Traffic management, prediction and real-time operations
When it comes to smart cities, it is impossible not to mention Seoul, which stands out as one of the most emblematic examples of maturity. The South Korean capital does not use technology to “appear smart”, but to effectively govern one of the densest and most complex metropolitan areas in the world. With just under 10 million inhabitants and extremely intense mobility flows, Seoul has turned mobility data into a true urban infrastructure, capable of supporting real-time decision-making and long-term strategies.
This vision is part of a broader framework. The city has developed a comprehensive Smart City & Digitization Master Plan, guiding its urban digital transformation through a human-centric approach focused on quality of life, sustainability and the responsible use of data. Within this framework, mobility is not an isolated project, but one of the core pillars of the overall smart city strategy.
In Seoul, traffic is not treated as a collection of local issues, but as a dynamic and interconnected system. The city continuously collects data from roads, public transport, taxis, urban sensors, events and weather conditions, building an integrated view of mobility flows. This approach makes it possible to move beyond a purely reactive logic — intervening only once congestion has already formed — and shift towards predictive management, based on pattern analysis and the anticipation of critical situations.
At the heart of this ecosystem is TOPIS, the Transport Operation and Information Service, a central platform that aggregates and analyses mobility data in real time. TOPIS enables constant monitoring of urban traffic, coordination of traffic lights, buses and metro services, rapid management of incidents and anomalies, and effective support for operational decisions made by city authorities. The real innovation lies not in individual sensors, but in the ability to turn heterogeneous data into concrete actions within seconds.
One of the most advanced aspects of Seoul’s model is the use of artificial intelligence to predict congestion and critical issues before they occur. Thanks to predictive models, the city can anticipate traffic peaks, adapt flows during major events and respond proactively to adverse weather conditions. This significantly reduces the impact of emergencies and makes urban mobility more resilient and continuous, even in highly complex scenarios.
The value of the Seoul case does not lie solely in the technological level achieved, but in its replicability. The city demonstrates that smart mobility does not necessarily require new physical infrastructure, but rather integrated data platforms, public-private collaboration, clear and impact-oriented governance, and the strategic use of data that is already available. This approach can also inspire European cities facing similar challenges in terms of traffic, sustainability and safety.
Seoul clearly shows that the mobility of the future will not only be connected, but predictive, integrated and data driven. When data becomes infrastructure, traffic flows more smoothly, decisions become more effective and cities become more liveable. A model that confirms that a truly smart city is not the one with the most technology, but the one that uses data more intelligently to improve everyday life.