history is stored through a U-pole which is powered by sunlight. People can check their information on the web site (http://u-road.daegu.go.kr) or on a TV monitor called mediaboard. If there is an emergency, people can push an emergency button which informs the General Situation Room, and they can get help.
Mediaboards ) There are also 46-inch monitors that are called mediaboards. Anyone who holds a tag or transportation card can check their exercise information (exercise hours, distances, consumed calories) on the same day. Electronic display boards are attached on the upper part of the mediaboard, and it shows real-time information like air pollution levels.
U-pole ) U-poles are set up at a height of 3.5 meters to 4 meters in order to monitor the condition of tags and to check the position of people who are exercising. It concentrates sunlight as its power source which also operates other nearby lighting equipments.
How to Experience the U-road?
Anyone can get a tag after becoming a member on the U-road website. If someone exercises while wearing a tag or transportation card, they can confirm their workout data on the mediaboard or at the "vertification of my workout information" section of the homepage.
How to Use the TAG?
At first, before starting exercise, push the power button. While exercising, if you want to know how much exercise you have done, you can push a green button. You can verify it through the tags, and your information can be checked every 10 seconds. As you are about to finish exercising, push the power button again. You can also access this service through transportation cards. If you touch this card to the mediaboard card reader before working out and after doing exercise, you can check your information on the mediaboard the same day.
Interview)) Kwan-Taek Shim, U-2011 Task Force Team, Department of Information and Communications, Daegu City
Q. How many people take advantage of this system currently?
A. Daegu has been conducting model operations from December, 2009 to late February, 2010, and we have supplied about 700 tags. We now have about 500 members. The tags are mostly used by nearby residents and movement organizations. Considerable numbers of people exercise every day.
Q. Does Daegu have any future plans to increase citizen participation?
A. During the model operation periods, we refined programs and equipment, and we are planning to recruit new members in March. Our goal is to enroll 5,000 new members within a year. We plan to distribute complimentary tags, and open walking and running classes linked with exercise organizations. We hope to have patients use these tags on healthcare programs for the sick in cooperation with the National Health Insurance Corporation as well.
The areas of the Shinchun and Suseong Amusement Park are particularly famous places to exercise for citizens in Daegu. Therefore, it is expected that the introduction of these systems of managing exercise history using Ubiquitous technology will attract a good deal of attention and help many people. In addition to managing exercise history, if some extra features are added, men and women of all ages will become more interested in U-road. We expect active citizen participation for U-road, and hope it will be an exemplary precedent for the future.
