[Edaily Reporter Kang Min-koo ] LG Uplus(032640)has demonstrated a technology that narrows the search area for people in distress in mountainous regions by utilizing mobile communication base station data and cell phone connection records. This demonstration is significant in that it showed the potential to use communication data for search and rescue operations even in situations where it is difficult to determine an exact location via GPS.

The demonstration was conducted by U+ in collaboration with Solbit Systems, a company specializing in radio wave analysis, in the area around Mount Unjang in Jinan County, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. The scenario simulated situations in mountainous areas where GPS signals are unavailable or cell phones are turned off, making it difficult to determine an exact location.

When GPS-based location tracking is difficult, rescue teams must search a wide area based on the base station to which the victim’s cell phone last connected. In a simulation using Solbit Systems’ Intelligent Search and Rescue (iSAR) system, the team gradually narrowed down the likely location of the victim by additionally analyzing the radio coverage range of base stations and cell phone connection records by time period.

This system identifies the base station to which the mobile phone was last connected and estimates areas where the victim is most likely to be found by analyzing connection records over time and radio wave coverage ranges based on terrain.

The demonstration results showed that, using conventional methods, the estimated search area—defined as a 15-kilometer radius centered on the last-connected base station—was 706.86 square kilometers. However, after analyzing the base station’s location, antenna orientation, and signal coverage area, the search area was reduced to 45.94 km². Further analysis of mobile phone connection records by time period narrowed it down to 4.13 km². This allowed the search area to be reduced by approximately 99% compared to the conventional method.

It is expected that when this technology is applied in actual rescue operations, it will help rescue teams quickly narrow down the area they need to search. Rather than combing through vast mountainous regions, rescue personnel and equipment can be concentrated in areas where the missing person is most likely to be found, thereby increasing the likelihood of locating them more quickly.

Through this pilot project, LG Uplus confirmed the potential to utilize telecommunications network data for customer safety and emergency rescue support.

LG Uplus and Solbit Systems plan to conduct additional tests to verify the accuracy and practicality of the technology and explore ways to integrate it into emergency rescue agencies’ search support systems.

Lee Sang-heon, Head of Network Advanced Development at LG Uplus, stated, “We have confirmed that communication data can be used to protect customers’ lives and safety in situations involving distress or missing persons,” adding, “We will continue to validate the technology to ensure customers receive rescue assistance more quickly even in critical situations, and we will develop practical applications to enhance customer safety and peace of mind.”

Kim Young-gu, CEO of Solbit Systems, said, “Given that the importance of utilizing communication data to secure the ‘golden time’ for rescuing people in distress in areas with no signal coverage has been confirmed, I hope that the intelligent search support system will become widely known and utilized in many sectors, including public safety.”