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The impact of the disruption that COVID-has 19 brought on individual lives and communities is staggering. However, the crisis has also accelerated a move to the digital across the public sectors in an unprecedented way and has provided an opportunity for governments to transition services online. As citizens’ demand for services escalates, governments must rethink how to best serve citizens through proactive, transparent communication and citizen-centric digital offerings with always-on service.
Even as Singapore slowly starts to pivot from COVID-19 crisis management to recovery and reopening of the economy, international travel is unlikely to resume normally anytime soon. Simultaneously, consumer needs and behaviour have significantly changed during the period of contagion, self-isolation and economic uncertainty. Similarly, in their journey, governments have realised improving the citizen experiences online is the key to better critical outcomes such as increased trust, achievement of stated missions, meet or exceed budgetary goals, reduce risk, and boost employee morale.
Citizens’ preferences and behaviour are likely to keep changing consistently. Therefore, services need to be agile to accommodate their changing needs. Agencies must offer citizens far more accessible services in the most remote locations across multiple smart devices, 24×7 in the safety of their homes.
Faced with rapid and constant change, governments must inevitably undergo digital transformation to maximise citizen experiences by quickly and intuitively responding to the current trends, including streamlining content management, personalisation and relevancy, as well as mobile and real-time interactions.
Digital transformation efforts can no only just deliver long-term savings and huge gains but must also deliver better citizen and workforce experiences. Enhancing citizen experiences through technology will help citizens settle in the post-pandemic era efficiently, returning a semblance of normalcy and rebooting the economy quickly.
This was the focal point of the OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insight held on 23 June 2021 – a closed-door, invitation-only, interactive session with Singapore’s top government agencies. Sponsored by Sitecore and Microsoft, the session aimed to provide the latest information on delivering an effective and efficient citizen experience.
OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insights are concise, to the point, strategic level discussions designed to bring learning to the highest level! The unique proposition of this OpenGov Breakfast Insight is the integration of cutting-edge insights from expert speakers and interactive discussion among the participants.
Finding Partners to Enhance Citizen Experience


To kickstart the session, Mohit Sagar, Group Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief at OpenGov Asia delivered the opening address.
While the adoption of different technologies significantly increased during the pandemic, the solutions cannot be termed digital transformation as organisations, for the most part, deployed band-aid technologies and ad-hoc platforms to stay afloat.
Customers now have a wide variety of options in the private sector. A benchmark of personalised customer experience has been set by banks and retail outlets that utilise a plethora of cutting edge solutions. As a result, people have become even more demanding about what they want and have expectations of how it should be provided.
For citizen services, the government is the only option for the community. So as people and businesses start to embrace technology at an unprecedented level, governments, too, need to level up their efforts to meet citizens’ high expectations of personalised and convenient digital services.
Mohit emphasised the importance of partnership in creating the best citizen experience. Finding the right partners is paramount in improving digital offerings in the new norm. Having competent partners is keys to drive positive, effective and sustainable change – both in the short and the long term.
Governments must be willing to learn from experts in the private sector. Organisations like Sitecore and Microsoft have a solid track record of creating engaging and personalised customer and citizens experience. They have the capability to guide public sector agencies in their digital transformation journies. Having the right partners who can focus on the design, implementation and management of the transformation strategy, allows agencies to focus on their main tasks and key deliverables.
Transforming Citizen Experience


The delegates next heard from Megan Engard, Digital Strategist, Business Value and Strategy Team at Sitecore who discussed how to create meaningful connections with citizens by amplifying the impact of digital experiences.
The adoption of digital business models was driven by the need to switch to digital-only engagement – not only to survive in the new normal but also to thrive. commercial enterprises allowed customers to see options, make their choices, pay and have the products delivered all from the comfort of their homes. In a word: ease-of-business. Post transformation research found that improving and investing in customer experience increased revenue by 19%.
Similarly, Megan feels, that transformation of the citizen experience is a radical transformation of the quality and nature of interactions that people have with their government.
Citizens are comfortable in making decisions based on digital-only engagement as offline engagements are increasingly no longer an option. But they expect the same level of experience from government agencies as they expect from companies. This trend forces agencies to be more experience-centric in their digital offerings.
Empowered customers want better customer experiences within their limited time. They demand content-rich and convenient options that allow for informed decision making, anytime, anywhere and across devices.
However, too many tools and services can cause digital fatigue. Digital executives should put in extra effort to create menus and solutions that are simple, intuitive and clear. Additionally, it is essential that agencies collaborate with one another so citizens don’t get lost in a maze of departments and siloed bureaucracy. The result of focusing on citizen needs is experience-effectiveness and experience-efficiency.
While the expectations from citizens are the same for public or private sectors, the journey for governments is far different than the of businesses. There are three fundamental considerations in enhancing the citizen experience:
- Data governance: Collect experience data in the context of interactions, enable the ability to track user behaviour and integrate with third-party data systems and protect data with security.
- Personalise the citizen experience: Personalise customer experience-based campaigns, personas, profiles, interactions, behaviour and more to provide personalised content.
- Campaign and marketing automation: Drag and drop forms and marketing automation streamline time to market and engage citizens.
Megan emphasised the importance of citizen experience, engagement and access for government agencies. Focusing on the citizen and making their experience easy, efficient and effective will hugely impact agencies ability to deliver on their mandate.
International Case Study
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) consistently strives to give a voice to those who are not listened to. Integral to their digital vision is to make sure that everyone who wants to voice an opinion or ask a question is heard. Every student should be known and the university should be able to engage with them in a tailored experience.
From a brand perspective, ACU has several challenges to overcome in its goal to provide a personalised digital experience for students. For Luke, personalisation is a pragmatic essential. Tailoring courses and their content to prospective students is critical for a positive experience and ideal educational outcomes.
Prior to the pandemic, ACU had rolled out a digital strategy on Sitecore. Their goal was to integrate user experience research and design process to understand what their customers – students – needed.
They consolidated 15,000 pages into 1,500 pages of rewritten content and then re-platformed onto Sitecore 9 (eventually upgrading to Sitecore 10), a new setup on Azure infrastructure.
During their implementation of digital strategy, ACU has focused on:
- Implementing analytics
- Establishing audience profiles
- Tagging all content
- Implementing conversion goals
- Integrating Dynamics 365 CRM
- Adding Sitecore tracking to other systems
The results of this strategy – a combination of personalised approach improved user experience, more relevant content and stronger calls to action – were a 99% increase in lead generation and a 14% growth in commenced applications. Student engagement experienced a 207% growth to ACU focused areas of the site and visits to research content were up by 198%. There is significantly less ‘administrative’ traffic and more ‘prospective student’ traffic.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACU could not run physical Open Days – a vital part of their student recruitment activity. They used their well-established customer experience process and in-house team to co-designed a Virtual Open Day with students and staff.
Luke acknowledged that the results of the digital strategy were excellent – not only because of the tech but also their focus. In closing, Luke strongly encouraged delegates to make customers – citizens or students – a priority.
Interactive Discussion
After the informative presentations, delegates participated in interactive discussions facilitated by polling questions. This activity is designed to provide live-audience interaction, promote engagement, hear real-life experiences and impart professional learning and development for participants.
The first question asked whether the pandemic created the need to change or redefine the citizen experience provided by agencies. All the delegates agreed that their agencies had to make adjustments to their citizen experience. Megan concurred with the participants and cited the increased demand for QR code in many agencies as an example of the change in citizen experience.
The next query was on the key priority in delegates’ agency in creating a more citizen-centric customer journey in the recovery phase. Almost half (44%) prioritised delivering a connected omnichannel experience. A little over a third (38%) chose creating a more personalised experience as their main priority. A little less than a fifth (18%) focused on the ease of experience driven by mobile-first experiences.
When asked about which aspect is a critical outcome their agency would most like to achieve by enhancing the citizen customer journey, more than half (56%) focused on achieving an agency’s stated missions with increased citizens’ confidence. A quarter (25%) chose boosting their agency’s employee morale and long-term organisational success with an enhanced citizen experience. A little less than a fifth (19%) agreed that increasing citizen’s trust is the most critical outcome.
On the issue of the biggest internal challenge that an agency faces in trying to achieve an enhanced citizen experience, almost half (46%) agreed that lack of the skill sets is their main challenge. For The remaining delegates were equally divided between the inability of existing digital solutions to support their agency’s needs (23%) and data and security concerns (23%) as their primary challenge. Only 8% chose a lack of the budget to leverage digital solutions as their biggest challenge.
Asked if their agency had moved to the Government Commercial Cloud (GCC), 50% said yes. All the others were evenly split between planning to migrate immediately (14%), planning to migrate sometime soon (14%) and are not sure when to migrate (14%). The remaining 8% indicated that their agency did not have any plans for cloud migration.
The last question inquired about the biggest challenge in the move towards GCC. A third (33%) voted that their main hurdle was a lack of knowledge on the solution providers and options that would best match the agency’s needs. An equal number of delegates cited security concerns (25%) and government concerns (25%) as their biggest issue. Less than a fifth (17%) chose lack of skills set to migrate as their biggest obstacle.
Conclusion
The Virtual Breakfast Insight ended with the remarks from Megan. In closing, Megan emphasised the five key transformational trends in government – personalising the citizen experience, AI-augmented government, cloud as an innovative driver, data governance and streamlining content production.
Agencies must invest in key capabilities to improve digital maturity in four key areas: a holistic view of the citizen, data-driven, integrated omnichannel interactions, content creation
and approval efficiency and velocity, and increased capacity with cost efficiencies. These four capabilities are driven by investment in robust experience data, scale through intelligence, strong content and personalisation solution and omnichannel experience delivery.
Before bringing the session to an end, Megan thanked everyone for their active participation and the key insights shared. She encouraged the delegates to exchange ideas and gain more information about citizen experience.


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At the third edition of ‘My Digital Bootcamp,’ 1,500 students from low-income families in the Central Singapore District will learn new digital skills. The districtwide programme will help to level the playing field for children from low-income families who may not have access to extracurricular activities.
This is part of the Central Singapore Community Development Council’s (CDC) SkillsFuture Junior programme, which seeks to support its young residents with digital and soft skills to prepare them for a better future.
Students will go through four modular skills-based workshops at each two-day Bootcamp held from March to December 2023 to learn advanced digital-making skills in a fun and engaging manner such as programming, robotics, mobile app development, and game design.
A time traveller visiting ancient civilisations or an Earth hero resolving a climate crisis are the two new immersive narratives that participants can select from. They will also be exposed to complementary soft skills such as logical reasoning, pattern recognition, algorithm design, relationship management, and communication skills, among others, during the Bootcamp.
‘My Digital Bootcamp’ will provide structured learning support to the young participants in order to encourage learning beyond the workshops. Each child will receive a special home-based learning (HBL) digital-making kit, which includes a micro: bit pocket-sized computer, a KittenBot expansion board, an ultrasonic sensor, and other resource materials, as well as a learning management system, to allow them to continue learning and practising what they have learned at the Bootcamp.
At the end of this season, a brand-new Hackathon component will be held in which young learners will be empowered to solve real-life scenario-based challenges in friendly competitions that will underpin holistic learning. There will be 300 people at the Hackathon. Some will be students from the Bootcamps, and some will be new students.
Participants in the two-day Hackathon challenge will participate in digital-making skill workshops or refreshers, preparatory workshops, competitions, and presentations. They will investigate skillsets and develop competencies in soft skills other than those taught in the Bootcamp, such as idea pitching, design thinking, and ideation, which will help them build a strong foundation for the future economy.
The long-standing partnership between Central Singapore CDC and a multinational banking corporation made ‘My Digital Bootcamp’ possible. Since its inception in September 2019, the programme has benefited over 2,000 children from 34 schools and community organisations in Central Singapore. Over 30 employee volunteers also befriended the students, distributed participation kits and meals, and assisted in guiding the students’ learning.
In addition, the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) Digital for Life (DfL) Movement has been named Champion Project at the prestigious World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Prize Ceremony 2023, which is organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the auspices of the United Nations (UN).
The DfL movement was named a WSIS Prizes 2023 Champion in the category “the role of governments and all stakeholders in promoting ICTs for development.” This award came after WSIS received nominations for 900 projects from around the world in 18 categories, reviewed them with experts, and received over 1.5 million online votes.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes recognise projects that use information and communication technologies (ICT) to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
To date, the DfL movement has more than 130 partners and 140 projects, benefiting over 270,000 Singaporeans from various segments such as youths, seniors, low-income families, women, and people with disabilities.
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The Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat is where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. This was Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo’s sixth Leaders’ Retreat, and it was the first one to be held in Singapore since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both Leaders said again that Singapore and Indonesia are getting along very well. They both agreed that the relationship between the two countries had grown a lot during President Joko Widodo’s two terms in office. This gave them a solid foundation to work together in new ways that are deep, multifaceted, forward-looking, and good for both countries.
The Leaders were happy that all three agreements under the Expanded Framework had been ratified. These were the Agreement on the Realignment of the Boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Singapore FIR, the Treaty for the Extradition of Fugitives, and the Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The Leaders anticipated the next step of obtaining approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation for the new arrangements under the FIR Agreement so that both countries could implement all three agreements at a mutually agreed upon date. The resolution of these long-standing issues demonstrates the maturity and strength of bilateral relations.
In addition, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed by the two leaders to strengthen cooperation in various sectors. Renewable energy cooperation, sustainable urban and housing development, health cooperation, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building, and security and finance collaboration are among the MoUs.
These agreements are intended to improve knowledge-sharing and training, supplement existing expertise, and strengthen interpersonal ties between the two countries. The Leaders recognised the importance of continuing collaboration in traditional sectors like security and finance to build trust in their security and economic partnerships.
President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Lee reaffirmed that bilateral relations are on a solid footing and agreed to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest that are sustainable and forward-looking. To this end, the Leaders’ Summit witnessed the signing of six MOUs in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, sustainability, and human capital development, as well as in traditional areas such as security.
The Leaders noted the growth of the digital economy in Singapore and Indonesia because of cooperative projects such as Nongsa Digital Park in Batam. The Leaders applauded the MOU between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs on the Tech:X Programme, which allows young tech professionals from both countries to pursue employment opportunities in the other country’s market. This will strengthen connections between the tech ecosystems of Singapore and Indonesia, allowing tech talent to pursue opportunities in the rapidly expanding digital economy.
Leaders concurred that bilateral cooperation should remain multifaceted and comprehensive. Recently, Singaporean and Indonesian businesses signed nine MOUs in the digital economy sector, including health technology and education technology. These are believed to strengthen commercial ties and augment bilateral cooperation in emerging sectors.
Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo also discussed Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship priorities. The two leaders discussed the situation in Myanmar and the path to membership for Timor-Leste.
The Prime Minister has reaffirmed Singapore’s total backing for Indonesia’s ASEAN Presidency. He thanked President Joko Widodo for his contributions to the bilateral relationship, and both Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the bilateral partnership.
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A prominent company in the medical imaging industry launched its new production facility in Hong Kong, situated at the MARS Centre within Tai Po INNOPARK. This marks the first time a significant medical equipment production facility has been established in Hong Kong, and it is now the largest MRI production base in Southeast Asia and the Greater Bay Area. The facility’s primary focus is on research and development, as well as the production of highly valuable neonatal and breast screening superconductor MRI systems.
The new facility occupies an area of 30,000 square feet at the MARS Centre, boasting advanced technologies, seamless logistics support, and a highly integrated manufacturing environment. In 2021, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) repositioned the three industrial estates located in Tai Po, Yuen Long, and Tseung Kwan O as INNOPARKS, aiming to drive innovation, technology opportunities, and long-term economic development in Hong Kong through Innofacturing.
This new production facility is expected to significantly enhance the productivity of the company’s cutting-edge neonatal and breast screening MRI systems and aligns with Hong Kong’s Innovation & Technology Development Blueprint’s mission for New Industrialisation and high-value manufacturing.
During the opening ceremony of the new production facility, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry said that Hong Kong possesses distinct life sciences advantages and robust scientific research capabilities. The recent budget release by the Financial Secretary highlights the city’s strength in research and development while fully supporting the establishment of the second Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) operated by HKSTP.
The government is actively promoting the interactive development of upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors to establish a robust foundation for New Industrialisation in Hong Kong. Time Medical’s one-stop shop, which includes R&D, design, production, and sales of high-value medical equipment in Hong Kong, provides significant support to the city’s industrial development.
The company’s Founder and CEO expressed gratitude towards the Innovation, Technology, and Industry Bureau, as well as the HKSTP for their unwavering support. He stated that the opening ceremony marks the company’s significant growth in Hong Kong. The first batch of pediatric MRI systems manufactured in Hong Kong will be used in leading hospitals across the globe. These innovative pediatric products will soon emerge as a premium ‘Hong Kong Brands’ and will be exported to various regions, including Asia, Europe, and the US, he predicted.
The Chairman of HKSTP expressed that the organisation has been actively promoting the “R&D to Innofacturing” concept to cultivate a new generation of high-end manufacturing in Hong Kong. This approach is expected to boost the Hong Kong brand and create more employment opportunities for young people.
He added that he anticipates more innovative I&T companies will make significant contributions in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond, showcasing their R&D achievements and unleashing numerous possibilities for Hong Kong Innofacturing.
The new production facility in Hong Kong will be used to manufacture the dedicated superconductor MRI system, Neona, designed to serve neonates optimally. The neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is a patented product of the company, using original revolutionary technology. It has officially obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has also been honoured with the Geneva International Invention Award. Neona is lightweight, compact in size, safe, and reliable, making it suitable for adoption by around 8,000 different neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide. It offers dedicated and radiation-free diagnoses for infants.
Developed by the company’s engineering team based at Hong Kong Science Park, Neona is the first high-end medical device “Innovated, Designed, and Made in Hong Kong.” It is slated to be exported to the US, Europe, and mainland China, bolstering the Hong Kong brand in the global medical market.
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Stuart Nash, New Zealand’s Minister for Economic Development, has unveiled an initiative to expand and modernise the country’s high-tech manufacturing industry rapidly. One of eight Industry Transformation Plans (ITPs) designed to boost productivity and performance in vital economic sectors is the Advanced Manufacturing ITP.
The plans lay out the steps that may be taken to increase innovation and productivity across the country, which in turn will lead to higher incomes and living standards without causing inflation. Every one of New Zealand benefits from the Plan, not only the areas that have been hit particularly hard by recent natural disasters.
About 10% of New Zealand GDP, 10% of the country’s employment, and 73.5% of its exports are all tied to the advanced manufacturing sector. Around half of these positions are outside of New Zealand’s major cities.
There is a lot of unrealised potential in the advanced manufacturing industry that might boost productivity, create high-paying employment, and aid in the shift towards a more environmentally friendly and competitive economy. “This plan lays out the steps necessary to get there,” Stuart Nash explained at the Plan’s launch in Auckland.
There is also widespread agreement that immediate action is needed to boost capital investment in innovative manufacturing and to train and recruit a diversified pool of workers capable of producing high-quality goods for high wages.
To get started on some of the Plan’s urgent recommendations, the government has allocated $30 million (about US$18.61 million). Included in this is $2.9 million (US$1,8 million) for company-specific support to achieve circular low-emissions manufacturing, $4 million (US$2.48 million) to upskill manufacturing workers in digital skills, and $3.65 million (US$2,26 million) for advice on adopting advanced technologies and processes.
Co-Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing ITP Steering Committee and CEO of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Brett O’Riley, emphasised the need for a solid collaboration approach to the strategy.
He claims that with continued cooperation, New Zealand companies can develop innovative manufacturing capabilities on par with international leaders, increasing output and boosting earnings. Rachel Mackintosh, Vice President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, Assistant National Secretary of E T, and Co-Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing ITP Steering Committee, agreed.
According to her, the ITP will pave the way for more individuals to pursue careers in advanced manufacturing. New Zealand has the potential to tap into the innovative potential of its varied manufacturing workforce to create a prosperous and long-lasting manufacturing sector.
The manufacturing industry has recently seen a rise in the prevalence of “advance manufacture” initiatives. For example, at Batu Kawan, Penang, Malaysia, an EMS provider has declared intentions to build a Smart “Lights-Out” Factory 4.0. The plant will manufacture new 5G Advanced High-Speed Optical Signal Transmitter and Receiver Optical Modules. The plant will use photonics and semiconductor technologies via a technology transfer with its US-based client.
As part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have developed a unique approach to employing machine learning to detect defects in metal components produced by additive manufacturing. Due to its potential for early flaw identification and defect prediction in 3D printed materials, the innovative technology has the potential to impact the additive manufacturing sector significantly.
Users can save time during inspection since the new technology can inform where pore flaws might be within the part, even if the building process isn’t halted. The team hopes to look at more sensors that can detect additive manufacturing mistakes in the future. Therefore, they need to build a system that can immediately identify and address production issues, educate end users on the nature of the problem and provide guidance on how to repair it.
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The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is launching numerous new collaborations to address urban challenges by leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate data-driven decision-making and solutions. Geospatial technology is location-based technology that is widely used in areas such as mapping and road navigation and is a key enabler in supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation and sustainability initiatives.
Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Ministry of Transport, announced the new collaborations at the recently concluded Geo Connect Asia 2023. The Senior Minister was also present at the signing ceremonies for two SLA collaborations: the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) and the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
SLA has also begun its first bilateral collaboration with the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of its efforts to foster international knowledge exchange and contribute their experiences in the use of geospatial data and technology.
The collaboration stems from both countries’ rapid urbanisation, which has resulted in an increased need to use geospatial data and technology in decision-making, as global cities face similar challenges that could benefit from shared solutions. The collaboration with GEOSA, which will last three years, will involve the exchange of knowledge and experiences on:
- The development and management of national geospatial databases;
- The use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, and machine learning in the development of digital twins;
- Digital transformation in the geospatial industry; and
- Development of geospatial products and services that will benefit citizens.
Also, the SLA will work with the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) to make it easier for heavy vehicles to get where they need to go. Companies that use these kinds of vehicles and their drivers will be able to plan their trips better and save time if they have more information. This means that the companies will save money because they will use less fuel and put out less carbon.
SLA has also been working with SG Enable and Gardens by the Bay to map routes that are easy for people in wheelchairs to use. This collaboration is part of SLA’s support for the Enabling Masterplan 2030, which describes Singapore’s goal of becoming a society that welcomes everyone by 2030.
In this project, information about barrier-free routes is collected and mapped in Bukit Merah and Gardens by the Bay. These routes have things like covered linkways for wheelchairs, ramps, footpaths, pedestrian crossings, and overhead bridges with lifts.
SLA has made a pilot testing app with barrier-free access routes for these two areas so that wheelchair users can give feedback and give ideas for making things better. In the next six months, improvements will be made to more testing areas in terms of data accuracy and ease of use. In the future, the barrier-free access routing function will be added to OneMap as an extra way to find your way, along with the public transportation, cycling, and driving modes that are already there.
SLA has been working with partners to get students excited about geospatial technologies and make them aware of how they can be used to solve everyday problems in the community.
Other projects like this include the annual Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Innovation Challenge, which is put on with the help of the Space Faculty, the annual Regional Geospatial Youth Forum, and the Young Geospatial Scientist workshop, which is put on with the help of the Singapore Science Centre.
Later this year, the government will announce new ways to help students learn. Through these projects, SLA wants geospatial data and capabilities to be used by everyone.
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The HKSAR Government is dedicated to accomplishing carbon neutrality by 2050 through its proposed progressive and tailored decarbonisation tactics outlined in the “Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050”. To achieve this objective, the government is working to encourage active community involvement, with a pivotal emphasis on corporate engagement.
The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), in conjunction with the City University of Hong Kong’s School of Energy and Environment, conducted a survey to assess corporate awareness of carbon neutrality, current carbon reduction efforts, and challenges faced by the commercial and building-related sectors. The survey included both large corporations/organisations and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The findings indicate that while the majority of the corporations/organisations support the government’s decarbonisation policies, they lack professional knowledge of carbon neutrality, with less than 20% having established specific decarbonisation objectives. Furthermore, the high financial costs of low-carbon transformation and a lack of demand have made decarbonisation efforts challenging.
Conducted from October to December 2022, the survey received 122 responses, with 49% originating from large corporations/organisations and 51% from SMEs. Findings reveal that 72% of respondents lacked awareness of carbon neutrality and the “Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2050” and Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Additionally, 66% had not conducted carbon audits or regularly evaluated greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, 81% had yet to establish carbon neutrality targets, and among the remaining 19%, less than half referenced international standards (43%) or addressed greenhouse gas emissions within their supply chains (48%). The data highlights an urgent need for corporations/organisations to enhance their professional knowledge and establish effective carbon reduction targets and plans.
The survey also examined factors affecting corporations/organisations in establishing carbon neutrality targets and implementing carbon reduction initiatives. The findings indicate that 90% of respondents consider enhancing brand image, reputation, and competitiveness as the main reasons for setting targets, followed by regulatory requirements (48%) and meeting customer demands (44%).
The remaining corporations/organisations that have yet to set targets cited a lack of external support (76%), relevance to business operations (73%), and insufficient awareness or knowledge (71%) as impediments. While 88% would implement carbon neutrality-related measures due to encouragement from business partners, roughly 45% consider a lack of resources or governance structures a hindrance.
The survey identified the top three challenges hindering carbon reduction efforts, with over 60% indicating “higher financial capital requirements,” “lack of price incentives to change current operating models,” and “lack of consumer and customer demand” as major obstacles towards achieving carbon neutrality.
Moreover, the survey provided insights into the requirements of corporations/organisations in attaining carbon neutrality, which can be classified into two categories: “financial/funding support” (78%) and “technical support.” The latter includes carbon neutrality assessment tools (62%), training (54%), consultancy services (52%), and green technologies (49%).
HKPC is aware of the requirements of industries and is dedicated to providing essential support to aid corporations/organisations in devising pragmatic emission reduction plans and initiatives and collaborating to prepare for attaining carbon neutrality.
The GM of HKPC’s Green Living and Innovation Division expressed that HKPC is actively creating comprehensive carbon evaluation tools to assist various industries in comprehending their greenhouse gas emissions and setting suitable carbon reduction targets.
Additionally, the organisation will provide additional capacity building and related advisory services while putting effort into R&D, incentivizing the application of low-carbon technologies across diverse sectors to expedite low-carbon transformation. Moreover, HKPC will maintain its close partnership with industries and support them in R&D, technology, and identifying appropriate funding programs to help all sectors stay abreast of the carbon neutrality trend.
According to the Associate Provost (Academic Affairs) & Professor of The School of Energy and Environment of the City University of Hong Kong, the collaboration with HKPC on the survey has yielded valuable reference data that reflects the actual needs of industries in the current trend towards carbon neutrality. This data will be beneficial to the government, universities, and related institutions in providing appropriate support to help industries prepare for new challenges and achieve carbon neutrality.
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The Ministries of Finance and National Development Planning (Bappenas) and the National Development Planning Agency (PPN) have jointly released the Krisna Renja-Sakti synchronisation module. Together, these two tools reduce the number of actions required to disburse funds from 13 to 8.
Abdullah Azwar Anas, the Minister for Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform, felt that the move taken by the Ministry of Finance and Bappenas was a significant step forward in bureaucratic reform in the budget sector (PANRB).
“This is the SPBE layout plan. Creating efficient and straightforward software is a top priority for any government service integration initiative. The Finance Minister and Bappenas’s Chief are an example for other organisations that want to unify their various administrative processes,” Anas declared at the Krisna Renja – Sakti synchronisation module launch in Jakarta.
Indonesia’s Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, has made it clear that implementing Krisna-Sakti will streamline budgeting, obtaining funds, and reporting expenditures for the country’s numerous government agencies. As an added request, she asked that the Ministry of Finance and Bappenas make Krisna-Sakti fully interoperable and streamline standard operating processes.
I emphasised that streamlining our administration is the hardest part,” Sri observed. “If our nation’s bureaucracy is to foster creative problem-solving, how can this be accomplished?” she chimed in.
The Ministry of Finance and Bappenas are committed to continuing their efforts to improve services to ministries/agencies to bring about a more developed and rich Indonesian people and nation. To Sri, this was the first step in fixing and coordinating these two essential applications used by all branches of government. All government agencies and academic research facilities must get the blessing of Krisna and Sakti before they may receive funds.
Suharso Monoarfa, Minister of PPN and Head of Bappenas, has said that this synchronisation made the increased transparency and accountability in planning and budgeting possible. He is confident that his company will be able to effectively curb unnecessary expenditures and quickly readjust course as needed throughout the introduction of new development plans.
Also, the app was built following the National SPBE Architecture Perpres Regulation’s mandate to minimise redundant efforts and make the most of existing ones. The PANRB-prioritised Ministry has stated that combining Krisna and Sakti improves the E-Government infrastructure (SPBE).
The government’s apps have been updated and digitised as part of the consolidated and standardised Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE). Because it is a necessary measure in the battle against corruption, the government of Indonesia backs the system.
Anas noted that nations with advanced levels of e-government, such as Denmark and Finland, also tend to have low levels of perceived corruption. Therefore, he reasoned that full SPBE implementation would be the solution because Indonesia’s score on the Corruption Perceptions Index (GPA) has reduced from 38 in 2021 to 34 in 2022.
Since Presidential Regulation 132/2022 on the National Electronic-Based Government System Architecture was passed, SPBE deployment in Indonesia has been regulated by law. To improve the standard of public services, the government has committed to speeding up the process of integrating business processes, data and information, SPBE infrastructure, SPBE applications, and SPBE security.
Deputy Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairperson Alexander Marwata believes SPBE can root out corruption in Indonesia. According to him, extortion, bribery, and other forms of crime may be avoided, and government services to the public can be enhanced using technical assistance and the honesty of public officials.
The Ministry of PANRB also increases SPBE’s use in the public sector through the Digital Public Service Mall (MPP). This one system will consolidate a wide range of governmental operations at all levels, from the federal to the state and local.