DAEJEON — The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has completed all 357 sheets of the 1:50,000 national basic geologic map, the product of more than a century of national geological surveying. The institute plans to digitize the geological data accumulated over the past 100 years and apply artificial intelligence to develop the surface-focused two-dimensional maps into a three-dimensional geological information system that shows underground structures.
KIGAM said it will hold a completion ceremony on the 10th at its headquarters in Daejeon, titled "International Academic Forum on the Completion of the National Basic Geologic Map: The New Role and Future Vision of National Geological Surveys," where it will formally declare the completion of 357 map sheets covering South Korea. About 400 people attended the event, including Vice Minister of Science and ICT Koo Hyuk-chae, National Assembly members, government and science officials, representatives of domestic and overseas geological survey agencies, and senior figures from the geology community.
The national basic geologic map is standardized state geological information that records rock types and their formation periods, the distribution and chronological relationships of strata, and geological structures such as faults and folds. Unlike ordinary maps that show locations and terrain on the surface, it also shows the processes through which the country's land was formed, earning it the nickname "the history book of the land."
Korea began modern national geological surveying in 1918 with the establishment of a geological survey office. The first sheet of the 1:50,000 geologic map was published in 1924, and the effort expanded significantly through projects such as the 1962 publication of the Taebaeksan district geologic map. Researchers at universities and research institutes then surveyed the country directly, building up geological information. With the final sheets covering mountainous areas, border regions and islands completed this year, the national basic geologic map dividing South Korea into 357 zones is now finished.
The map is more than an academic resource. It serves as public infrastructure used in mineral resource exploration, construction of social overhead capital, groundwater and underground space development, geologic hazard response, and carbon dioxide storage underground. KIGAM expects its value to grow further amid instability in critical mineral supply chains, climate crisis response and expanding use of underground space.
Using the completion as a starting point, KIGAM plans to shift the national geological information system toward digital and AI-based platforms. It will first standardize and digitize the geological data accumulated over the past century and build a digital geologic map and geographic information system.
The institute also aims to improve consistency across geological information that was produced sheet by sheet at different times, expanding it into a "seamless geologic map" system that connects as a single whole without regional or sheet boundaries.
KIGAM will also pursue a shift to a national 3D geological information system that renders surface-focused 2D data in three dimensions down to underground structures. The goal is to establish a foundation for identifying what resources and risk factors exist beneath the country's land and how underground space can be used.
AI will serve as a core technology for next-generation geological surveying. KIGAM plans to shift its research paradigm so that AI analyzes patterns, changes, anomalies and trends in large volumes of geological data to provide predictions and solutions for geological issues. "The completion of the national basic geologic map is a historic achievement that brings together the dedication of geologists who walked and recorded the land for more than a century, along with science and technology," KIGAM President Kwon Yi-kyun said. "We will create new value that supports national resource security and public safety by converging geological data with AI and digital twins."
