"Finding Them Even Without GPS"... LG Uplus Cuts Search Area for Stranded Hikers by 99%

Technology demonstrated with Solbit System at Mount Unjang
Search area narrowed from 706.86 sq km to 4.13 sq km
Uses base station radio coverage and phone connection records by time of day

LG Uplus said on October 11 that it had conducted a demonstration with Solbit System of a technology that uses mobile network base station data and mobile phone connection records to narrow the search area for people lost in mountainous regions.

Researchers at Solbit System review the results of a rescue demonstration using an intelligent search and rescue support system (iSAR). Courtesy of LG Uplus.

The demonstration, conducted around Unjangsan Mountain in Jinan-gun, Jeonbuk, simulated conditions in which GPS signals were unavailable or a mobile phone had been switched off, making it difficult to determine a person's exact location. Solbit System, a company specializing in military radio wave analysis and simulation technology, is researching ways to expand the use of military technology into civilian disaster response and rescue operations.

Under conventional mountain rescue methods, teams had to search a wide area based on the last base station to which the missing person's phone had connected. By contrast, Solbit System's Intelligent Search and Rescue Support System (iSAR) further analyzes base station coverage and mobile phone connection records by time of day to progressively narrow down the areas where a person may be lost.

In the demonstration, the estimated search area using the conventional method covered 706.86 square kilometers within a 15-kilometer radius of the last connected base station. Analysis of the base station's location, antenna direction, and radio coverage reduced the area to 45.94 square kilometers. Adding connection records by time of day further narrowed the search area to 4.13 square kilometers. This represents a reduction of approximately 99% compared with the conventional method.

LG Uplus said it expects the technology to enable faster rescues by allowing rescue personnel and equipment to be concentrated in areas with a high likelihood of an emergency, rather than searching an entire mountainous region. The company emphasized that the technology could support emergency rescue operations using communications network data even in areas where GPS is unavailable.

The two companies plan to continue validating the technology's accuracy through further trials and explore ways to incorporate it into the actual search support systems of emergency response agencies, including fire departments. Lee Sang-heon, who oversees network advanced development at LG Uplus, said, "This demonstration shows how communications data can be used to protect customers' lives and safety in emergencies. We will continue to validate technologies and develop ways to use them to enhance customer safety."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.