The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to provide policy support and reform regulations to foster the drone industry. It announced in June that it will build a “UTM takeoff and landing field” by 2027, the “Second Basic Plan for the Development of the Drone Industry” to expand drone delivery areas starting with remote areas, the “Proactive Regulatory Revolution Roadmap 2.0” to improve outdated regulations, and the “Second Special Free Trade Zone for Drones.” Drones are utilized in many industries, and with the recent Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts, they are seen as a key industry that could determine future national security and competitiveness. Now that drones are gaining more attention than ever before, there is a company that is also gaining a lot of attention by securing excellent drone technology and introducing various solutions that combine AI technology. And that is iON.

Staying ahead of the curve with drones, artificial intelligence media, and ICT

iON is one of the most prominent companies in the defense sector, providing solutions that are ahead of the curve through ICT technology for drones, artificial intelligence, and media. The company is growing rapidly with a variety of business models that increase efficiency and creativity in defense, public safety, and industrial work. The company’s businesses include drone production, distribution, real-time video control, spatial terrain data visualization, 3D mapping, AI big data provision, facility management, video content production, live broadcasting system, and drone art show. In particular, it manufactures and supplies various special-purpose military drones to the Ministry of Defense, and provides various spatial information solutions to various public institutions. The system that produces video content and transmits it live is also unrivaled in Korea. 

Building multi-purpose military drones

The company has its own iVT-2500 (VTOL), iDR-1000, and DS-30W drones, and has built and delivered special mission drones to the Ministry of Defense. VTOL drones are a mix of fixed and rotary wings that can fly for a long time, which is the advantage of fixed wings, and can take off and land vertically, which is the biggest advantage of rotary wings, and can be easily connected to various mission devices or AI. iDR-1000 specializes in bringing AI to drones. Its dynamic differential technology enables accurate vertical and horizontal positioning to within 1 cm, making it ideal for detecting and targeting objects. Company director Bongjo Jang said “The iVT-2500 can be used for data matching, target location identification, long-range communication modules, and multi-drone operations. The iDR-1000 photo/video storage device is mounted on the main body, and LED aircraft identification is mounted on the landing part of the aircraft. It is an aircraft designed to provide various drone services.” The company also operates the hydrogen-based DS-30W product and a smart control center vehicle that can control drones.

Productive data collection, visualization, and custom mapping of spatial terrain

Building a heritage area control system with 3D information

iON uses superior artificial intelligence technology and long-standing big data to collect productive data through accurate 2D, 3D and lidar terrain measurement and analysis, real-time monitoring, and generate intuitive visualizations and customized maps. The company has been working with Korea Land and Geospatial InformtiX Corporation on ‘drone lidar-based 3D cultural property area management’ and is building a cultural property area management space for Hyanggyo in Cheongju City. iON CEO Jidae Jeong said “Our technology is a solution that enables three-dimensional map-based management of urban planning and land use regulation information in cultural property zones to complement the decentralized system for cultural property zone management. We are successfully delivering results for technical, academic, and municipal public needs, and we can differentiate ourselves by enhancing practicality and operability.”

Solutions for inspecting large, inaccessible structures

Search for missing persons with data and AI

Facility management is a business that inspects facilities by utilizing high-performance drones equipped with high-performance zoom cameras, thermal imaging cameras, and special mission equipment. It is possible to manage large structures that are difficult to access by humans, respond quickly in case of danger, inspect large structures in three dimensions, and monitor areas that need further inspection. In addition, golf courses and various commercial facilities can be systematically managed, so the market demand is high. The company also participated in the drone search for missing Cheongju middle school girl Cho Eun-nuri-yang in 2019, and has conducted more than 300 missing person search operations with police and fire authorities since 2018. The company has artificial intelligence technology that can accurately categorize the appearance of people from high above, even in forested mountains, using ordinary cameras and thermal cameras, and has shown excellent results in searching for missing persons. It is also capable of detecting enemy forces, and when applied to security solutions, it can be used as an intruder detection and tracking solution. CEO Jeong said “It is capable of 4K-based real-time object recognition. With a 32x zoom camera, a 1200-meter laser rangefinder, and a low-power, high-speed detection and tracking processing module, it can be used in port environments, forests, and anywhere else for accurate tracking and detection.” In 2020, the company signed a ‘business agreement for convergence and application of crime prevention activities and advanced science and technology’ with the Chungju Police Department, and jointly promoted ‘3D modeling crime prevention activities using drones’ and ‘smart police drone sensor data collection activities’.

Video content production, live transmission systems, counter-terrorism operations, and overseeing the Police Academy graduation ceremony for three consecutive years

‘Video content production and live transmission system’ is also a business area that the company has been focusing on. Recently, drones are used to transmit broadcasts in field situations such as military and government emergency simulations and festivals, and the company is showing a lot of prominence in the event management business. The company has a solution that allows drone missions to be carried out without a separate drone pilot and multiple drones can be controlled from a remote control center in real time using LTE and 5G communication networks and fly autonomously. It transmits the video and flight information acquired by the drone to the control center in real time, helping to grasp the situation and make decisions. The company has been in charge of filming and broadcasting (Full HD, 4K) the graduation ceremony of the National Police University for three consecutive years, and has been active in various mock drills and events organized by the military and government, such as water works events and military and counter-terrorism drills. The company participated in the ‘Development of drone sensor data collection and standard data modeling technology’ of the ‘DNA+ drone technology development project’ and was widely recognized for its excellent technology, which was selected as a BM performer for ‘Smart Police’ and ‘Water Management’.