Digital Transformation Strategies: A Technology Roadmap in the Korean Water Industry

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the adoption of digital transformation technologies has accelerated across industries. Digital transformation has become a critical task for businesses, with success depending on strategic responses to rapidly changing environments, where establishing a technology development roadmap is pivotal. This study proposes a framework for a technology roadmap aimed at promoting effective digital transformation and applies it to the Korean water industry. Key technological management areas requiring digital transformation were identified, followed by an evaluation of development trends, preferences, technology levels, and potential through expert surveys. Data were quantitatively analyzed using Euclidean distance and frequency analysis. Results indicate that the most urgent areas for digital transformation in the Korean water industry are natural environment management and prediction, water supply and customer service, water intake and resource facilities, and water purification. Essential technologies to be prioritized in each area were also derived. Unlike previous studies that only compared technological priorities, this research contributes by providing a multi-layered analysis that considers preferences, levels, and potential, constructing a more robust roadmap.