Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

Water is a finite and irreplaceable resource. At the same time, it is reusable if well-used and well-managed. This is a case study conducting an in-depth analysis and comprehension on the water management system in Incheon, a city located in Republic of Korea(ROK). This study lies on following reasons and purposes: First, Incheon is the country’s first city to establish and operate internet network-based, centralized surveillance and control system for the municipal water management. Second, Incheon is geographically unique, comprised by one mainland located in the Korean Peninsula and an island, Yeongjong-do, where Incheon International Airport is located. This abounded our case study with various cases and case-based solutions and strategies within the case. Third, we evaluated the effectiveness and ICT-enabled new water management system, Smart Water Grid of Incheon by conducting comparative analysis with other cities in Korea, as well as within the city by looking at significance of changes between before and after this ICT-enabled digital systemization. To conduct this analysis, we adopted Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) model to test the before-and-after and across-cities water indicators. Our empirical study on the data from 2012 to 2017 shows some significant changes: improvement in water quality, water leakage reduction, and water desalination across different districts of Incheon. Last of all, we seek to approach various parts of the world, particularly the less-developed yet more water-stressed regions, with this bright case from Incheon to deliver the high possibilities of success in resolving water-related issues when adopting the ICT technologies.