The
OpenGov Recognition of Excellence (RoE) 2018 recognised 11 Singapore government
agencies for improving the lives of citizens through the use of digital
technology. The RoE aims to set new benchmarks for government ICT innovation in
the ASEAN and ANZ regions.
On
17 May, held in conjunction with the Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum, OpenGov
RoE 2018 recognised the efforts of 11 Singapore government agencies for their
work in building Singapore towards being a Smart Nation. The government
agencies have achieved excellence in using ICT to make government smarter, more
agile, more efficient and more transparent – ultimately improving the lives of
the citizens.
The
11 agencies that were recognised for their work in building Singapore towards
being a Smart Nation were (in alphabetical order):
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR)
OpenGov
recognised A*STAR for its Federated
Identity Management (FIM) system and electronic
Chemicals, Biomaterials, Gases Management System (eCBMS) system.
FIM
is an Information Technology Shared Services (ITSS) shared services developed
to allow automated web-based authentication and authorisation of Institute of
Higher Learning (IHL) end-users in Singapore. Staff, researchers, and students
can access e-Resources offered by the National
Super Computing Centre (NSCC) and SingAREN,
without the need to change existing usernames or passwords of their home IHLs.
The developed identity management system removes the risk of user keying
errors, as the users are automatically authenticated against their home
organisation. The system also supports the users to access services across
various organisations.
eCBMS
is the first integrated chemical inventory management and procurement system in
A*STAR. The system allows better legal compliance and reduces the time
required by researchers to manually maintain and update their inventory. It has
been estimated that CGMS will help to reduce more than 16,000 man hours
annually, that has been otherwise spent on inventory updates, maintenance and
generating monthly inventory necessary for legal compliance.
Changi Airport Group (CAG)
OpenGov
recognised CAG for the Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) suite at Terminal 4 (T4)
of Changi Airport. Since
last October, T4’s featured enables passengers self-service options at
various stages of departure – check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding.
As
part of the FAST process, the facial
recognition technology is used to authenticate each passenger’s identity.
This automated process replaces the need for manual identity verification by
staff. The Automated Immigration Gate (AIG) at T4 uses a dual facial and
thumbprint biometric recognition system. The passenger’s photo is captured and
matched against the one in the passport. At the Automated Boarding Gate (ABG),
passengers only need to scan their boarding pass at the boarding gate and authenticate
their identity by taking a photo. The facial recognition system matches this
photo against the photo taken earlier at the AIG.
Cyber Security Agency (CSA)
OpenGov
recognised CSA for its efforts in establishing the Cybersecurity
Bill to strengthen the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure
(CII) in Singapore. Passed into law on 5 February 2018, the Bill provides a
framework for the regulation of CII and formalises the duties of CII owners in
ensuring the cybersecurity of their respective CIIs. For each sector, CSA
worked closely with the relevant sector regulator to identify the essential
services within the sector, as well as the computers and computer systems.
Noting
that the cybersecurity environment is fast-changing, in formulating this Bill,
the Singapore Government studied cybersecurity legislation from other countries
and continues to take reference from internationally recognised standards and
emerging trends.
Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
GovTech has
been recognised
for its Content
Websites Platform (CWP) and the API
exchange (APEX).
As a
common hosting platform for government websites, the CWP has been supporting the
government agencies in improving the digital shopfront and the user experience.
The CWP is a common secured environment based on a resilient, robust and
controlled platform which provides a suite of standardised software for hosting
content-based websites. It enables unclassified government websites to be
centrally managed and operated on public cloud, bringing the benefits of
convenience, greater security, optimisation of resources, faster deployment
speed and cost savings through economies of scale.
The
APEX, which
has been developed by GovTech in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance,
serves as a centralised data sharing platform for government agencies to share
data conveniently and securely through the use of Application Programming
Interfaces or APIs. The Exchange will enable central monitoring and security
management for the APIs. APEX also facilitates secure transfer of data between
the public-facing front-end i.e. the Internet and the back-end (Intranet).
Using APEX, public agencies can manage and maintain their data
APIs and data consumption in real-time and obtain an overview of the popularity
and usage of their shared datasets, so that they can constantly improve their
datasets according to popularity and demand. APEX is part of the application
infrastructure in the Singapore
Government Technology Stack
(SGTS), a centrally-managed platform for public sector agencies to build their
digital applications.
Housing & Development Board (HDB)
The
HDB has been recognised for its HDB
resale portal to streamline the resale transaction process for public
housing in Singapore.Launched on 1
January this year, the new online HDB resale portal minimises the need for
manual entry of data. All eligibility checks are integrated on a single
platform. Flat buyers will also be able to view their eligibility for housing
grants and an HDB concessionary housing loan through the portal. The entire
transaction time, from submission to completion of the resale application, is
expected to be shortened by up to 8 weeks from 16 weeks previously.
This
illustrates HDB’s continuous efforts to streamline its resale process, reduce
transaction time and provide added convenience to flat buyers and sellers,
under the initiatives of the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map (REITM).
It also shows how HDB is leveraging technology to enhance its services and
improve customers’ convenience.
The HDB has been recognised for its HDB resale portal to streamline the resale transaction process for public housing in Singapore.Launched on 1 January this year, the new online HDB resale portal minimises the need for manual entry of data. All eligibility checks are integrated on a single platform. Flat buyers will also be able to view their eligibility for housing grants and an HDB concessionary housing loan through the portal. The entire transaction time, from submission to completion of the resale application, is expected to be shortened by up to 8 weeks from 16 weeks previously.
This illustrates HDB’s continuous efforts to streamline its resale process, reduce transaction time and provide added convenience to flat buyers and sellers, under the initiatives of the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map (REITM). It also shows how HDB is leveraging technology to enhance its services and improve customers’ convenience.
Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
OpenGov
recognised IMDA for its continuous efforts to help SMEs go digital through the SMEs
Go Digital programme. Announced at Budget 2017, the SMEs Go Digital programme
takes on a more structured and inclusive approach towards the adoption of
digital technologies by SMEs. Since its roll-out in April 2017, the Programme has
been helping SMEs in the adoption and use of digital technology to boost their
productivity and build their digital capability and participate in the digital
economy.
To
enable SMEs to continually benefit from innovative digital solutions, IMDA is
progressively raising the standards of the pre-approved digital solutions under
SMEs Go Digital programme and catalyse the development of digital platforms
that provides them access to game changing technologies such as artificial
intelligence (AI) and data analytics.
Integrated Health Information Systems
(IHiS)
Singapore’s
HealthTech agency IHiS has been
recognised for driving Singapore’s Smart Health initiative, with the launch of Smart Health Video Consultation and TeleRehab in 2017. These national
Telehealth pilots empower patients to self-manage their condition, save them
travelling time, costs and waiting time at the hospital, as well as improve
healthcare professionals’ productivity.
Smart
Health Video Consultation leverages the prevalent use of consumer devices with
cameras to enable patients to remotely consult their care team online, from
anywhere they are. Designed for use in healthcare, the high quality video and
audio conferencing platform allows multi-party video conferencing for
consultation with multi-disciplinary care teams, annotation and sharing
documents, facilitating provider-to-patient consultations as well as
collaboration and training sessions between healthcare providers.
Smart
Health TeleRehab (TR) empowers patients to perform prescribed rehabilitation
exercises at their convenience via guided videos. The use of wearable sensors
by patients in conjunction with a patent-pending algorithm enable therapists to
remotely and asynchronously monitor patients’ performance via a smart metrics
dashboard. Co-created by NUS, IHiS, and local startup T-Rehab, TR helps
patients who may not be mobile to have greater access to therapy, and helps
therapists more accurately assess patients, with about 30% productivity gain.
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
(IPOS)
IPOS
has been recognised for transforming itself from an IP registry and regulator
to builder of Singapore’s innovation ecosystem. Since the release of the IP Hub
Master Plan in 2013, the IPOS has been addressing gaps in the areas of IP
creation, protection and commercialisation, along the verticals of expertise,
regime and marketplace.
Last
year, IPOS announced
a series of initiatives in line with the recommendation of the Committee on
the Future Economy (CFE) report, to strengthen Singapore’s innovation ecosystem
and build capabilities to help enterprises innovate and scale up. While being a
registry and regulator of Singapore’s IP, IPOS is also active being a builder
and facilitator of innovation in recent times, leveraging on its IP expertise
and networks to drive Singapore’s growth in the digital economy.
Land Transport Authority (LTA)
OpenGov
recognised LTA for taking forward Singapore's Smart
Mobility plans. LTA has been supportive in the piloting and testing of autonomous
vehicles (AVs) to provide convenient first-last mile connectivity and will be
particularly useful for the elderly, families with young children and the less
mobile. Last December, Singapore opened its first AV test centre. The new
2-hectare test facility at JID, Singapore’s largest living lab, has been
jointly developed by LTA, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and JTC
Corporation. Designed to replicate Singapore’s roads, the CETRAN AV Test Centre
will allow AVs to be tested under real-world environments. ST Kinetics and NTU
ERI@N have plans to commence their autonomous bus trials at the CETRAN AV Test
Centre this year.
All
these are part of Singapore’s continued Smart Nation efforts to develop Smart
Urban Mobility solutions that leverage data and digital technologies to enhance
the public transport commute.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
OpenGov
recognised NTU for its effort to build a Smart Campus. Earlier this year,
President of NTU Professor Subra Suresh unveiled NTU’s
Smart Campus vision which aims to harness the power of digital technology
and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences,
the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.
Since
then, NTU has established the NTU Institute of Science and Technology for
Humanity (NISTH), a new learning hub called the ARC, and announced other initiatives
like the Smart Pass, trials for Singapore’s first electric bicycle-sharing
service, development of the autonomous electric buses; and trials of an
ultra-fast charging electric shuttle in collaboration with BlueSG Pte Ltd.
SkillsFuture Singapore
OpenGov
recognised SkillsFuture Singapore for development Skills frameworks for Industry
Transformation Maps (ITMs) to nurture talents in Singapore.
The
Skills Framework is an integral component of the ITMs and it is co-created by
Employers, Industry Associations, Unions and Government for the Singapore
workforce. It provides key information on sector and employment, career
pathways, occupations or job roles, as well as existing and emerging skills
required for the occupations or job roles. It also provides a list of training
programmes for skills upgrading and mastery.