South Korea to build centimeter-level precision maps for autonomous driving, robot delivery

South Korea plans to build high-precision road maps that render lanes, traffic signs and crosswalks down to the centimeter.

Pedestrian maps to guide robot movement and indoor spatial data to help people navigate increasingly dense and large interior spaces will also be developed. An integrated underground spatial map will be upgraded to enable three-dimensional management of subsurface areas and improve disaster prevention.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Monday that it had finalized the 4th Basic Plan for Geospatial Industry Promotion (2026–2030) after deliberation by the National Spatial Information Committee.

The plan comes as the government has declared 2026 the inaugural year of its drive to make South Korea one of the world's top three AI powers, mobilizing resources across public services and industry to embed AI throughout the economy. The ministry framed the plan as a response to the growing importance of geospatial data as core infrastructure for emerging industries such as digital twins, autonomous driving, robot delivery, smart logistics and AI cities.

The plan calls for building high-precision three-dimensional spatial data that AI can read and analyze, creating a foundation for rapid integration across sectors including land management, urban planning and transportation. It also aims to nurture small but competitive companies, support overseas expansion, develop talent and expand the geospatial industry as a new engine of growth.

The plan prioritizes building geospatial data — the core infrastructure of the AI era — across multiple dimensions. It encompasses six types of high-precision three-dimensional core geospatial information. Moving beyond the conventional 1:5,000-scale two-dimensional map, the plan calls for covering the entire country with a high-precision 3D map — dubbed the "New Daedong Yeojido" — while also expanding coverage at the 1:1,000 scale.

A mobility map will be created to support future transportation and logistics. It includes a precision road map rendering all legally designated roads nationwide — lanes, traffic signs and crosswalks — down to the centimeter, along with pedestrian maps for outdoor mobile robots and indoor spatial data to assist movement within high-density, large-scale interior environments.

The integrated underground spatial map will be upgraded for three-dimensional subsurface management and disaster prevention, with ground-related data added alongside information on water and sewage systems.

Training data will be compiled so that AI can use the three-dimensional high-precision spatial information, and the ministry will pursue development of a GeoAI foundation model capable of analyzing space and supporting decision-making based on what AI has learned. Research and development investment in core geospatial technologies will be expanded to support this effort.

To that end, the ministry plans to procure a third and fourth national satellite to follow the first two already in service, and to introduce a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite to provide a wider range of satellite imagery.

The plan also aims to lay the groundwork for active distribution and use of high-precision geospatial data, with a goal of expanding GeoAI-powered services that benefit daily life and business activity — including a pre-diagnosis service for land development permits and a factory licensing service.

Tailored support to strengthen the competitiveness of the geospatial industry will also be expanded through a geospatial fund, an innovation-challenge research and development program, open innovation initiatives and K-Geo Festa, the country's largest geospatial industry expo — broadening opportunities for leading companies to share achievements and participate in public projects.

Additional specialized universities will be designated to train core talent in convergence geospatial fields, and the roles of public institutions including the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, the Geospatial Industry Promotion Institute and the Geospatial Quality Management Institute will be expanded.

"We focused on transforming the geospatial industry from a government-led data construction sector into a core industry driven by the private sector in the AI era, in line with the pan-government push for AI transformation across South Korea," Land Minister Kim Yun-deok said. "We will actively support the geospatial industry so that it can develop into a future growth engine underpinning South Korea's bid to become one of the world's top three AI powers, fostering new industries and achieving balanced regional development."