

- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Part 1 of a two-part interview (Read part 2 here)
Recently, OpenGov had a fascinating, wide-ranging discussion on Internet access, the digital economy, cybersecurity and cloud computing with Mr. Rajnesh Singh, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau at the Internet Society. Mr. Singh oversees projects, initiatives and activities across the Internet Society's functional and programmatic areas in the Asia and Pacific region, including Public Policy, Capacity Building and Internet Standards and Technology.
The Internet Society was established as a non-profit organisation in 1992 by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, two of the “Fathers of the Internet”. Its initial focus was on the technical arena. The Internet Society is the parent corporation for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the body that makes all the Internet standards.
As the Internet has evolved over the last 25 years, the Internet Society has also evolved as an organisation. Today, the Internet Society engages in a wide spectrum of Internet issues, including policy, governance, technology, and development.
“The first Internet connections for many of the developing countries were done through assistance from the Internet Society. That doesn’t mean we built it all or paid for it. But we provided them training, helped with the early system design etc., so that other people could go and do what needed to be done to build those systems,” Mr. Singh said.
The Internet Society continues to provide that kind of assistance in Asia and Africa, as well as in Latin America, wherever there is a need. That involves developing country engineers on technical issues, training them on current trends are, risk mitigation.
The Internet Society works extensively with governments, engaging with them to ensure that the wider implications are taken into account in their decision-making process
“The Internet connects everyone, everywhere throughout the world. And any time you start locking things down and fragmenting the Internet, there are implications for the versatility and utility of the Internet,” Mr. Singh elaborated.
Recently, the Internet Society initiated a conversation on digital accessibility with the government of Pakistan, while they were developing a national ICT policy. Mr. Singh explained that the challenges for people with special needs arise not because vendors want to put in limitations, but often they are not aware of what they need to do. In fact, from a commercial perspective, people who have those needs might be happy to spend the money to make their lives easier.
A series of workshops was organised around the country. Now, a draft has been released of the ICT policy and there is an entire section for catering to people with disabilities (PWDs).
Since then, the regulator in Pakistan, in partnership with many other organisations including the Internet Society, launched a national level award for developing mobile applications, targeted at PWDs.
The Internet Society conducted a similar workshop in Sri Lanka in the last week of March. Mr. Singh said, “We are hoping that Sri Lanka also takes that path, where they look at digital accessibility.”
Barriers to Internet access in developing countries
To answer our question on the problems with Internet access in general, Mr. Singh started with an example of another recent government intervention done by the Internet Society.
“Last month, we helped establish the first neutral Internet exchange in Papua New Guinea. That was roughly a two-year process, where we were talking with government. Typically, if you have four internet service providers in a country, each connect overseas through their own gateway. Say company A connects to to Hong Kong and company B to the US. If I am on company A’s network, and you are on company B’s, if I send something to you, then it first goes to Hong Kong, then it goes to the US because it has to come back into your network which is connected to the US. So, one there’s latency, it takes a long while to come back.”
“Also, the international capacity links cost money. This is unnecessary data that you are sending off, so that your competitor can download it again. You are paying and he’s paying, as part of his data capacity load he’s buying on the cable. What an Internet exchange point does is, all of those guys connect to a switch within the country and instead of all this going off somewhere and coming back in again, it just routes locally,” he added.
Mr. Singh explained that fundamentally it’s very simple thing to do. One switch, one box with, four cables attached to it and a fifth that connects to the Internet. But it is a rarity is in the developing world. Maybe because of competitive pressures, the service providers don’t look at the bigger picture where they can save on capacity and money and provide better service to customers.
Then there are problems with basic technical capacity and policy capacity; governments, policymakers and regulators not always having the capacity and all available information to make the right decisions to ensure that things move in the right direction. Incumbent operators in the country might exert pressures not to open up the market to more players, leveraging their status as major taxpayers and employers. Mr. Singh said, “Philippines is a classic example. There are only two real players, Globe and PLDT. There was a third operator, which was given spectrum license. They bought out the company. So, it remains a duopoly.”
There is another problem, one of affordability. In a country like India, relatively speaking, data is very cheap. But it is not cheap for someone in the hinterlands of Bihar or Uttar Pradesh. A person there is spending a much larger proportion of his/ her income on the same data plan, which may amount to a negligible cost for a middle-class salaried individual in the urban centres.
There’s another facet to the affordability problem. Some operators to this day go for the big profit margins. In more mature markets like Singapore, telecom operators are changing their business models. They are diversifying their business, going into content and other digital services. But in the developing world, some companies continue to have an old mindset, thinking of themselves as the telephone or cable service provider.
At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that the certain costs for the operators are fixed, such as the costs of laying fibre cables in the ground. The effective cost turns out to be the same across say India and Singapore. But 100 Dollars in Singapore is very different from its equivalent in India.
In some instances, operators might end up making decisions on the technology they use, committing to an apparently promising technology, which turns out to be a market failure. Mr. Singh gave the example of WiMAX. Many operators invested in expensive WiMAX technologies, but today LTE offers much better speeds at a significantly lower price.
“It is a multi-fold problem. But if you go down to the crux of the issue, right now affordability is a major issue, and the capacity of networks. In Singapore, we have Gigabit links to our homes. But some countries don’t have a Gigabit connection to the whole country. So, the experience we have playing online games or using YouTube or Netflix, this same experience is not possible in a large part of the world,” Mr. Singh summarised.
Challenges to development of the digital economy
The digital economy poses a challenge for most countries from a regulatory and policy perspective.
“Everyone has an aspiration to be a Singapore, to be a Korea or a Japan. They want everything digital, everything connected. Everything is ‘e-‘ something. Not realising that some fundamental steps have to be taken to get there. You can have the greatest, biggest, best systems in the world. But if you don’t have reliable power supply, nothing’s going to work. That’s a lot of Asia, large parts of south Asia and some parts of south-east Asia,” Mr. Singh said.
There is also the affordability issue in relation to Internet access that Mr. Singh had talked about earlier. Then there is the reliability of the network issue. Often the network becomes unreliable as soon as you move out of urban centres in developing countries.
“But if I go out to a rural village, I still want to be connected so that I can buy and sell stuff. But if my network connection is not reliable in the rural areas, then my digital economy is not quite working out to be a digital economy!”
Digital payments are essential to a digital economy. India is attempting to move towards a cashless economy. “How many people in India have a credit card or a debit card. You can only do a digital payment, if you have those or an e-wallet of some sort. So, if you don’t have that payment infrastructure in place, you can’t run a digital economy,” Mr. Singh said.
Related to the payments issue, is the issue of how much does it cost to make the payment. Card providers take a percentage of each transaction. In the Pacific Islands, in some instances, 20-25% of the transaction cost can go to transaction fees and charges – particularly for low value transactions.
“My margin is only 10%, you want 25%! I would rather not sell this online. Because I cannot afford to sell it. So, the payment gateways in the developing world are not there, particularly when it comes to micropayments. Larger value transactions maybe you can get by with. But when you want to pay 10 dollars, 20 dollars, small payments for small amounts of goods, it becomes problematic,” said Mr. Singh.
Finally, there’s the policy framework around things like data protection, security and privacy. In order to do a digital transaction data is created, data is transmitted, stored, analysed.
If you are using a third-party provider from a foreign country, that could mean your citizens’ data is sitting outside your borders. Governments have to consider if that is that okay. They have to deal with the jurisdiction, the legal framework for dealing with companies that don’t exist within the country’s own borders.
“The PDPC in Singapore is a great step in that direction. EU put out a similar directive recently. That says that if it is a citizen’s data of this country, then they must have control over it, they must know where it is, they must consent for it to be used or analysed. Most developing countries do not have that sort of framework yet.”
In the absence of a clearly defined data protection framework, unambiguously identifying where liabilities lie, in the event of something going wrong, vendors may not want to come into the market.
In part 2 of the interview, Mr. Singh talks about cybersecurity and cloud computing.


- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
The University of South Australia and the South Australian Institute of Sport (SASI) have joined forces to establish a top-notch sports research and education facility in Mile End, focusing on high-performance sports.
The new cutting-edge complex integrates essential sports and educational resources to aid athletes in reaching peak performance, offer university students hands-on, industry-focused learning, and provide research-based solutions for sports in South Australia. The new SASI will share a location with the National Centre for Sports Aerodynamics, UniSA Sports Science Hub, SA Athletics Stadium, and Netball SA Stadium at Mile End.
The global sports technology market was valued at US$12.17 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19.6% from 2022 to 2030. With the growing demand for data-driven decision-making and operations in sports events, the sports tech industry is expected to experience significant growth due to the increased adoption of data analytics, IoT, and social media integration in various sports.
The demand for technology-based solutions in the sports sector is driven by a focus on enhancing audience engagement and entertainment, and the digitisation of stadiums. The market has seen growth with increased investments by organisations in adopting advanced technologies for monitoring player performance and fan engagement.
The UniSA Sports Science Hub provides UniSA sports science students with real-world learning opportunities, the chance to work with top industry professionals and elite athletes, and a well-rounded education for a successful career.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd states the new facility will offer dynamic, connected learning experiences for students. He stated that the new UniSA Sports Science Hub offers exceptional potential for enhancing research, education, and commercial partnerships with SASI and other sports industry partners located at the same site.
Coaches and health professionals will collaborate to conduct innovative research to better equip athletes for competition. The UniSA Sports Science Hub boasts state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to provide top-notch education, training, and research, benefiting South Australia’s sports industry both now and in the future.
The new UniSA Sports Science Hub, the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, features specialised teaching and research areas such as exercise classrooms, biomechanics labs, exercise testing gear, and an environmental chamber.
The new facility aims to inspire children to participate in sports, allowing them to reap the physical, mental, and social benefits. To motivate the children, South Australia’s athletes representing the state on a global level need access to top-notch facilities, and this project will provide them for the long term. The new SASI-UniSA partnership demonstrates South Australia’s sports industry’s innovative and pioneering spirit.
The Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing emphasised that the new facilities will motivate future generations to participate more in sports and physical activity. She added that some of South Australia’s greatest athletes developed their talent in Adelaide at SASI. When these and other remarkable athletes excel, future generations are motivated, leading to an increase in sports and physical activity participation.
The Minister also said that as sports institutes worldwide adopt advancing technology for a competitive advantage, the cutting-edge SASI facility will maintain South Australia’s leadership in sports performance and research, aid staff and athletes, and enable more young athletes to pursue their athletic aspirations. Works are set to commence in early 2023, with the project expected to be completed by mid-2024.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
The government released Presidential Regulation Number 132 of 2022 About the National Electronic-Based Government System Architecture to close corruption loopholes and improve government services to the people through integrated digital transformation (SPBE).
The National SPBE Architecture is vital for carrying out government business processes correctly and eliminating redundant government business processes to improve public services. The National SPBE design, according to Mahfud, is also projected to decline the repetition of ICT applications and infrastructure and increase information security.
“Integrated digital transformation can ultimately close the gaps in corruption in the service process and the use of state funds. The implementation provides quick, accurate, and transparent monitoring,” said Mahfud MD, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, at a Ministerial Level Coordination Meeting discussing the Acceleration of Implementation of National SPBE at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.
The coordination meeting also reviewed the integration of the SPBE architecture’s development of the Information Technology-Based Integrated Criminal Justice System (SPPT-TI). The consolidation will involve digitalisation and the standardisation of the quality of national digital services.
SPBE’s position as a catalyst in speeding national development necessitates synergy from numerous initiatives stipulated in the National Medium-Term Development Plan for 2O2O-2O24. It would also assist the unification of government services through an interoperable data and information-sharing system in compliance with the One Data Indonesia strategy.
Furthermore, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs stated that cross-sectoral cooperation in the fields of Politics, Economy, Maritime Affairs, and Investment, as well as Human Development and Culture, was needed to ramp up the coordination of the national programme between government agencies.
“Each Coordinating Ministry is responsible for advancing SPBE implementation in the ministries/agencies under its management,” he explained.
On a separate occasion, the Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) convened a working session with members of the National Electronic-Based Government System Coordination Team (SPBE). The session covered a variety of issues, including efforts to accelerate the implementation of a digital government that is clean, effective, visible, and responsible.
E-catalogue is another effort to promote efficiency and minimise corruption which will digitally document government procurement transaction procedures.
Digitisation of government administration is one technique for developing an effective bureaucracy. The state civil apparatus (ASN) must move away from routine and toward a creative culture to improve people’s happiness. To be adopted, however, digitalisation must have genuine repercussions or implications on poverty reduction rates and investment growth.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has made a similar effort to prevent corruption by implementing Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) (IFMIS). The Public Financial Management Committee (PFMC) has authorised an integrated solution for transparent tracking of public money disbursements and appropriations.
BTMS is an important IFMIS component. The system is a web-based, completely automated, and centralised database that will help generate crucial information on all areas of government financial operations and function as an online ledger where transactions are documented in real-time from purchase to payment.
The government believes that the digital transformation initiative and convergence hub can improve government system performance. The system will deliver real-time and consolidated reports, improve company efficiency and system resilience, and prevent corruption.
On the other hand, Thailand’s government intended to produce a law document that will enable anti-corruption organisations, to prohibit illegal online transactions and cybercrime. Furthermore, to improve access to public information, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has accelerated the development of a technological infrastructure system to support people’s use and reduce inequities in obtaining information via computer networks or online.
They also enacted the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2019 to safeguard the personal information (PDPA). The Personal Data Protection Regulation and Cross-Border Data Transfer are defined in the statute designed to protect private data rights. As a result, it is critical to retain citizens’ interest and safety in the internet environment.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Prof. Zhang Li from CUHK’s Mechanical and Automation Engineering Department has created multi-functional small machines using three wetting traits of ferrofluids. These machines not only show improved deformation abilities but also offer various motion modes, expanding possibilities for miniature soft machines in biomedical applications.
The results of the research were published in Nature Communications and highlighted on its “Applied physics and mathematics” Editor’s Highlights site.
Amoeba-inspired soft machines that can change shape dramatically, split and join, have the potential for real-world use. These systems show promise for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, cell transplantation, and medical catheters.
Utilising ferrofluid soft machines
Small magnetic soft machines are commonly made by combining hard magnetic particles with soft matter like hydrogels. However, their limited ability to deform makes it hard for them to move through narrow spaces like small lumens that have openings smaller or equal to the machine’s size. Thus, there is a need to discover new materials for building miniature soft machines with improved capabilities.
Prof. Zhang collaborated with Prof. Carmel Majidi from Carnegie Mellon University to create diverse soft machines using the three wetting properties of ferrofluids and their ability to change shape. These machines can perform multiple functions.
About ferrofluid
Ferrofluid is a liquid composed of tiny ferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic particles suspended in a fluid. In low-wetting states, a magnetic field can control the ferrofluid’s movement and shape, allowing it to perform various actions like stretching, jumping, rotating, tumbling, kayaking, wobbling, splitting, merging, and adapting to complex terrain. Ferrofluid droplets can also be transformed into liquid capsules to transport cargo through narrow passages like bile ducts.
Advantages of constructing small soft machines using various wetting traits of ferrofluids
Ferrofluid droplets in a high-wetting state can serve as arrays of artificial liquid cilia and move rhythmically like microbial cilia under the influence of an external magnetic field. This makes it possible to control the transport of biological fluids, like pumping blood. In a total wetting state, the droplets can form artificial liquid skins and adhere to inanimate surfaces, giving them the ability to control these objects.
The research team will concentrate on controlling substrate-wetting to switch between adsorption and detachment of ferrofluid “skin.” The use of stimulus-responsive fluids in soft machines enhances functionality and adaptability and opens new opportunities for the creation of miniature smart soft robots.
The research is funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), the ITF project backed by the HKSAR Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), the Croucher Foundation Grant, Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, and the CUHK T Stone Robotics Institute.
The authors express gratitude to the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Centre at the Hong Kong Science Park and the SIAT-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Robotics and Intelligent Systems for their support.
The global nanotechnology market was worth US$ 1.76 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to US$ 33.63 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 36.4% from 2021 to 2030. Nanoscience and nanotechnology deal with the study of nanoparticles and devices used across various scientific fields such as chemistry, biomedicine, mechanics, and materials science. The nanotechnology market covers the manufacture and use of physical, chemical, and biological systems and devices, ranging in scale from individual atoms or molecules to 100 nanometers.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has authorised the expansion of online visa applications for Chinese, South Korean, Japanese, and Indian visitors. The act on e-visa renewal aims to attract those countries’ tourism markets.
According to Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, Marcos delivered the command during a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) Tourism Sector members at Malacaan Palace in Manila.
During the discussion at Malacaan Palace, PSAC asked Marcos to include Indian nationals in the visa-on-arrival programme and the e-visa request. The suggestion was made to help the government achieve its economic goals, particularly in the country’s critical sectors. As a result, only Taiwanese, Chinese, Indian, South Korean, and Japanese citizens are eligible for VoA and e-visa.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy indicated that several connectivity issues with the other jurisdictions that will use the Philippine e-visa platform must be worked out.
“It will take at least a semester to establish the capability because there is so much anti-fraud element that has to be merged with the platform and the many countries that will be connected with the infrastructure and the transactions,” Garafil added, referring to Uy’s comments.
Enrique Manalo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (DFA), who was present at the conference, revealed that his office is already engaging with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to provide the necessary preparations for the e-visa.
Meanwhile, Manalo added that the DFA has a programme for some Chinese nationals who qualify for visa-on-arrival. Other foreign nationals, such as Americans, Japanese, Australians, Canadians, and Europeans, may be granted a 14-day visa upon arrival, according to Garafil.
According to figures from the Presidential Communications Office, the Philippines hosted around 2.65 million visitors from February to December 2022, including 2.02 million foreign tourists and 628,445 Filipinos living abroad (PCO).
According to Garafil, the latest figure is higher than the 163,879 visitor arrivals projected for 2021 but fewer than the 8.26 million pre-pandemic average. The Department of Tourism (DOT) anticipates 4.8 million visitor arrivals in 2023, generating PHP2.58 trillion in income.
Marcos urged that the DICT embrace India’s offer to use its visa application system. The PSAC also issued “short-term” strategic recommendations, such as improving airport infrastructure and operations, promoting tourism investments, and administering the national brand or image.
She also noted that the PSAC had proposed a Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund Programme for international tourists by 2024, as well as the elimination of the One Health Pass (OHP) or the obligation of only one form for health, immigration, and customs. The group also advocated for the “automatic” inclusion of travel tax in all airline tickets and the removal of outmoded airport advisories and loudspeaker announcements.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) began an online visa waiver project in December to improve legal services for tourists. The programme is aimed at short-term visitors to the country. They can extend their stay for another 30 days by submitting an online application.
In January, the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) plans to modernise and automate immigration-related transactions at their international airports. To improve passenger service, the bureau seeks to modernise and automate all immigration-related processes, including tourist visa extensions, online visa waiver applications, and e-payments.
Previously, the agency implemented electronic transactions and payments for immigration applications, the eTravel system and a collaborative effort of multiple border management organisations. The BI director emphasised the importance of his administration’s priorities.
The urgencies include anti-corruption, digital transformation, national security, rightsizing, and employee empowerment. He also sees a need to expand immigration’s role in national security, follow the president’s lead in increasing the bureau’s personnel complement, and promote employee welfare.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
U.S. Air Force has incorporated the KingFish Agile Combat Employment game as the capstone exercise for Air Mobility Command’s Rapid Global Mobility Course 3 (RGMC 3). The 423rd Training Squadron of the United States Air Force Expeditionary Operations School at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst incorporated KingFish ACE within the RGMC 3.
The game allows students to understand ACE and Multi-Capable Airmen’s ideas better and more tangibly so that they can picture, learn from, and comprehend. The first training to use the KingFish ACE game instructed 32 students from 19 different Air Force speciality codes across nine geographic areas, including two wing command chiefs.
“Having Airmen from various Air Force speciality codes work together in teams pushes them to think broadly and outside the confines of their normal military career,” said Tech. Sgt. Emesh Fernando, 423rd TRS instructor. “An emphasis is placed on ACE ideas while reinforcing the four tenets of RGM: airlift, aerial refuelling, air mobility support, and aeromedical evacuation.”
Students receive courses on quick global mobility from AMC’s subject matter specialists over five days. They interact with instructors to understand how the fundamental competencies of rapid global mobility connect to allow AMC and the Joint Force to manoeuvre. The skills learned are then applied to scenario-based educational challenges.
Throughout the coursework, the Airmen learn mission design and delivery elements. They prepared mission briefs, load planning concepts, addressing specific capabilities, host-nation limiting factors, working together as a team, and organising team dependencies while maintaining flexibility to act on often incomplete information.
“Our instructors and curriculum are focused solely on developing and utilising strong, war-ready Airmen and airbase weapons systems that will conquer in any fight,” expressed Lt. Col. Robert Switzer, commander of the 423rd TRS.
As a prerequisite for acceptance into RGMC 3, each student must finish the RGMC 1 and RGMC 2 courseware. All Air Force members can enrol in RGMC 1 and RGMC 2. Trainees can access these courses’ details in the myLEARNING AMC. Personnel who wish to attend RGMC 3 are nominated for enrolment by their wings.
Col. Troy Pierce created the game to highlight a model scenario within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of operations and employs the ACE paradigm, which prioritises deployment to remote regions with nimble teams that leave small footprints. To be effective, each group must comprehend the linkages between task, threat, capabilities, and timing of a pacing challenge enemy.
“The true advantage of this capstone is its capacity to have Airmen think from an MCA perspective on future missions concerning the pace issue highlighted in the newest National Defence Strategy,” Fernando added. “We are not just playing a game or connecting themes mentioned. We are focusing on generating discussions and motivating a change in how we have thought about operations overseas. We must better train Airmen for the next battle and prepare our students to think about future operations, particularly in the INDOPACOM theatre.”
The United States Army has embraced gaming by deploying a small tactical e-sport unit. Apex, Rocket League, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Halo are the five titles that the U.S. Army Esports Team concentrates on. Typically, the Army’s esports team has over a hundred members. This group is known as the at-large team. Most of the pro gamers train and compete on their own time at their home station. They also compete regularly to determine who will be placed on contending teams. Apex and Rocket League are the only two titles with local players.
The esports squad might engage with a wide variety of people, some of whom may have yet to consider joining the Army since they aim to become esports athletes. It demonstrates that the Army will assist in achieving people’s ambitions.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s overall R&D expenditure in 2022 was nearly 3.09 trillion yuan (approximately US$ 456 billion), an increase of 10.4% year on year (NBS). After accounting for price variables, China’s R&D investment in 2022 increased by 8% yearly.
Last year, China’s total R&D spending amounted to 2.55% of its GDP, an increase of 0.12 percentage points from the previous year. Investment in fundamental research was 195.1 billion yuan last year, increasing 7.4% yearly, accounting for 6.32% of total R&D spending.
China’s intense research and development efforts have ranked first in total accepted patents related to big data, accounting for more than half of all globally in 2021. China’s investment in big data research has surged. According to the white paper, China accounted for 31% of all published big data studies worldwide.
CAICT revealed that the overall level of China’s big-data technology industry has significantly improved, innovation capacity is expanding, and market projection is primarily accepted. The number of big-data market participants in China will hit 180,000 in 2021, with investment in big-data-related enterprises reaching a new high of 80 billion yuan (US$ 11.6 billion).
China’s investment in important data centres is expected to expand by more than 20% every year as a step toward realising its big data goals (2021-25). According to the country’s top economic regulator, total investment in related businesses will likely exceed 3 trillion yuan (US$ 471 billion).
Furthermore, according to new industry research, China’s considerable investment in industrial robotics has increased the country’s global rankings in robot density, showing a better increase in the country’s industrial automation level. In 2021, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Germany, and China will be the world’s top five most automated manufacturing nations.
According to the report, China has the world’s fastest-growing robot market, with the most yearly installations, and it has had the most extensive operating stock of robots every year since 2016. Last year, China’s manufacturing industry had 322 working industrial robots per 10,000 people, placing fifth internationally.
The robotics sector has grown tremendously recently as one of China’s strategic developing sectors. According to National Bureau of Statistics data, China’s industrial robot output reached a record 366,000 units in 2021, up 68% year on year.
Hong Kong also makes significant investments in research and development. The Census and Statistics Department has published the Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics 2021 report. According to the report, Hong Kong’s gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in 2021 will be HK$27,827 million (US$3,549.58 million).
This statistic reflects a 5% increase over the exact figure in 2020. Furthermore, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current market prices climbed by 7% during the same period. In 2021, the GERD as a percentage of GDP was 0.97%.
According to a spokesman, the HKSAR government’s primary priority has always been innovation and technology (I&T). Over the years, the government has committed enormous resources to infrastructure development, research and development, talent development, industry support, and other initiatives to improve Hong Kong’s I&T environment. Despite the challenges of 2021, the spokeswoman noted that it is encouraging to see that GERD has increased by 5%.
Hong Kong also established the Research Impact Fund to encourage academics to use their research capabilities to benefit the greater community, stimulating impactful and translational research projects. It also fosters collaboration between the university and government agencies and the private sector, industry, and research organisations. The RIF awards up to HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) for each project over three to five years. The RIF awarded a total grant value of HK$27.55 million (US$3.51 million) for 13 projects in the 2022/23 exercise.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Flattr
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is helping small to medium-sized businesses in the mining and mining equipment, technology and services sectors by offering a free online course that provides expertise and support for research and development.
Innovate to Grow is a 10-week online programme offered by CSIRO that is designed to help eligible small to medium-sized businesses in the mining and mining equipment, technology and services sectors that are in the early stages of engaging in R&D or pursuing a new idea. It will be guided by experienced researchers and innovation experts who will help participants to examine their technical or business challenges, explore R&D opportunities, and develop actionable business and funding plans.
Upon completion of the Innovate to Grow programme, participants may be able to access facilitation support through CSIRO to connect with research expertise nationally and may also be eligible for dollar-matched R&D funding.
The SME Collaboration Manager for CSIRO stated that the programme is designed to assist small-medium businesses in understanding the process of engaging in R&D by providing them with information on how to access funding, mentoring and a highly connected network through research organizations and industry peers.
The Innovate to Grow programme targets Australian companies with less than 200 employees, and currently is offered at no cost to participants. In this way, it is hoped that some of the barriers that smaller enterprises face when they have an idea they would like to pursue can be removed.
Upon completion of the Innovate to Grow programme, participants will have received assistance in defining their goals, developing a business case for R&D with the help of a university or CSIRO, and preparing a funding proposal.
Participants will also benefit from the expansion of their professional networks through connection with their peers in the cohort, sector-specific mentors, and CSIRO which has the world’s largest mineral resources R&D capability.
One company that manages the Australian Premium Iron Joint Venture participated in the Innovate to Grow program in 2021. The Principal Scientist at the firm stated that the company participated in the Innovate to Grow program as a way to refresh their knowledge about engaging with research organisations, identifying available funding options and preparing for partnerships with organisations like CSIRO or universities.
The mining industry faces many challenges, and it requires multiple elements to come together to achieve success. CSIRO plays a vital role in supporting research and development goals for the industry, he said.
The global smart mining market is projected to grow from roughly US$9.3 billion in 2019 to about US$23.5 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 16.3% during the forecast period 2020-2027.
Smart mining is a process that uses advanced technology, information and autonomy to improve safety, reduce operational costs, and increase productivity for mine sites. Companies in the mining industry are focusing on increasing productivity by implementing advanced software and solutions. It also includes the use of remote-controlled robotic equipment for mineral and metal extraction known as telerobotic mining, which reduces the risks for miners.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the global smart mining market, primarily due to the disruption of international trade, prolonged lockdowns and restrictions in construction, mining, and maintenance activities worldwide.