The Inje County government in Gangwon Province is utilizing drones to monitor vehicle flow around entry roads and parking lots at the 2026 Inje Autumn Flower Festival. The aerial surveillance helps manage traffic on the ground by providing real-time information about congestion.
As of October 11, Inje County officials reported that drones are being deployed to check major entry roads and parking areas during peak traffic times. This aerial view allows for better identification of waiting vehicles and congested areas that are difficult to assess from the ground.
The festival, taking place in the Buk-myeon Yongdae Tourist Area, was originally scheduled to end on this day but has been extended for an additional week until October 18. The extension was made in consideration of the blooming status of the autumn flowers and visitor interest.
The primary focus of using drones is to monitor the flow of vehicles entering the festival grounds from a broad perspective. By supplementing the view of traffic management personnel stationed at specific points on the road, officials can identify where vehicles are accumulating.
This approach demonstrates how drones can enhance visitor convenience. By monitoring both the roads and parking areas surrounding the festival, officials can better understand where congestion is occurring and the status of waiting vehicles. Inje County stated that the information gathered is being used to assist in on-site traffic management.
Similar applications of drones for traffic and safety management have been observed at other large events. Ahead of the 2024 Seoul World Fireworks Festival, the Seoul city government announced a plan to integrate traffic closed-circuit television (CCTV) with drone footage for monitoring. This plan aims to compile images from multiple locations onto a single screen and provide them to on-site managers via mobile devices.
The goal of this method is to allow for simultaneous monitoring of road and crowd conditions, enabling on-site managers to assess situations while on the move. The Seoul city government expects this will enhance traffic and safety responses at the event by addressing previously difficult-to-monitor blind spots.
A similar traffic management plan was also announced for the 2023 Taean International Horticultural Therapy Expo. According to reports, the Chungcheongnam-do government and the organizing committee plan to relay drone footage from the Woncheong Intersection and Changgi Intersection to a real-time situation room, particularly monitoring habitual congestion areas from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A common theme in these cases is the connection of aerial information to on-the-ground decision-making. Inje County's use of drones to monitor entry roads and parking areas aligns with this objective.
However, it cannot be definitively stated that the integrated monitoring system used in Seoul or the real-time relay system in Taean has been applied to the Inje festival. The materials provided by Inje County did not specify the video transmission system, the number of drones deployed, or detailed operational times.
The actual effectiveness of congestion alleviation also remains to be verified. While the county claims to support convenient and safe movement for visitors, there are no comparative figures regarding entry wait times or congestion lengths before and after drone operations. Currently, the confirmed outcome is the ability to assess traffic conditions from the air and utilize that information for on-site management.
As the festival continues until October 18, traffic management will be closely tied to visitor convenience during the extended period. Future records of vehicle influx by time, parking wait situations, and actions taken after video assessments could provide valuable data for evaluating the effectiveness of drone usage and improving traffic measures for upcoming events.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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