On the 13th, Seoul City began operating the “Urban Leisure Map” service on the Smart Seoul Map platform. It brings together information on the locations, operating hours, and convenience facilities of 422 water play facilities scattered across 25 autonomous districts onto a single map. The service will run until the end of next month.
By facility type, there are 103 swimming pools, 97 water play areas, 147 ground fountains, and 66 other water features. Nine temporarily suspended facilities are also marked. The newly opened water play area at Gwangnaru Hangang Park this year can also be checked, and additional operating facilities will continue to be reflected.
Smart Seoul Map is a responsive web service usable on both computers and smartphones, and it can also be accessed via QR code. Its map-copy feature makes it easy to share water play locations with friends or relatives who may not be familiar with the neighborhood.
The website also provides summer leisure information. The Seoul International Garden Expo map shows the garden locations and viewing routes at Seoul Forest Park, the Seoul Night View map introduces scenic night spots, and the Seoul Festival map provides district-by-district guidance to major seasonal festivals.
Until now, information on summer water play facilities had been scattered across autonomous district offices and different departments. Citizens had to search through district websites, blogs, and social media one by one. Even within Seoul, it was difficult to see at a glance which facilities existed in which neighborhood.
When dispersed administrative information is gathered onto one map, the cost of searching is reduced, and users gain the option of comparing facilities in neighboring districts. For families with young children, reduced travel burden is effectively a cost benefit, making neighborhood-based summer leisure more practical.
This expands the use of the map beyond the open restroom guidance it provided during BTS’s Gwanghwamun concert in March, broadening its role into seasonal information.
The key issue is how fresh the information remains. This year, Seoul City is operating a management system in which district officials update the information directly. That is because delays in reflecting suspensions could cause citizens to make wasted trips.
Given the nature of summer, when operation status can change suddenly due to extreme heat or water quality issues, there are calls for clear guidelines on update cycles and responsibility.
The gap in accessibility is another point to consider. Responsive web and QR codes are convenient for generations accustomed to smartphones, but they may be a barrier for caregivers or grandparents who have difficulty using digital devices. It may also be worth considering offline support at community centers or libraries.
Another challenge is creating a feedback structure that feeds map usage data back into facility operations. If it becomes possible to see which areas use which facilities most often, that information could help with crowd-dispersal guidance or decisions on where to place new facilities. There is room to move beyond simply providing information and toward demand management.
The sustainability of the integrated map depends on operational capacity. This is the second year of the service, following last year. To keep it from becoming just a one-summer event, it will need a strategy to develop it into a year-round service that citizens continue to use, linked with seasonal content such as the Seoul Night View and Seoul Festival maps.