Exclusive! OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insight: The Future of Secured Remote Working for Indonesia Public Sector

As digital technology and connectivity evolve, Indonesia, which is well known for having the world’s fastest growth in internet users, faces both huge opportunities and major risks. The nation has been on a digital transformation journey for some time and has made major strides in policy, infrastructure and programmes.

The pandemic has accelerated these plans and forced a rethink of strategies. Nonetheless, the public sector has done a credible job in going digital to continue citizen services and operation in a VUCA environment and in the face of ever-changing citizen expectations.

Part of the digital transformation that the Indonesian public sector has successfully implemented is the modern and remote workplace. Access to the latest technology and collaborative tools has helped public sector officials maintain their work productivity while ensuring optimal resource utilisation.

While the government has quickly adapted and come to terms with the new reality of remote working, there are numerous challenges that governments across the world face. Paradigm shifts in culture and thinking, policy, safety, infrastructure and skillsets are a few areas that need attention.

Additionally, the government must build a solid cyber security system to ensure that its digital infrastructure is secure, especially as machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing advancement continue to make these agencies more vulnerable to a range of cyber-attacks. The mounting security concerns require the implementation of an appropriate security plan that is both realistic and cost-effective eventually.

The focus of OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insight on 17 November 2021 was on how a secure infrastructure within the public sector can be built for a digital and remote workforce. The was a closed-door, invitation-only, interactive session with senior digital executives from the Indonesian public sector.

Remote working as the mainstay of businesses, agencies, and organisations

Mohit Sagar, Group Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, OpenGov Asia, kicked off the session with his opening address.

Remote working is here to stay and there is no escaping it, Mohit asserts. “The world has been forced to adapt to the new reality.”

Virtual culture has taken centre stage in the past two years of living with a pandemic and there is no turning back. What is pertinent for both the private and public sector is how they view technology. “Will technology be seen as an enabler or as a hindrance?”

As organisations find their footing in this new normal, the benefits of remote working should be acknowledged and harnessed. Working remotely can increase productivity, engagement and collaboration more effectively than in typical offices. However, with employees working from home on their devices, how can the security risks be mitigated?

For Mohit, that is a problem that can be resolved but should not be the reason to prevent the embracing of remote working. Security, like all other endeavours, is a risk. Risks come with every decision that is made because nothing is 100% certain, there is always an element of the unknown.

He urged delegates to not “hide behind security” as the reason not to modernise. Precisely because it is inevitable, organisations need to “understand it and plan for it.”

Developing a virtual culture is no longer an option but a necessity that entails intentional thought in several key areas:

Building team communication and working relationships
Emphasising the importance of employee contribution to a strong team culture to business success
Encouraging collaboration
Scheduling regular catchups and informal meetings
Asking people to create meeting content with a clear agenda and context

Governments around the world are adopting quickly to a remote working model. The aspects to consider include strategising ways to increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction and culture, harnessing more possibilities for continuous learning, fostering better collaboration and work relationships and improved mental health.

Hybrid is the future, Mohit believes, and the focus should be on what plans and technology are needed for the secure development of a hybrid workplace. To be effective strategy and platforms must have constructive synergy.

Mohit advises delegates to work with partners and is firmly convinced that the transformation need not be done alone. Partners bring a wealth of expertise and experience that will make the journey far easier to manage and navigate.

Staying secure in the “new normal” of remote working

GarryNg2e1637197543401 OpenGov Asia — Garry Ng Securing the remote workforce is vital to sustainable operations

Garry Ng, Asia-Pacific Director, Lenovo, elaborated on Lenovo’s secure solutions for remote workforces.

“Cybersecurity is harder than ever,” Garry opines. “With a wide cyber surface and more access points, the exposure is magnified. Attacks have been on the rise year on year.”

Government institutions are common targets because of the sheer amount of data they collect and store, the vast and diverse networks they maintain and the massive employee base.

By the very nature of the service they offer and the history they need to have of citizens, they have complex, linked personal data sets – a goldmine for cybercriminals. Further, the distributed workforce and the variety of devices that end-users utilise to access services and digital offerings, make security even more difficult to manage.

Attacks are so fast, so often and so sophisticated that most are never even noticed by IT departments until they are long done.

Garry feels that a distributed and remote workforce is fast becoming the norm. Since 2020, many people started working from home and it seems unlikely that returning to the office full-time will happen. With a VUCA future, many businesses will retain the current status quo, having only necessary employees in the office or using some version of a rotating workforce.

With this remote working situation, organisations have to (and had to) provide devices for their staff. However, each of these devices could be vulnerable to attacks. That is the single most difficult thing to trace, he says.

IT departments are losing control of the devices because there is no clarity on where devices are actually being deployed or used. They have no idea if data is being downloaded from devices. Do organisations know if /when devices are lost, attacked or compromised?

“Against that backdrop, how can organisations protect their employees outside of a safe (office) infrastructure? How can organisations manage devices and networks, patch them and make sure they are secure?” he asks.

For Garry, a robust plan to manage and secure devices outside the office is the key. This includes:

Endpoint security
Device and application control
Device management
Data protection in case of theft/loss
Mobile threat detection – across both mobile and PC devices

Slide 1 1 OpenGov Asia — Credits Garry Ng

With the fundamental shifts in IT structure from perimeter-based network to perimeter-less network, the attack surface has also changed from having every in-network device that links with the outside world to having every endpoint at unknown networks and devices. Consequently, the security focus has changed from filtering, monitoring and restricting network inflow and outflow, to protecting, managing and servicing every endpoint.

The problem has changed, especially for the government, he believes. Cybercriminals know that both risk and reward are high when it comes to governmental institutions. They will attack the most well-known, hard to protect vulnerabilities in the system – parts and pieces that have not even entered the system yet – and inject themselves as “amicable” parts of the system (such as firmware, BIOS, HW, OS, common applications, etc.).

What is clear is that this shift from a closed-protect network to an open-distributed network has happened and is expected to only accelerate in the future. As such, cybersecurity solution needs to be applied to the entire lifecycle of every piece of the system.

Garry acknowledges remote work is here to stay and that organisations need to be committed to tackling the challenges of security in this new model. He reiterated that the solution is not one-size-fits-all because every organisation is different. There is, therefore, a need to tailor-make or, at the very least, tweak solutions for each organisation.

Lenovo’s end-to-end security offers OS-to-Cloud security, below-the-OS security and supply chain security that can provide safety for organisations pivoting to the new reality of work.

Pivoting to remote working as the “new normal”

Pak Setiaji OpenGov Asia — Setiaji The future of secure remote working for Indonesia public sector

Setiaji, Chief of Digital Transformation Officer, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, spoke next on strategies Indonesia’s public sector have taken when implementing remote working.

“We are faced with the new normal,” Setiaji concedes. “With employees working away from the office, the nature of activities that employees engage in has also changed – remote Access, Video Conference, Digital Signature, Office Online Tools, Emails, Voice Calls.”

Work-from-home or remote working means managing the accompanying issues of data security, connectivity, digital literacy and deploying effective working tools. The trend towards greater digital dependency will only rise, he contends. As it stands, there are more than 170M internet users currently and they are only set to grow.

What is concerning, is that the more than 811 million cyber-attacks that took place between January to August this year alone – the most being malware, trojans and information leaks.

He acknowledged that these challenges in security ought to be confronted, not swept away or trivialised. Against that backdrop, what should organisations be doing?

For Setiaji, the key is to adopt collaborative tools so that employees will be able to work from home anytime, anywhere, from any device over a web browser. They must also be more efficiently supported and better secured.

In the end, in an increasingly digital landscape, technology is here to stay and will be foundational to any strategy. Organisations need to embrace technology to survive, thrive and stay relevant.

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 facilitate discussions that impart professional learning and development for participants.

In the first poll, delegates were asked about challenges they face when the remote work concept was initiated in their ministry or department. Most delegates (40%) expressed that a lack of focus and productivity was an issue followed by security (30%) and poor communication (20%).

Delegates expressed concern about work culture and productivity as it is difficult to know what employees are doing.

Mohit agrees that this was an initial challenge but, for the most part, has been overcome using the tools available in the market. Combined with solid SOPs, appropriate accountability measures and performance metrics, these early setbacks were laid to rest.

“The rest of the world is using the pandemic as a catalyst for change,” Mohit observes. “The private sector has pivoted and government institutions need to follow; if not, their employees will begin to work for people who will give them what they want.”

When asked which virtual working method their ministry is planning to implement after this pandemic to embrace digital transformation in remote working, an overwhelming majority of the delegates voted in favour of a hybrid working model (74%). The rest of the delegates indicated a physical working model (26%).

Mohit believes that the minority who want to move back to a physical space may well get what they want because that is the easier, more familiar model. Organisations may want to hide behind the excuse of “security”’ to bring back the old, but that is not forward-thinking, he contends.

“Moving backwards is easy, but the future is not behind us; the future is ahead.”

Some organisations are at a crossroads, looking to make a hybrid work sustainable – and this is an inevitable journey, Mohit assures the delegates. If there is good productivity in the current model of hybrid work, it is important to leverage that. If safety is an issue, then work with partners that can help to keep data secure.

Concerning nervousness around security, Garry points out that it is a fine balance between the security organisations want to have and productivity. The moment it frustrates and affects productivity, it becomes a problem, he firmly believes.

The world is in the thick of the digital revolution, says Mohit. People can work from anywhere anytime. We only need to change the culture and the perspective. It is much the same as cloud adoption; people eventually overcame their initial nervousness and is now a preferred option.

“Like there are the options of private cloud, public cloud and multi-hybrid cloud, organisations need to move into a ‘multi-hybrid work capability’,” Mohit is convinced.

The next poll asked delegates to indicate challenges they face in managing the data on the cloud in the context of employees working remotely. A huge majority indicated that control or governance is the main challenge (73%). The rest of the votes were split between lack of expertise (11%), multiple cloud management (11%) and cost management (5%).

When asked about the importance of cybersecurity practices in remote workspaces, most delegates indicated that it is extremely important (81%) followed by important (19%).

Mohit emphasised that cybersecurity is an outside defence perimeter that is a “must-have,” just as “cloud is a must-have.” The key to managing this inevitable future is to pre-empt it with good policy and governance.

On whether delegates have a solid cyber security system to ensure that the digital infrastructure is secure, most delegates indicated that their ministry has a moderate security system (53%), followed by delegates who felt that their ministry has a solid cybersecurity system (43%).

A delegate pointed out that cyber threat is always evolving. The question of security is a conversation that never ends. The best thing to do is to constantly monitor, test fresh solutions, review and employ innovative technologies.

The final poll inquired what delegates thought is the step to be taken to keep the focus on cybersecurity while working remotely. Most delegates (42%) felt installing and updating anti-virus was key, followed by avoiding clicking on suspicious links (36%). The remaining delegates were split between others (11%) and keeping work and home devices separate (11%).

Mohit opined that cybersecurity is about doing all the above; it is much bigger than can be imagined – people have to do everything.

Conclusion

Wrapping up the session, Garry emphasised the importance of recognising the new challenges in remote working. The drive towards the next digital wave must be done securely and cost-effectively in a flexible digital environment.

He encouraged delegates to consider the cost of compromise when it came to adopting technologies to cope with the future of work.

Before bringing the session to an end, Garry thanked everyone for their participation and the robust discussions. He encouraged the delegates to keep the conversations about data security alive and to connect with him and the team if they would like to explore how Lenovo could help in their journey.

EXCLUSIVE: E-wallet to Facilitate Government Transaction

GovTech has been recognised by OpenGov Asia for its innovative use of digital technology in transforming the public sector. Through the GovWallet initiative, GovTech has simplified government operations and unlocked new opportunities.

This effort forms part of GovTech’s ongoing work to develop a digital wallet module that enables government entities to securely and promptly distribute funds and credits to citizens and beneficiaries. Agencies no longer must build their own payment systems, and people can get their government payments quickly through apps they already use.

GovWallet facilitates payment tracking for government agencies while providing payment recipients with multiple options to monitor their payment and spending records. Notably, one of its key features empowers agencies to select authorised merchants and regulate payout usage.

GovWallet serves as a backend service module that seamlessly integrates with any government mobile application, including LifeSG and Singpass. This allows users to utilise their credits at PayNow and NETS accepting stores and withdraw cash from ATMs, facilitating financial access for individuals without bank accounts.

Essential insight to build digital payment

While working on SupplyAlly, a system that coordinates the distribution of tangible items like food packs, TT Tokens, and reusable masks during the pandemic, the GovWallet team initiated the Know Your Customer (KYC) research.

Through their collaboration with government agencies, the GovWallet team found that agencies are not only interested in managing the distribution of physical goods but also in disbursing government benefits to eligible recipients. The team discovered that there were limited locations where recipients could utilise their payouts, the widespread acceptance of digital vouchers in the commercial sector.

GovWallet was created to enable citizens to access the widely used SGQR and well-established payment ecosystems, such as PayNow and NETS, without the need for a bank account to complete the transactions. The aim was to expand the range of retailers where beneficiaries could utilise their payouts.

They recognised that a comprehensive approach to addressing security, fraud, compliance and monitoring concerns necessitates a risk assessment. The team engaged with various stakeholders to validate their strategy and output, encompassing both the technical implementation and policy framework.

As part of their pre-rollout plan, they used a separate team to conduct vulnerability analyses and penetration tests simultaneously. These assessments proved valuable in gauging risks, and their insights would inform the future rollout and expansion of GovWallet.

GovWallet is hosted on the Government on Commercial Cloud (GCC) platform and is deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS). A typical disbursement campaign may require up to 1,600 man-hours to complete.

Their architecture, which is based on AWS’ Serverless framework, allowed them to scale up and down as needed, reducing the amount of manpower required to monitor, maintain and operate the system. Adopting a serverless architecture allowed them to concentrate on making GovWallet more cost-effective, high-performing and responsive to traffic vagaries.

GovWallet has been gaining popularity among both government agencies and citizens. However, as with any other product that requires integration with multiple parties, the GovWallet team needed to maintain close communication with agencies to avoid a drop in collaboration.

They have scheduled regular meetings with various parties, such as government agencies and banks, to keep track of progress and address issues as they arise. They have also worked on numerous disbursement campaigns with multiple agencies.

A noteworthy application of GovWallet was its collaboration with the Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs to disburse S$100 digital credits to over 1 million past and present national servicemen. The system successfully processed up to 1.1 million disbursements and payments, with minimal lag or disruption.

According to the team, communication is critical to the success of any project, regardless of its size. Onboarding a government agency onto GovWallet typically entails the agency, the GovWallet team and a frontend interface for citizens to access payouts, such as LifeSG or a commercial bank.

To be able to move and adapt quickly, all teams must be on the same page in terms of objectives and changes. This allows them to remain agile, quickly adapt to user needs, and benefit more citizens.

When designing the infrastructure or developing the code, the GovWallet team draws on market best practices. Additionally, they conduct routine security reviews of their products to ensure that they remain current with the latest security practices and vulnerabilities.

GovWallet is currently developing a self-service dashboard for agencies onboarding its platforms. This provides greater flexibility in administering government disbursement schemes without necessitating a system-to-system integration with the backend.

They are not restricting their expansion to support digital currency transactions on GovWallet and will continue to collaborate with banks to provide such services as needed.

About the team

GovWallet was originally created as a solution to the issues of higher costs, administrative workload and carbon emissions associated with the issuance of cheques and physical vouchers. As the team resolved these challenges, they partnered with industry players to integrate PayNow and NETS payment gateways into the platform, providing GovWallet beneficiaries access to around 200,000 merchants.

While the product team needs to be aligned with the mission and objectives of the initiative, it is equally critical for senior leadership within each organisation to support the initiative. This support enables the product team to reduce or eliminate potential roadblocks and achieve success.

When it comes to product roadmap planning and the development of user-centric solutions, GovTech collaborates closely with the Smart Nation Digital Government Office (SNDGO).

The GovWallet team places a strong emphasis on close collaboration and maintains open lines of communication with all functional roles involved in the initiative. For example, a developer can communicate directly with the product owner without the need for any intermediaries. This approach reduces the potential for misunderstandings and accelerates the feedback loop.

Regular dedicated checkpoints such as scrum and sprint retrospectives are held by the GovWallet team. During these meetings, the team members are given dedicated and safe time to reflect on and inspect the features they liked and areas for improvement. This practice encourages open communication and helps the team identify ways to improve their workflow and product development process.

In the same vein, the GovWallet team promotes effective interaction by establishing direct communication channels with other teams or departments. They also share their scrum cadence for keeping track of and aligning dependent activities. This enables everyone involved to stay on the same page, fosters collaboration and helps in delivering the project efficiently.

Scrum aided the team by dividing the delivery into two-week sprints. This resulted in a shorter feedback loop, allowing the team to adapt to changes more quickly, especially when deconflicting with other teams.

GovTech fosters an environment where all team members are urged to share their ideas for improving the way things are done or launching new initiatives. They have open communication channels with senior management, who are receptive to feedback and suggestions.

During the planning of their subsequent project phases, the team regularly carries out user research. Team members are encouraged to share any discoveries, improvements or trends they observed with the rest of the team.

The team values one another’s suggestions and takes them seriously, incorporating them into the work backlog when applicable. GovTech provides funding resources for its teams to test their ideas. This fosters an environment of transparency and openness where everyone is seen as a peer and can explore genuine possibilities.

GovTech encourages all employees to be agile, bold, and collaborative. By encouraging a culture of innovation and creativity, they have been able to tap into the diverse perspectives and experiences of its employees, resulting in new and effective solutions.

Through regular forums and open communication, the organisation has created an environment where everyone is empowered to contribute to its mission of using technology to improve the lives of citizens. This approach has not only improved the quality of the organisation’s work but also increased employee engagement and satisfaction.

EXCLUSIVE! Technology to Engage the Community

Launched in 2019, CrowdTaskSG aims to harness the collective intelligence of Singaporeans to provide government agencies with useful insights into national issues and addresses the prevalent notion that citizens’ voices are often overlooked. The platform serves as a bridge between citizens and agencies, offering a centralised platform for citizens to share their thoughts and ideas.

The initiative operates on the premise that Singaporeans can have an active and meaningful role in co-creation, collaboration and crowdsourcing, rather than being passive recipients of government schemes and services.

Citizens have a range of ways to participate, including surveys, polls and questionnaires focused on government policies and issues. In addition, they can take part in testing prototypes for new government websites, providing feedback on areas that require improvement and assisting with translation requests.

This diverse set of options aims to cater to various interests and expertise levels, making it easier for citizens to engage with the platform in a meaningful way. By doing so, CrowdTaskSG endeavours to foster greater interaction and participation from citizens, while also providing agencies with a more comprehensive understanding of public sentiment on various issues.

To broaden the scope of citizen participation, the CrowdTaskSG team is actively exploring additional tasks that can be performed through the platform. The team collaborates with other agencies to identify opportunities to optimise the platform for a wider range of crowdsourcing initiatives.

GovTech method to better engage citizens

The CrowdTaskSG team has been inspired by the widespread popularity of the mobile game Pokemon Go, which employs GPS technology to allow players to discover real-world locations, capture virtual creatures and engage with other players.

Gamification was the secret ingredient that propelled the success of Pokemon Go, as it transformed the simple act of walking into a social experience. The game tracks users’ daily steps and incentivises movement by rewarding them with new monsters.

What made Pokemon Go’s success truly remarkable was not only how quickly it became a worldwide phenomenon, but also how it motivated people to participate in physical activity – a pursuit that many individuals were previously averse to. The CrowdTaskSG team was intrigued by this philosophy and wondered whether a similar approach could be adopted to foster the development of a smart nation.

Undoubtedly, many Singaporeans possess a wealth of skills, ideas and feedback that could support Singapore’s transition towards becoming a smart nation. However, they may lack the motivation to engage in these activities.

CrowdTaskSG bridges the gap between citizens and agencies by integrating gamification elements to make the engagement process more enjoyable and rewarding. Through these efforts, they aim to create a more interactive and captivating platform that inspires citizens to take an active role in shaping national policies and improving their personal well-being.

By incorporating gaming elements, CrowdTaskSG takes completing surveys or tasks on the platform to a whole new level of fun – making mundane tasks far more enjoyable and rewarding. Users can earn experience points to level up and virtual coins for NETS QR purchases after completing a task.

The team has adopted simple gamification concepts to ensure that they appeal to individuals of all ages. To make the platform user-friendly and accessible to all, the team has designed a clean and straightforward user interface that minimises distractions and enhances accessibility.

As a product that is designed to prioritise citizen engagement, the CrowdTaskSG team places great importance on delivering a seamless user experience. In addition to collecting feedback and suggestions through the platform, the team frequently conducts user interviews with CrowdTaskSG users to gain insights into evolving user needs and identify areas for improvement.

The CrowdTaskSG team is committed to carefully considering the needs of government agencies as well as user feedback to continuously add new features and improvements to the platform. After the user interviews and testing sessions, the team works consistently on making the platform easier to use and making sure that information and instructions are clear and easy to understand.

The team recently introduced a Leaderboard feature in their referral campaign, which led to a 10% surge in user participation. They also revamped the reward system, making it more convenient for citizens to redeem their virtual coins.

CrowdTaskSG offers government agencies a cost-effective solution as they can currently utilise the portal free of charge. It is a user-friendly, self-service platform that not only enables government employees to submit tasks easily but also allows them to review responses with the built-in data visualiser.

The platform uses MyInfo verification to ensure that all participants are genuine, and its screener function simplifies the process of reaching specific groups of people for government agencies.

The platform has received positive feedback, with many users citing how it has facilitated fast and efficient communication with participants. This is particularly advantageous for User Experience (UX) and Design Thinking teams, who rely heavily on user testing and feedback throughout their design process.

The technology infrastructure that CrowdTaskSG uses has also been employed to develop the SG Translate Together (SGTT) web portal, which is a distinct product from CrowdTaskSG. This has enabled the Ministry of Communications and Information to collaborate with the public to gather translation data through crowdsourcing.

The data collected is utilised to enhance and train SG Translate, the Machine Translation Engine, resulting in more translations that cater to local needs. Additionally, SGTT provides translation resources and a form platform to engage with the local translation community.

The CrowdTaskSG team places a high priority on ensuring that the onboarding process for new users is easy and seamless when developing a product that is intended for widespread use. Therefore, deciding between a mobile application or a web-based application was a crucial consideration for the CrowdTaskSG team when they began the project.

There were several reasons why a mobile-responsive web platform was ultimately chosen for CrowdTaskSG:

Because there are more steps to go through, downloading a mobile application to answer a survey is a huge barrier for new users. If it is a web-based platform, new users can log in by scanning a QR code, which is a quick touch-and-go.
As a result of the pandemic, most Singaporeans are now accustomed to scanning QR codes to open websites in a browser, which became one of the onboarding workflows.
Having a web-based platform enabled to reach users not only on mobile phones but also on desktop computers and even fixed kiosks in the form of touch-screen TVs and tablets when agencies conduct road shows and engage citizens.

To ensure that CrowdTaskSG could be accessed on various screen sizes, including desktops, mobile phones, tablets, and TVs, the team put a great deal of thought into the design of their components to maintain a consistent user experience across all platforms.

TypeScript is the main programming language used by the CrowdTaskSG team, and React is used for the front end, while NodeJS is used for the back end. Using a single language across the stack makes it easier for developers to switch between frontend and backend development with minimal contextual overhead.

A robust audit trail is crucial for a mass-market application as it helps developers quickly identify and resolve technical issues that users might encounter. Moreover, regular performance testing ensures that the application can handle high volumes of traffic and load spikes that may coincide with marketing efforts. By doing so, the team can avoid any performance issues that might lead to a poor user experience and ultimately impact the success of the application.

Constantly being wary of malicious activities is a common challenge with gamification in crowdsourcing platforms. Users could be inclined to cheat the system by submitting tasks multiple times or completing unassigned tasks to gain an advantage in their pursuit of rewards. While not a technical challenge, it is burdensome.

To prevent such behaviour, measures have been put in place to ensure that task submissions on CrowdTaskSG are unchanged or idempotent; submitting the same task multiple times does not benefit the user nor are they rewarded for completing tasks that are not assigned to them.

Nonetheless, security is of paramount importance for the CrowdTaskSG team as they are deploying a government product. Hence, every major release undergoes professional vulnerability assessments and penetration testing before distribution.

In addition to these pre-release tests, the team conducts monthly risk assessments using open-source scans and other risk surveillance tools. The team also has a surveillance bot that monitors traffic and potential attacks in real-time to ensure that any suspicious or unusual activities are promptly investigated.

About the team

For a diverse team to function effectively, a strong product vision and shared goals that inspire collective buy-in are crucial, beyond just support and resources. Creating a culture that embraces and celebrates diversity is essential in acknowledging that each individual brings unique perspectives and expertise to the table.

This recognition helps ensure that every team member can make meaningful contributions to the various domains. Support and resources can be generated from within the team if the right culture and communication are in place.

CrowdTaskSG’s work methodology is heavily influenced by GovTech’s Agile, Bold, and Collaborative values. The team convenes every two weeks for “retrospectives,” during which they discuss the previous sprint and exchange fresh concepts regarding the product and their work approach. To capture spontaneous ideas, they also maintain idea boards to jot down any potentially useful insights for future reference.

Regular and open communication is important and members talk to each other often (at least once a day). The team values a “no-blame” culture, which creates a safe space for members to express their thoughts and concerns.

Trust is a cornerstone of the team’s work culture, with everyone aware that they are working together for the best of the product. The team takes a collaborative approach to problem-solving, with all domain leads gathering to discuss various perspectives before arriving at decisions and working through problems quickly and efficiently.

The CrowdTaskSG team proactively helps each other to overcome any obstacles that may impede their progress. A conducive culture and effective communication facilitate this internal support system, enabling team members to assist one another in achieving their shared goals.

EKSKLUSIF! CrowdTaskSG: Tarik Partisipasi Warga Lewat Gim untuk Bangun Singapura

Pemerintah Singapura meluncurkan CrowdTaskSG pada 2019. Sesuai namanya, CrowdTaskSG memang ditujukan agar pemerintah bisa lebih melibatkan partisipasi warga untuk menyelesaikan masalah nasional dan pembangunan di Singapura, sehingga kontribusi dan masukan dari warga bisa digunakan sebagai dasar penentuan keputusan dan tindak lanjut lembaga pemerintah.

Inisiatif ini meluncur dengan premis bahwa warga Singapura bisa memainkan peran aktif dalam pemerintahan. Mereka tidak hanya sebagai pemain pasif yang menerima skema dan layanan pemerintah. Namun, warga bisa berkreasi bersama, berkolaborasi, dan menjadi sumber informasi bagi pemerintah.

Inisiatif ini meluncur sebagai respons atas pendapat yang umum beredar kalau pemerintah Singapura kurang memerhatikan aspirasi warga. Oleh karena itu, CrowdTaskSG diciptakan untuk menjembatani kesenjangan antara warga dan lembaga pemerintahan. Lewat platform ini, pemerintah menyediakan satu platform terintegrasi untuk berbagi pendapat dan ide.

Hal ini diwujudkan dengan memberi kesempatan bagi warga untuk berkontribusi dalam survei, jajak pendapat, atau kuesioner tentang kebijakan dan masalah pemerintah lewat CrowdTaskSG. Selain itu, warga juga bisa melakukan tugas seperti menguji prototipe fitur atau produk baru di situs web pemerintah, memberi umpan balik tentang wilayah kerja yang perlu peningkatan, dan ikut terlibat untuk kebutuhan penerjemahan. Sebab, Singapura biasanya perlu menyosialisasikan kebijakan pemerintah dalam empat bahasa, Inggris, Melayu, Mandarin dan Tamil.

Tim CrowdTaskSG terus berupaya meningkatkan minat warga untuk berkontribusi aktif di platform ini. Mereka juga terus mengeksplorasi tugas-tugas bersama (crowd task) lain yang bisa diintegrasikan di platform ini. Untuk itu, tim CrowdTaskSG kerap menjalin komunikasi dan kolaborasi dengan instansi lain untuk mempelajari dan menggali ide bagaimana platform ini bisa lebih dioptimalkan untuk mendukung berbagai inisiatif crowdsourcing.

Gamification untuk menarik partisipasi warga

Sejak pertama meluncur, GovTech sudah menyertakan gamification pada platform ini. Mereka terinspirasi untuk memasukkan faktor permainan dalam platform ini lantaran terinspirasi oleh kepopuleran gim Pokemon GO.

Pokemon GO adalah gim berbasis lokasi dan augmented reality. Lewat gim ini, pemain diajak untuk menangkap dan mengumpulkan berbagai monster unik khas Pokemon. Memanfaatkan GPS di perangkat pengguna, mereka harus menjelajah ke tempat-tempat berbeda untuk menemukan berbagai monster langka itu. Monster Pokemon yang terkumpul bisa dilatih dan dipertarungkan. Gim ini sekaligus menghitung jumlah langkah yang dilakukan dalam sehari untuk menangkap monster-monster itu.

Kesuksesan Pokemon GO berhasil mengangkat gim ini menjadi fenomena dunia. Menariknya, gamification permainan itu berhasil menarik orang untuk keluar rumah dan lebih aktif melakukan kegiatan fisik. Hal yang kian jarang dilakukan di kehidupan modern sebelum popularitas gim ini meledak.

Resep rahasianya tentu terletak pada gamification yang berhasil dieksekusi dengan baik oleh pembuat permainan ini. Pokemon Go sukses mengubah kegiatan berjalan keluar rumah yang menjemukan menjadi kegiatan sosialisasi yang menyenangkan.

“Hal inilah yang membuat kami berpikir apakah kita bisa memanfaatkan cara yang sama untuk membantu membangun misi Smart Nation di Singapura,” jelas tim pengembang CrowdTaskSG dalam wawancara dengan OpenGovAsia.

Lewat CrowdTaskSG, tim ingin memberi ruang bagi talenta-talenta terbaik Singapura untuk memberikan kontribusi mewujudkan Smart Nation. Sebab, mereka percaya banyak warga Singapura yang memiliki potensi, ide, dan masukan berharga untuk membantu membangun negara. Namun, talenta itu tersiakan karena kurang difasilitasi oleh platform yang tepat dan kurangnya motivasi untuk ambil bagian.

Tim CrowdTaskSG berharap dengan berbagai gamification yang dihadirkan bisa menjembatani kebutuhan pemerintah dan keinginan warga untuk berkontribusi. Mereka pun ingin membuat proses kontribusi itu menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan.

Tim mengintegrasikan gamification ke dalam berbagai tugas yang ada di CrowdTaskSG. Misal, ketika warga membantu menyelesaikan survei atau tugas tertentu, mereka akan mendapat poin untuk naik level. Adopsi leaderboard ini diklaim berhasil meningkatkan pertumbuhan pengguna hingga 10 persen.

Mereka juga bisa mendapat koin virtual yang bisa digunakan berbelanja lewat NETS QR (jejaring pembayaran elektronik menggunakan kode QR di Singapura). Sejauh ini, tim sudah mengadopsi konsep gamification sederhana yang cocok untuk semua umur.

Sebagai layanan self-service, tiap instansi pemerintah di Singapura bisa membuat tugas atau survey yang mereka perlukan di CrowdTaskSG. Tim berpendapat mereka mendapat repons positif dari instansi pemerintahan yang memakai platform ini. Sebab, mereka mendapat cara yang efisien dan cepat untuk mendapat umpan balik warga.

“CrowdTaskSG sangat berguna untuk tim pengalaman pengguna (User Experience/ UX) dan tim Design Thinking yang ingin mengetes pengguna dan mendapat tanggapan mendalam dalam proses desain mereka,” jelas tim lagi.

Selain itu, CrowdtaskSG Tech Stack juga dimanfaatkan untuk membuat dan menyempurnakan situs SG Translate Together (SGTT). Lewat portal ini, Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika Singapura bisa berkolaborasi dengan warga untuk melakukan translasi data. Data ini lantas digunakan untuk melatih dan memperbaiki kemampuan SG Translate, the Machine Translation Engine, agar hasil terjemahan terasa lebih lokal. SGTT menyediakan sumber daya translasi dan forum sebagai tempat bersosialisasi komunitas para penerjemah.

Untuk membuat platform ini menarik dan berguna bagi pengguna, CrowdTaskSG aktif mencari umpan balik dan saran pengguna.

“Kami kerap melakukan wawancara pengguna untuk memahami kebutuhan mereka dan bagaimana meningkatkan kenyamanan mereka. Kami juga menjaga agar antarmuka layanan kami tetap bersih dan sederhana untuk mengurangi distraksi dan kemudahan pemahaman pengguna.”

Untuk menjaga keamanan, platform ini menggunakan verifikasi pengguna. Sementara bagi instansi pemerintahan yang ingin menggunakan platform ini, mereka bisa memanfaatkan fitur pemindaian untuk mendapat responden yang tepat.

Ketika berbicara pengembangan CrowdTaskSG ke depan, tim berkomitmen untuk senantiasa menerima umpan balik pengguna, baik warga atau instansi pemerintah, untuk terus memperbaiki layanan mereka dengan fitur baru.

Teknis pengembangan CrowdTaskSG

Tim CrowdTaskSG membagikan sejumlah tips ketika membuat layanan yang akan diakses secara massal. Menurut mereka, hal utama yang harus dipertimbangkan adalah kemudahan akses pengguna. Dengan pertimbangan itu, mereka membangun CrowdTaskSG sebagai situs web yang mobile-responsive agar bisa digunakan oleh pengguna yang menggunakan berbagai perangkat, baik ponsel maupun desktop.

“Jika dibuat sebagai aplikasi mobile, akan menambah kesulitan pengguna yang ingin berpartisipasi. Mereka mesti mengunduh aplikasi itu terlebih dahulu. Hal ini bisa menjadi penghalang besar bagi warga untuk berpartisipasi. Dengan membuat , pengguna baru cukup memindai kode QR, login, dan bisa langsung berpartisipasi.”

Untuk bahasa pemrograman, mereka menggunakan TypeScript, dengan frontend berjalan menggunakan React dan backend menggunakan NodeJS. “Memiliki bahasa yang sama di seluruh stack membantu pengembang kami beralih dengan cepat ketika mengembangkan frontend dan backend dengan sedikit contextual overhead.”

Untuk mempercepat respons ketika pengguna manghadapi kendala teknis, tim CrowdTaskSG menyarankan perlu dilakukan audit yang kuat agar bisa segera dilakukan identifikasi masalah. Mereka juga melakukan pengujian secara rutin untuk memastikan aplikasi mampu menampung ketika terjadi lonjakan lalu lintas.

Meski gamification dipercaya bisa meningkatkan interaksi warga, namun kendalanya adalah bagaimana cara mengatasi kecurangan. Sebab, ada saja warga yang ingin mencurangi sistem dengan mengirimkan tugas berkali-kali atau menyelesaikan tugas yang tidak ditujukan kepada mereka demi mengejar hadiah.

Untuk mengatasi hal ini, tim memastikan tugas yang dibagikan di CrowdTaskSG bersifat idempotent. Artinya, warga hanya bisa mengirim tugas sekali. Jika lebih dari itu, maka tidak akan berpengaruh pada peringkat atau nilai pengguna. Selain itu, mereka juga melakukan pemeriksaan validasi secara ekstensif untuk memastikan pengguna tidak diberi imbalan untuk melakukan tugas yang tidak ditugaskan kepada mereka.

Terkait dengan masalah keamanan, tim memastikan melakukan serangkaian ujian penetrasi dan menilai potensi kerentanan pada setiap perilisan besar. Selain uji pra-rilis, setiap bulan mereka juga menilai risiko keamanan melalui pemindaian open source dan alat pengawasan risiko lain. Tim juga memiliki bot untuk melacak lalu lintas dan potensi serangan secara real-time untuk memastikan penyelidikan tepat waktu terhadap aktivitas yang mencurigakan atau tidak biasa.

Membangun tim kreatif

Tim CrowdTaskSG dilatih untuk tak takut berinovasi. “Tim kami berpedoman pada nilai-nilai organisasi kami untuk menjadi Gesit, Berani, dan Kolaboratif. Kami melakukan dengan cepat, menguji dengan cepat, dan gagal dengan cepat.”

Mereka juga melakukan retrospektif per dua minggu sebagai momen untuk mengevaluasi hasil Sprint sebelumnya dan berbagi ide baru. Ide-ide ini tidak terbatas pada produk yang tengah dikembangkan tapi juga cara bekerja. Mereka juga memiliki papan ide yang akan menampung ide semua anggota tim yang mungkin bisa berguna di masa depan.

Selain itu, mereka menjalin komunikasi yang terbuka dengan tim dan berusaha mengadopsi budaya tanpa menyalahkan. Dengan demikian, mereka bisa memupuk ruang aman bagi anggota tim untuk berbagi pemikiran dan keprihatinan secara terbuka. Mereka juga menanamkan pola pikir untuk mengutamakan kepentingan pengembangan produk dalam cara kerja mereka.

Bekerja dengan tim yang berbeda latar belakang, tim CrowdTaskSG mengutamakan kebersamaan dan mengumpulkan perspektif dari berbagai sisi lewat diskusi yang cepat dan efektif. Selain itu, memiliki visi dan tujuan produk yang kuat juga mempersatukan tim yang berbeda latar belakang ini.

Mereka juga mengutamakan budaya yang saling merangkul dan merayakan keberagaman, karena anggota tim sadar mereka semua memang menyumbang perspektif dan keahlian yang berbeda ke dalam tim. Budaya gotong royong untuk menyelesaikan masalah satu sama lain juga dilakukan agar proyek yang tengah dikerjakan bisa bergerak maju.

Navigating the Growth of AI Technology in Indonesia

Anto Satriyo Nugroho, Head of PR at KAKS BRIN, believes that AI technology can be highly beneficial for measuring and interpreting external data. This, in turn, can facilitate the extraction of valuable insights and aid in achieving specific objectives.

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing global interest in the field of AI technology. With ongoing developments in the field, AI is becoming increasingly versatile and can now be deployed in many more areas and industries. From healthcare and transportation to finance and education, the potential applications of AI are seemingly limitless.

According to Anto, the impact of AI on society is inevitable and will likely bring about significant changes in the nature of available jobs. As a result, there will be a growing need for the workforce to better prepare themselves to adapt to these changes. He recommends that Indonesia take steps to prepare for the impact of AI technology.

This growing trend has resulted in a rising demand for skilled AI professionals and experts in the country, underscoring the need for Indonesia to continue investing in AI research and development to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

Given that humans remain at the centre of the equation, he stressed the importance of diligence, continuous learning, and research to foster innovation and facilitate ongoing growth.

Many research labs in academia and private industry are now creating AI software. One of these AI is the subject of study at the National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN) Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security (PR KAKS). ITB, UGM, Jenderal Soedirman University, UPI, and others have all collaborated with PR KAKS BRIN on various research projects.

With more investment, Indonesia can position itself to take advantage of the opportunities that arise from the increasing use of AI technology while mitigating any potential negative effects. Anto recommended that anybody interested in learning more about AI connect with the Indonesian Artificial Intelligence Society (IAIS), a group of AI enthusiasts, and the Indonesian Association for Pattern Recognition (INAPR).

Artificial intelligence’s strengths lie in its ability to retain and relay information, which gives it an edge over human memory. Artificial intelligence (AI) has various uses and advantages. Some of them include assisting individuals with impairments in communicating and saving time. Anto recognises that AI could be applied in a wide variety of contexts, from learning new tasks and solving problems to listening to information and making plans.

Anto cited several examples of simple AI activities, such as translation, navigation, fingerprint identification for digital forensics to identify victims of accidents and crimes, and the use of mathematical methods to solve arithmetic problems.

However, he also acknowledged that the accuracy of AI-powered devices can vary widely, making them unsuitable for certain applications, such as map suggestions.

It should be noted that in certain instances, the accuracy of AI can be quite high. For instance, in Japan, electronic manufacturers have collaborated with experts in the field of handwriting recognition to develop a system that can accurately identify an individual’s handwritten numerals from 0 to 9 on facsimiles, with an accuracy rate of approximately 99%.

The Indonesian government has implemented regulations from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Disdukcapil that mandate a maximum error rate of 3% for AI-powered systems analysing electronic KTPs in the country.

Anto provided insight into the extent of AI development in Indonesia and the country has made significant progress in this area, with various industries and sectors already adopting AI-based solutions to optimise their operations and enhance their productivity.

AI has been utilised in the healthcare industry to detect the emergence of new diseases and epidemics worldwide. At the urging of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, the country’s leaders have resolved to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic by creating the resources it would need to respond effectively.

Growing Singapore’s Economy as a Tech Hub with Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director, Economic Development Board

Singapore has grown into one of the world’s most advanced economies in just five decades, actively updating pro-business policies to keep pace with global advancements. As a highly open economy dependent on international trade, the Southeast Asian economic powerhouse is frequently regarded as a bellwether of world growth.

Robust investment in the tech sector has aided the country’s development. According to the Global Data Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Projects Database, Singapore was the leading destination in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc for foreign investment in manufacturing, software and IT services in 2022. Semiconductors accounted for more than half of FDI, with 142 projects worth $8.2 billion in the first six months last year.

The country is continuing its efforts to be at the forefront of developing and adopting cutting-edge technology. Singapore launched the Smart Nation initiative in 2014 with one overarching goal: to support the development of people and businesses in an increasingly digital landscape. The initiative leverages developments in digital technologies to create seamless, tech-driven experiences.

Collaboration with businesses is critical to achieving the city-state’s goals. Enterprises with AI and data analytics capabilities, cybersecurity, immersive media, and the Internet of Things will be central to Singapore’s Smart Nation digital transformation.

Regulation, infrastructure, and people

Its commitment to development built on solid policies has allowed Singapore to grow into a regional – and now an increasingly global hub – for economic activity. And with a 60-year legacy, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) is one of the drivers of this national transformation.

EDB has an established reputation for fostering economic vibrancy and relevance by attracting corporate or individual investors to use Singapore as a launchpad for their business ambitions in Asia and globally. The city-state has become a favoured location for major technology companies to establish their global or regional headquarters.

Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director of EDB, discussed the Singapore Government’s strategies for enhancing the nation’s appeal to global investment and technology development in an interview with Mohit Sagar, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of OpenGov Asia.

Jacqueline believes that one of the key factors contributing to Singapore’s success is its pro-business regulatory environment. The nation’s commitment to the rule of law ensures stability and predictability, which is highly attractive to businesses.

“Regulation in Singapore is extremely progressive and pushes the envelope. Tech companies are looking for a place that has facilitative regulation that allows data, for example, to flow and be analysed easily. Singapore does not have specific rules related to data residency. We want to be a data hub and a place where data analytics can be done without much hindrance. We have also set up frameworks to both facilitate the development and use of AI and are thinking of ways in which to think about governance and ethical use of AI,” Jacqueline explains.

Additionally, Singapore’s robust infrastructure and talented workforce are crucial elements that support the nation’s continued growth and prosperity.

Infrastructure is critical for any country aspiring to become a tech-empowered powerhouse. Renowned for its excellent infrastructure and connectivity, Singapore is a top choice for companies looking for a reliable base. As a result, the city-state has emerged as a hub for submarine cables and data centres, with the widespread availability of high-speed wireless broadband access, including 5G and 4G networks.

The Singapore Government also promotes experimentation and innovation by establishing regulatory sandboxes to test new and innovative initiatives and technologies. These sandboxes allow for experimentation in a live environment, with guardrails to protect the public.

“We’ve got sandboxes in various areas. And one of the more famous ones is in fintech. For example, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has set up a sandbox for FinTech innovation over several years, resulting in some interesting developments and ventures that have gone on to do big things,” Jaqueline shares.

Leading technology companies offer exciting projects and the right scale to attract software developers, UI/UX designers, machine learning experts, and IoT specialists.

To attract talent and help companies build their A-team here, Singapore has introduced various employment passes and made the application process smoother and more transparent.

“If you’ve got enough of a base of people doing big and interesting things, they attract other people who want to learn from them and take part in that journey. Cutting-edge projects can come from big tech companies or MNCs but we’re very proud to say that some of the tech startups we incubate are also working on interesting things,” says Jaqueline.

Southeast Asia is emerging as a digital innovation and startup hub for the world, given the region’s population of approximately 650 million, most of whom are under 35 years old. This demographic, combined with the region’s economic growth and increasing technology adoption, creates a conducive environment for digital innovation and startups to thrive.

As a result, Southeast Asia is attracting significant interest from investors and entrepreneurs worldwide, making it a hotspot for digital innovation and startups. However, with competing countries in the region, Singapore needs to ensure that it remains an attractive destination for top-tier talent by fostering an environment that supports innovation and growth.

Jacqueline and her team are also championing advanced manufacturing, which already has exciting developments in robotics and IoT. There are also interesting innovations in various technological fields, such as AI, cybersecurity, Web 3, and fintech. These areas present new opportunities for Singapore to remain at the forefront of technological innovation and attract top talent and leading technology companies.

“Another big emerging area for Southeast Asia is SaaS. There will be a lot of cloud computing solutions adoption and exciting developments in B2B SaaS over the next decade, says Jacqueline, adding that she is convinced there will be growth in this area amid the current slowdown in the global economy. Even though the tech sector globally is facing some current headwinds, its long-term prospects remain strong. Previous market corrections have also shown that some of the best and strongest companies emerge from within a down cycle.

With its conducive environment for digital innovation and startup growth, Singapore is well-positioned to take advantage of these developments and emerge as a leader in these emerging technological fields.

Technological advancements create exciting opportunities for small businesses. The availability of top talent, a supportive regulatory environment, and access to funding make Singapore an attractive destination for companies looking to capitalise on tech innovation and achieve long-term success.

LKYGBPC to refine the business

Jacqueline has been involved with the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) as a judge for some years. Her involvement with the competition demonstrates her commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of startups in Singapore and beyond.

The LKYGBPC provides aspiring entrepreneurs and startups a platform to showcase their innovative ideas and gain exposure to investors, mentors, and industry experts.

She has been impressed by the high quality of submissions – from startups to post-revenue companies to businesses with fully-fledged minimum viable products evaluated in the marketplace. They reveal a level of maturity in terms of having a solid business plan and demonstrating a use case in real life, including finding a market for their product.

The competition provides an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups to refine and improve their business concepts and gain exposure to investors and industry experts who can provide valuable advice and support.

“It’s a great opportunity to get feedback from judges. And if you win, it’s a great opportunity for you to market your startup, your concept and your product,” she states emphatically.

In Southeast Asia, many issues need to be addressed, which present significant potential for entrepreneurship and innovation. Jacqueline believes that entrepreneurs should focus on developing products and services that solve real-world problems. By creating solutions to these problems, entrepreneurs can contribute to the digital economy in the region and have a positive impact on society.

Jacqueline’s emphasis on problem-solving highlights the importance of creating products and services that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Entrepreneurs can create solutions that benefit society and drive sustainable growth and development.

“There are many problems to solve – digital payments, wealth management, asset management and investment insurance,” Jaqueline acknowledges. “Moreover, there is much potential in the sustainability space, particularly in carbon services, monitoring, verification, and reporting for carbon credits. With the Southeast Asia region’s growing focus on sustainability, entrepreneurs can develop innovative solutions to help address the pressing environmental challenges facing the world today.”

Jacqueline encourages more women to participate in the tech industry, knowing there is ample opportunity for them to contribute to both the engineering and non-engineering aspects of technology. As a prominent woman in tech herself, she recognises the value of diversity in the industry and the need to increase the representation of women in technology-related fields.

“Tech is everywhere. And that requires a whole range of skill sets. There’s a common misperception that tech means you need to be a software developer or a machine learning expert. If you’re interested in hardcore engineering, there are many places for you to be and very good job prospects, but tech is now a sort of broader concept. Tech needs soft skills,” she elaborates.

Jacqueline’s perspective highlights the value of diverse backgrounds and skill sets in the technology industry. At the top of the field, she says, quite a few CEOs come from non-engineering backgrounds, having studied History, Anthropology, English language and Literature.

This shows that doing well in the sector is not limited to individuals with just one type of educational background or expertise. There are many opportunities for people with different experiences and abilities to contribute to the growth and success of tech companies.

In addition, advanced technology like quantum and AI has far-reaching implications and requires technical skills and a broader understanding of governance, regulations, ethics, and other related areas. Jacqueline’s background in social science – she used to be an economist – has lent to her belief that it is essential to have individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets working together to ensure that these technologies are developed and used responsibly and ethically.

While technical expertise is crucial, the inclusion of social science and humanities backgrounds can provide a deeper understanding of the impact and implications of technology on society. It is essential to have a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents different backgrounds and experiences to drive inclusive and comprehensive innovation and success.

Integrated Portal to Access Government Services in Indonesia

The PANRB Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform in coordination with The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has developed the Public Services Portal. The portal serves as a unified online hub for public services.

This portal’s development has progressed to enhance the outcomes of IT security assessment and usability testing. The public will soon be able to use the site and apps that combine several public services with a single login, eliminating the need to maintain separate accounts for each.

The service’s app has been submitted to the mobile application store but is still under maintenance after their feedback. The Public Service Portal will be demonstrated for use after the fixes. The Public Service Portal will be available to the general public in April and May.

“The Public Service Portal provides information to the public regarding the rights obtained and the obligations that must be fulfilled,” said Deputy for Public Services of the Ministry of PANRB Diah Natalisa in the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Synergy of Portal Development Public Service, in South Jakarta.

The Electronic Based Government System is bolstered by creating a Public Service Portal (SPBE). The Public Service Portal was designed with the community in mind, with the individual as a supporting character. Diah highlighted that in a citizen-centric setting, there are two services available.

An individual’s age, location, income, gender, level of education, and health status are just a few examples of the demographic factors that the public service portal considers when making personalisation suggestions in the doorway. The second type of service is predicated on a system of rights and duties.

Aligning with the National SPBE Team, which is based on Presidential Regulation no. 132/2022 about SPBE Architecture, the Public Service Portal’s service integration strategy has been refocused. The Presidential Decree includes several strategic measures, such as online SIM issuing, social aid, and education integration.

Moreover, the Draft Presidential Instruction on the Acceleration of the Implementation of the SPBE Architecture expands the locus through which integration is meant to be understood. The public service site has been updated to include cross-border services. The second quarter of the future is expected to concentrate on integrating transportation services, whether air, land, or sea.

We also welcome the Ministry of Transportation as the service owner that will be incorporated shortly,” Diah mentioned. The goal of the hybrid FGD meeting is to get a consensus on which services should be integrated first and how government service portals should be built and improved.

To avoid the concept of “one innovation, one application,” a single sign-in site is in keeping with the digital transformation strategy of PANRB Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas. The general public or businesses using the service do not need to go through unnecessary hoops like downloading several apps, making multiple accounts, or entering the same information more than once.

Anas claimed that SPBE was essential to improving how well the government served its citizens. Access to government services may be sped up and made more convenient with technology and digitalisation. Anas stated that, between 2020 and 2022, 10,799 complaints were lodged over the government’s digital services. “Among the complaints are protests from locals,” Anas explained. “Yesterday, they filled in the data in the prior application; today, another application from a related industry was entered; and today, they were told to fill in the data again.”

Future consolidation of digital services will be driven by population information. The Digital Public Service Mall (MPP) is the first to implement the concept of a “single sign-on” that eliminates the need for users to create different accounts and download various programmes.

AI to Identify Outbreaks and New Diseases in Indonesia

There has been extensive usage of AI technology in the service of helping humanity. In the health sector, AI has been used to identify new illnesses and epidemics that have become a concern when they appear in different parts of the world. Therefore, it was decided to develop the necessary tools to assist the country in dealing with any future pandemic in Indonesia at the suggestion of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

Given Indonesia’s limited infrastructure and medical workforce, a well-thought-out plan was crucial for overcoming such an emergency. As a result, the healthcare infrastructure in Indonesia, including hospitals, physicians, health workers, and the government, could be ready for any future pandemic.

Outbreaks can be identified using AI by extracting morphometric information from microscopy images. Anto Satriyo Nugroho, Director of BRIN’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Cybersecurity (PR KAKS), said that AI can greatly aid Indonesian healthcare workers in hot spots, for instance, malaria epidemics. The algorithm could determine whether a person has caught malaria based on whether their blood sample tested positive for the parasite outbreak.

“Artificial intelligence applications can also detect epidemics with high precision. With AI, we can get an accurate forecast 77.14% of the time, with a sensitivity of 84.37% and an F1 accuracy of 80.60%,” he revealed.

To promote such initiatives, the National Research, and Innovation Agency (BRIN) hosted a webinar with the topic “Utilising AI in Health”. A panel discussion with a resource person, the Director of the BRIN Institute’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Cybersecurity (PR KAKS), followed the webinar activity. Prof. Indi Dharmayanti, Head of the BRIN Health Research Organisation, and Alexander Svinin, Russian Trade Attache for Indonesia, shared some opening comments during this webinar.

Experts in artificial intelligence technology include Anto Satriyo Nugroho, Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence at Innopolis University Russia Ramil Kuleev, and researcher from the Astutiati Nurhasanah National Agency for Research on Vaccines and Drugs Research Centre, Ruslan Lukin.

Meanwhile, Russian Trade Attaché Alexander Svinin has voiced his approval of the work being done in Indonesia in artificial intelligence, “When it comes to the use of AI in medicine, we will be extremely receptive to new ideas and findings. This will open the door for cooperation among many groups.”

Professor and Head of the Russian University of Innopolis’s Institute of AI According to Ramil Kuleev, artificial intelligence has been used in various spheres of Russian society, most notably the medical field, where it has been used to diagnose illnesses based on radiological examinations.

Indonesian organisations like the Metaverse Research & Experience Centre (MREC) and the Indonesia Metaverse Collaboration supports the metaverse effort alongside AI development. Denny Setiawan, Director of resource management for the Ministry of Communication and Information’s Directorate General of Resources and Equipment of Post and Information Technology, said this would be a crucial step in hastening the country’s digital transition.

The mission of the Metaverse Research and Education Consortium (MREC), a public-private partnership, is to foster these very activities inside the realm of the technological metaverse. The Metaverse Research and Experience Centre (MREC) may be in the middle of the action on the Telkom University Campus. The building will serve as a hub for metaverse technology-related R&D, engagement with industry, and capability development.

Academics, researchers, connectivity service providers, industry partnerships, and policymakers can all work together and build connections with the help of MREC’s resources. Launching MREC is a big deal for Indonesia’s digital economy since it shows the country is serious about capitalising on the rising international interest in metaverse technology.

April 1, 2023

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