Examining the COVID-19 effects on travel behavior using smart IoT sensors: A case study of smart city planning in Gangnam, Seoul

Abstract: The application of IoT in cities is a critical component in constructing a smart city. Seoul Metropolitan Government began installing IoT sensors known collectively as S-DoT in 2019. S-DoT collects real-time weather and floating population data. This study aims to introduce a smart city planning application in Seoul, to validate the S-DoT application, and to suggest a research framework for using S-DoT data. We analyzed S-DoT collected floating population data to examine travel behavior, volume, and patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The result showed that micro-level spatiotemporal analysis was possible using S-DoT data, and we identified different floating population patterns. The panel regression result that explained the effects of urban factors on the floating population revealed that the degree of COVID-19 seems to impact people’s travel behavior significantly. As more S-DoT technologies are planning to be deployed in Seoul, the city will begin to collect more sophisticated real-time data. However, planners and policymakers should be attentive to the issues and limitations of newly installed S-DoT systems and find better strategies to use S-DoT data.