Overview
WBG Technology & Innovation Lab is part of the WBG Technology Vice-Presidency and serves as an internal learning platform, exploration sandbox and technology advisory around emerging technologies. With the establishment of the Korea regional T&I Lab in the Korea office, the T&I Lab endeavors to assist EAP projects in addressing development challenges and promoting innovation. Korea Technology & Innovation Lab offers practical experimentation opportunities, including in-house prototyping and feasibility studies. Moreover, the Lab serves as a dedicated technology advisory service, offering expert guidance and support to project teams in their efforts to operationalize and integrate emerging technologies effectively. By sharing knowledge and best practices gleaned from the lab's exploration and experiments, the T&I Lab aims to enable seamless and efficient technology adoption for driving positive developmental outcomes.
Three Main Contributions
Publications
- Emerging Technologies Curation Series -
The primary objective of the emerging technologies curation series is to document and disseminate Korea's valuable experience and insights gained from exploring and adopting cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, internet of things (IoT), 5G, and others. The focus is on how these technologies have been effectively harnessed to address various development challenges and the noteworthy outcomes derived from Korea's hands-on experience.
By delving into the practical applications of these emerging technologies, the series aims to showcase their transformative potential in tackling complex developmental issues. Whether it's the secure and transparent transactions facilitated by blockchain, the intelligent automation empowered by AI, the energy-efficient and low-latency capabilities of edge computing, or the revolutionary connectivity offered by IoT and 5G, each technology has played a vital role in driving progress across multiple domains in Korea.
Through this comprehensive collection of experiences and lessons, the series intends to serve as a valuable resource for governments, organizations, and innovators worldwide, guiding them in effectively embracing and deploying emerging technologies to bring about positive and sustainable development. By promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration, the series strives to contribute to the global advancement of these transformative technologies and their potential to shape a better future for societies across the globe. The collaboration effort between the World Bank's Korea country office, the ITS Technology and Innovation Lab and Unit, the Digital Development Global Practice, and the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice ensures a robust and diverse perspective, enriching the series with practical insights from various domains and stakeholders.
| #1 Korea Blockchain Ecosystem Korea Blockchain Ecosystem is the first of the series and provides a short description of the blockchain technology and its potential for solving development challenges and key highlights of the Korea Blockchain Ecosystem. The Korea Blockchain Ecosystem note is a collaboration effort of the WB Korea Country Office, ITS Technology & Innovation, Digital Development (DD) Global Practice, and Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation (FCI) Global Practice |
| #2 Technologies Leveraging Edge Computing for Development Impact Edge computing increases energy efficiency, reduces latency, and provides context awareness for compute-intensive applications far from data centers, increasing the viability of technologies such as autonomous transport and augmented and virtual reality. |
| #3 The Metaverse The Metaverse, widely regarded as a successor to today’s internet, is a concept embodying a unified digital world that is tightly connected to the physical world. In the Metaverse, people can interact without physical or geographic constraints and enjoy a compelling sense of social presence. This offers a positive impact on the real world in various areas. In addition, the Metaverse can serve as a globally unified economic system for digital content that enables entities in different countries to interact frictionlessly. |
| #4 Decentralized Identifier (DID) An identification card is crucial for accessing public and private services, verifying identity and eligibility for benefits. However, most IDs are controlled by external authorities. Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) offer a new model of self-sovereign identity, enabling rapid verification without multiple issuing parties. This 4th issue in the Emerging Technology series explores DIDs' potential for solving development challenges, sharing key highlights of Korea's experience and lessons in adopting emerging technologies. |
| #4 Generative Artificial Intelligence Generative AI has rapidly developed, gaining attention with a projected market. This report covers its basics, historical development, applications in industries like healthcare and manufacturing, and initiatives in Korea and the global market. It also describes initiatives and strategies that the Korean government and private sector players have implemented to adopt and advance generative AI in Korea and the global marketplace. |
- Other -
In addition to the Emerging Technologies Curation Series, we also collaborate with various Global Practices within the World Bank to publish materials. Below are some examples of our publications.
| Environmental Implications of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Numerous countries are currently researching or testing Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) implication, yet only a few studies have explored its environmental implications. This note, conducted in collaboration with the Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation (FCI) Global Practice, examines CBDC’s environmental impact by comparing technical mechanisms and energy consumption within its distributed structure. |
Event & Webinar
Exploring DID (Decentralized Identifiers) as the Future of Identity: Insights from Korea (Link)
Date: 22:30 - 23:30, Monday, June 12, 2023 (KST); 9:30 - 10:30, Monday, June 12, 2023 (EST)
Decentralized Identifier (DID) is a new type and a globally unique persistent identifier that does not require centralized registration authorities often generated and registered cryptographically DIDs enable a new model of decentralized digital identity, which is referred as self-sovereign identity or decentralized identity. In this webinar, we will provide an overview of SSI and DID, why DID is important and its benefits, understand DID through easy-to-understand examples, and share examples of how DID has been leveraged in Korea.
Unlocking Innovation: The Power of Geospatial Platforms for Cities (Link)
Date: 10:00am - 11:00am, Feb. 28 (KST); 8:00pm - 9:00pm, Feb. 27 (EST)
Spatial Planning Platforms are becoming increasingly important as urban populations grow and cities face a range of challenges related to sustainable development, climate change, and infrastructure management. Accordingly, the National Geospatial Platform reflects the increasing importance of geospatial data in many different fields and the need for a centralized platform to make this data more accessible and useful. A successful geospatial planning platform will improve decision-making, reduce national costs, increase accessibility for citizens and businesses, and spur innovation.
This webinar will present a prototype that the ITS Technology & Innovation Lab developed in collaboration with the WBG Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land (URL) team. In addition, the Assistant Deputy Director from the National Geographic Information Institute will showcase Korea's geospatial platform - tools and methods, explaining how to collect, manage and operate a geospatial platform in Korea.
Works
- Can Tho Spatial Planning Platform
Can Tho SPP (Spatial Planning Platform) is a geospatial data management platform for Can Tho city. SPP is a platform for management and publication of geospatial data. This project is part of Can Tho Urban Development and Resilience Project (CTUDR). The SPP has several key features: (1) development by open-source base (2) easy to integrate other system, such as FRMIS (Flood Risk Management Information System), ISA (Integrated Social Assistance System). (3) simplify access to the spatial information to all members who was appropriate permission
Moreover, the Can Tho SPP enables the creation of data, metadata, and visual representations on maps. The platform's datasets can be configured for public accessibility or restricted solely to specific users, granting a precise level of data control. Leveraging an Open-Source not only guarantees free utilization but also contributes to the user-friendly interface, enabling effortless geospatial data downloads and uploads. This interface accommodates distinct user roles within various departments, each endowed with distinct data management permissions.
The platform has been designed to be adaptable, empowering software developers to extend, modify, or harmonize it with other systems, such as FRMIS (Flood Risk Management Information System), ISA (Integrated Social Assistance System, and DRSN (Disaster Response Supporting Network). This adaptability is key to its utility within the broader technological landscape. It is considered to have a role to play in strengthening the Can Tho city’s urban development and resilience strategy.
- Responsible Banana Supply Chains in the Philippines
The objective of this project is to provide government, private sector, farmers, and stakeholders with improved information on social and environmental risks for banana production in Mindanao. This proposal has the potential to promote innovative practices, which enhance responsible agricultural global value chains and respond effectively to demands for social and environmental sustainability
The platform architecture is outlined below, illustrating its key components. The entire platform is segmented into three primary sections: the blockchain integration component, the module responsible for collecting surveys from agricultural laborers' mobile devices, and the segment dedicated to showcasing European Space Agency (ESA) data. A more in-depth elaboration of each constituent will follow in subsequent sections.
1. ESA (European Space Agency) Data Utilization:
The geospatial data employed takes the form of GeoTIFF files. These files are generated by transforming the outcomes of the "Responsible Banana Supply Chains in the Philippines" project into a suitable cartographic format tailored for seamless integration into the cloud environment.
2. Mobile Application/Web Interface:
To measure the social indicators of farm workers, surveys were utilized. The survey results are transmitted to the main platform through an API.
3. Blockchain Integration:
To uphold the credibility of survey outcomes, blockchain technology is harnessed. Upon the receipt of survey results, a structured mechanism is in place to upload the cryptographic hash value of the results of survey.
Emerging Tech. Clinic
We help your World Bank projects with Emerging Tech! The Korea Technology & Innovation Lab operates as a rapid prototyping and learning hub while solving development challenges. We provide your teams with technology advisory around operationalization of emerging technologies and support your projects to successfully adopt and experiment emerging tech capabilities. Please submit your engagement request through the following link to collaborate with us.