How Singapore government’s communication keeps nation moving forward in crisis

With the first COVID-19 case confirmed in Singapore in January, it would have been reasonable to assume Singapore would fall victim to a large-scale outbreak.

Singapore was the third country to report cases of COVID-19, and by mid-February, had recorded over 80 infections, the highest outside the Chinese mainland. Singapore case count is at 200.

As it stands today Singapore is very successfully managing and controlling the virus from becoming a large-scale national crisis with many countries across the world looking to Singapore Government as an example of what should be done and what can be done for countries going forward.

The Singaporean approach has been prevention, contact tracing, quarantine and access to information. Just one of the reasons the Government has been commended internationally is because of it’s communication with it’s citizens.

Access to information, transparency and daily communication with citizens has shown great leadership from the Government giving citizens the knowledge and power to continue successfully with daily life in the city-state.

This has worked well on many levels.

Strong, Clear and Concise Direction from Government

Many countries now are facing bigger problems with the Coronavirus outbreak due to citizens not being made fully aware of the Coronavirus situation in their country, not sure what actions they were to take, and government agencies not working together as they should.

All Singapore Government agencies provide advice, support and updates on the Coronavirus regularly and there are various applications online to ensure citizens are supported and informed.

Keeping The Nation Digitally Updated

The Singapore Government and it’s ministries have all pulled together to keep the nation working, through its various digital initiatives throughout this pandemic from the very start.

Singaporeans can subscribe to WhatsApp updates from the Ministry of Health or find up-to-date information on the ministry’s website. These updates summarise the current situation in the country. This dedicated COVID-19 site gives very transparent information on each confirmed case.

The website shares the age, sex and occupation of each person who has tested positive for the virus. It reveals where they travelled recently, and when they sought medical help. It explains when they were hospitalised and when they were discharged.

After the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Singapore was reported stocks of surgical masks were sold out in a very short space of time throughout retail outlets across Singapore.

The Singapore government announced on 30 January 2020 that it would be giving each household four surgical masks, to be collected from specific distribution centres between 1-9 February 2020.

Government Agency, GovTech quickly worked to help keep citizens informed and updated on the Government’s mask distribution.

The Agency recognised the importance of getting timely and accurate information about the distribution centres to citizens, a team of developers at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore mobilised to develop MaskGoWhere – a website providing information on mask collection points.

The Singapore government also launched a chatbot to aid employers to stay updated on the news following the COVID-19 virus. This online bot provides answers based on the programmed questions on the existing situation. Employers are able to find out more information such as the help that is available for them and how to ensure business continuity in uncertain times.

The website of the Ministry of Communications and Information have launched useful and practical campaigns and posters on ‘When to See a Doctor’, ‘What happens to suspect cases’ and ‘How to practice good personal hygiene’.

The “SG Clean” campaign launched by the government on 16 Feb 2020 outlines what all Singaporeans should do to adopt good personal and environmental hygiene habits. It also calls on organisations to adhere to sanitation and hygiene checklists by authorities.

Singapore’s strategy involves multiple lines of defence

Singapore’s strategy to guard against and slow the spread of COVID-19 has been described as ‘multiple lines of defence’. These measures come into play at various stages, from detecting cases before or during entry to Singapore, containing suspect cases to ensuring everyone is informed, updated and prepared to do what is right in protecting themselves and the country against COVID-19 and to keep the country moving forward.

Singapore, Indonesia Team Up on Green-Tech, Digitalisation

Singapore and Indonesia reaffirmed their strong and long-standing economic ties; and to explore opportunities in the development of Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, both nations welcomed the Letters of Intent submitted by Singapore-based businesses from a variety of sectors, including construction, telecommunication and finance. This collaboration in renewable energy and the digital economy was expanded.

Singapore’s Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Renewable Energy Cooperation.

Both countries will facilitate investments in the development of renewable energy manufacturing industries, such as solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Indonesia, as well as cross-border electricity trading projects between Indonesia and Singapore, under the terms of the MOU.

Recognising the synergies shared by Singapore’s and Indonesia’s tech ecosystems, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto also signed the MOU on the Singapore-Indonesia Tech:X Programme.

The MOU will establish the Tech:X Programme, which enables young tech professionals from Singapore and Indonesia to work in each other’s countries, strengthens ties between the two nations’ tech ecosystems, and enables young tech professionals to pursue expanding opportunities in the digital economy.

“Through the Tech:X Program, we hope that young tech talent from both countries will be able to learn from one another, gain exposure, and expand the capabilities of both countries’ tech workforces,” Minister Gan says.

Ministers Gan and Airlangga also witnessed the signing of nine partnership documents between Singapore and Indonesia companies on 15 March 2023, in conjunction with the Leaders’ Retreat. In addition to health tech and ed-tech, the partnerships are in the digital economy.

The annual G2G platform, as well as the Singapore-Indonesia Six Bilateral Economic Working Groups (6WG), facilitate close economic collaboration between Singapore and Indonesia.

The 6WG platform addresses economic collaboration in the following areas: Batam, Bintan, Karimun, and other Special Economic Zones: Investments, Manpower, Agribusiness, Transportation, and Tourism.

Singapore and Indonesia have close commercial and investment ties. With bilateral trade totalling S$76.4 billion in 2022, Indonesia is Singapore’s sixth-largest trading partner. Since 2014, Singapore has been Indonesia’s top source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with Singapore’s investments in Indonesia totalling US$17.5 billion by 2022.

OpenGov Asia earlier reported that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently met at the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. This was the sixth Leaders’ Retreat for Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo and the first to be held in Singapore since the COVID-19 pandemic.

During President Joko Widodo’s two terms in office, the relationship between the two countries had significantly improved, according to both leaders. This laid the groundwork for them to collaborate in new ways that are profound, multifaceted, forward-looking, and beneficial to both countries.

The ratification of all three agreements under the Expanded Framework was celebrated by the Leaders. These included the Agreement on the Realignment of the Boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Singapore FIR, the Extradition Treaty, and the Defense Cooperation Agreement.

The Leaders anticipated the next step of obtaining International Civil Aviation Organisation approval 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 enduring issues demonstrates the maturity and resilience of bilateral relations.

Goa, India Unveils AI-Based Traffic Management System

An artificial intelligence (AI)-powered traffic management system has been launched in Goa at Merces junction. The system will assist state authorities with security, signal management, and issuing fines and tickets (challan). The technology automatically detects violations and dispatches an e-challan to the violator’s address, as per a government report.

According to the state’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, this is the first signal in Goa that incorporates AI technology. He said that the system will benefit traffic police by enabling them to monitor traffic and enhance security more efficiently.

There will be 16 smart signals aimed at managing traffic in Goa. The technology aims to bring down major accidents in the city. The system can “keep track of the movement of anti-social elements,” the report said. The Chief Minister stated that AI might also be used to make any arrests in the future.

The system has been developed and implemented by a private AI company and deployed at the Merces junction. Goa will expand the scope of implementation on a PPP basis by collaborating with private investment. The signals have been installed at no cost to the state government.

The government does not want people to break rules or take the law into their own hands. The Transport Minister, Mauvin Godingo, noted that although the implementation of the system has begun, the process of issue challenge will be completed by 15 April.

The AI system will reduce human errors and corruption. There will be real-time photographs if someone violates the traffic rules. An official claimed that within the next 15 years, the government will install AI at more locations to monitor roads under the PPP model.

In 2021, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) implemented AI-based technologies to limit road accidents and improve passenger safety in buses. The corporation floated a tender for the implementation of an AI-powered Collision Warning System (CWS) and Driver Drowsiness System (DDS) for 1,044 buses.

In April 2022, under the second phase of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)’s Intelligent Transportation System Endeavor for Indian Cities initiative, an indigenous onboard driver assistance and warning system (ODAWS), a bus signal priority system, and a Common Smart IoT Connectiv (CoSMiC) software were launched.

A few months later, the Bengaluru traffic police rolled out an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS). Similar to the recently-launched system in Goa, AI-enabled cameras detect traffic violations. The ITMS issues fines through text messages on offenders’ phones.

AI and machine learning (ML) technology are used in the ITMS to identify traffic violations automatically, as OpenGov Asia reported. The ITMS has been installed at 30 traffic junctions across the city. The cameras can detect speed limit violations and red light and stop lane breaches, and offences like helmet-less travel, driving without a seatbelt, triple-riding, and the use of mobile phones while driving.

The system has an AI-enabled solution with 250 automatic number plate recognition cameras and 80 red light violation detection cameras installed at 50 junctions. These cameras, which are active round-the-clock, have saved a lot of manpower, which is redeployed for traffic management and regulation. The data collected is stored on a server owned by traffic police. In the future, the police force plans to track vehicles without number plates and stolen vehicles.

Vietnam’s Fixed Internet Speeds Improve

The quality of Internet service has improved following directives issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). Globally, Vietnam ranks 39^th in terms of fixed Internet.

According to an industry report, the country ranks 52^nd globally in mobile Internet speed, a fall of nine places as compared to the month before. The broadband download in February was 42.67 Mbps, while the upload speed was 18.27 Mbps. As for fixed broadband Internet, Vietnam jumped six places to rank 39th, despite issues with submarine fibre optic cables.

It was reported that the average download speed of fixed broadband in Vietnam was 91.6 Mbps, while the upload speed was 93.38 Mbps. The system measuring the Internet access speed in Vietnam (i-SPEED) of the Vietnam Internet Centre (VIC) under MIC has also reported similar results, with average fixed download broadband speed up and mobile broadband down.

The average broadband download speed in Vietnam in February was 89,73 Mpps, up 4.6% over January. Among the centrally run cities, Ho Chi Minh City had the highest fixed broadband download speed (96.55Mbps). The average fixed broadband upload speed of the whole country was 88.71 Mbps (up 4.7%).

As per data from VIC, in terms of mobile Internet, the average download speed of the whole country in February was 36.45 Mbps (down 10.7% over January), while the average upload was 16.19 Mbps (down 6.7%).

The figures from both domestic and international sources indicated that there has been a significant improvement in Vietnam’s fixed Internet speed in February, a considerable achievement considering the several incidents surrounding the submarine fibre optic cables since late 2022. As a solution, MIC has directed telecom carriers to promptly apply measures to fix the problems to ensure smooth international Internet connection.

Under the instructions of the Authority of Telecommunications (AOT), mobile network operators have negotiated to buy more mainland optical fibre capacity and share capacity with each other to overcome the crisis.

MIC has also requested telcos to develop more submarine fibre optic cables to better satisfy users’ demands. Vietnam is using five international submarine fibre optic cables. The government expects the total number of cable routes used in Vietnam to double by 2025. Telcos have noted that the increase in the capacity of international connection on the mainland has helped improve the Internet service quality and the complaints about service quality have decreased.

As a result of better and more easily available Internet connectivity, Vietnam’s digital economy has grown rapidly. Data from MIC showed that the ICT economy’s revenue reached an estimated US$ 148 billion in 2022, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.7%. The contribution of the digital economy to the national GDP in 2022 accounted for about 14.26% of the total, with 7.18% contributed by the ICT digital economy.

As OpenGov Asia reported earlier, IT services have contributed the most to the digital economy, accounting for about 30% of the total value, followed by e-commerce (14.3%) and hardware production (12.83%). The digital content field recorded the strongest growth, up nearly 104% compared to the first quarter of 2022.

MIC developed a strategy for digital technology industry development to 2025 with a vision for 2030. Last year, the ministry announced 35 national digital platforms serving digital transformation and the development of digital government, economy, and society, including 21 developed by domestic digital technology enterprises. These have contributed to facilitating state management and public services.

Western Australia and Tamil Nadu Hubs Ink Innovation Agreement

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to establish a bridge for startups between India’s most industrialised state and Western Australia’s flourishing innovation ecosystem. The MoU was signed by iTNT Hub, which is India’s first emerging and deeptech innovation network, and the WA Data Science Innovation Hub based at Curtin University, which is a cluster for data science, artificial intelligence, and information technology innovation in Western Australia.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the first day of the Umagine conference in Nandambakkam, Tamil Nadu. The event was attended by the IT and Digital Services Minister of the state and the Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy from Western Australia.

Western Australia’s Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy stated that the goal of the Memorandum of Understanding between the WA Data Science Innovation Hub (WADSIH) and iTNT is to establish a defined collaboration that is mutually beneficial for the development of shared objectives between the ecosystems of Tamil Nadu and Western Australia.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of iTNT Hub expressed his delight in receiving the support of senior ministers and heads of state from visiting delegations. The delegations were guided by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation in Western Australia and the Department of Information Technology and Digital Services in Tamil Nadu.

The iTNT Hub CEO noted that the agreement aims to establish the groundwork for a start-up and innovation bridge between Tamil Nadu and Western Australia. This will facilitate increased collaboration and exchange between the two innovation ecosystems.

The primary goal is to work with entrepreneurs, innovators, and an academic network of over 570 engineering colleges and industries to promote innovation on a large scale. The iTNT Hub’s teams are excited about the potential outcomes of this collaboration with the start-up minds in Western Australia.

The Director of the Curtin-based WA Data Science Innovation Hub stated that through the Memorandum of Understanding, exchange and collaboration opportunities will be provided to innovators, entrepreneurs, and the most talented students in both India and Western Australia.

He noted that artificial intelligence is expected to contribute AU$ 22 trillion to the global economy in the next seven years. Therefore, it is crucial to collaborate with global leaders in data science, applied artificial intelligence, and information technology-based innovation.

He said that the state of Tamil Nadu produces more engineering graduates than any other state in the world. Therefore, the team is excited to collaborate with iTNT to take innovation to the next level.

According to the Program Manager of WA Data Science Innovation Hub, the collaboration between the two entities has the potential to create a significant impact on a global level. The Memorandum of Understanding will enable Western Australia’s flourishing startup community to collaborate with the bright minds from India’s most industrialised state, driving innovation across the Indian Ocean. Through cross-collaboration around innovation, novel solutions can be created to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.

The Government of Tamil Nadu is leading the establishment of India’s first emerging and deeptech innovation network, iTNT Hub. This initiative is supported by the Government of India and various industries to provide a platform for entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, and industry to collaborate and innovate.

The WA Data Science Innovation Hub is an initiative of the Western Australian Government and is supported by Curtin University. Its objective is to maintain Western Australia’s position at the forefront of the digital revolution by promoting the adoption, education, training, and awareness of data science in the state.

EXCLUSIVE! Chatbot Development for Public Service

OpenGov Asia has recognised GovTech for the public sector’s evolving digital use. The agency has streamlined government operations and broken new ground with its Virtual Intelligent Chat Assistant (VICA). The project is part of GovTech’s ongoing efforts to develop and deploy chatbots to fill gaps in government services and enhance the lives of citizens.

VICA is the most recent citizen assistant platform from GovTech, utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create more efficient and beneficial chatbots for government agencies to manage and for end users. The ‘Ask Jamie’ Virtual Assistant will eventually be replaced by VICA.

The engine-neutral platform employs cutting-edge tech to enhance performance and precision. VICA utilises natural language processing engines, machine learning and AI to enhance virtual and phone interactions between Singapore government institutions and residents or businesses.

This platform not only learns and interprets conversations but also offers businesses the ability to design and train chatbots, features that Ask Jamie did not provide. The automated processes provided by VICA make it easier for agencies to onboard and “train” their chatbots.

This accomplishment earned GovTech the prestigious OpenGov Asia Recognition of Excellence Award, which will be presented at the 8th Annual Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum 2023.

Chatbot advancement to improve citizen experience

In addition to providing a simple FAQ, VICA improves transactional services in numerous other ways. Streamlining transactions provides greater convenience and access to government services and information, as well as quicker and more direct responses to user inquiries.

Taxi drivers and hawker stall owners, for instance, can use the IRAS chatbot to request assistance with tax filing. The Municipal Services Office’s OneService Chatbot, Kaki, which allows residents to easily report municipal issues via WhatsApp and Telegram, is also powered by VICA.

VICA-powered chatbots provide the public with timely updates, such as the Gov.sg chatbot, which provides COVID-19 updates and disseminates important government announcements in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

Using NLP technology has allowed VICA-powered chatbots to better understand and interpret human language, particularly in the context of Singaporean English, thereby improving overall user experience. It is possible to create more structured conversational flows by defining intents, entities and context management – the building blocks that provide directions to chatbots and allow them to meet the needs of users.

VICA provides detailed analytics and insights into the performance of the chatbot as well as user conversations. With this information, the team can identify areas for improvement to enhance performance and accuracy.

Technology is constantly evolving, and the team is continuously on the lookout for and learning about new AI trends. Hence, VICA has been experimenting with a Generative AI programme that can understand written prompts and respond with helpful assistance in real-time since mid-2022.

VICA’s development involves the gradual integration of cutting-edge technology that meets the requirements of the entire government. These technological upgrades will include a unified chat frontend to ensure consistent branding across all government ministries and agencies – Singpass Integration, Live Chat Escalation, and support for various chat platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

As part of the closed beta programme with internal testers, the VICA team has been utilising these technologies to improve the quality and efficacy of the chatbots with citizens.

Developers also want to reduce the time and effort that their agency partners have to invest in training and maintaining their chatbots. While the team has always been receptive to new technologies, they take a measured approach, through progressive internal testing phases with the selected partner agencies before launching to the public.

The strategy is to determine how technological advancements can benefit not only the agency partners but also citizen users.

VICA intends to surpass FAQ-style chatbots with near-human conversation capabilities in the long run. It intends to combine services and transactional capabilities so that chatbots can assist users with their inquiries and complete transactions.

Given the potential risks and shortcomings associated with the development of intelligent development of platforms, it is vital to have an ethics framework in place. This will allow developers to plan for and be aware of the pitfalls and limitations of AI, which include:

Accuracy: Models can give false responses that sound convincing
Bias: Inherent biases may exist in the training dataset, which can be difficult to pre-empt due to the lack of information. This could then manifest in the model’s responses;
Harmful content: To create a safe and healthy environment for users’ interaction with chat apps, chat moderation is important to monitor and regulate user input messages against inappropriate and offensive content;
Data governance: When interacting with chatbots, users may inadvertently volunteer personal and confidential data through the chatbot’s prompts.

It is essential to encourage interactions with them and provide feedback to ensure that chatbots are performing as intended and to improve their overall performance.

Despite the functionality and enormous potential of generative AI, VICA has placed a high priority on governing its use to ensure that such technology is employed in an ethical manner benefitting both end users and society.

To mitigate the risk of unintended prejudices and ensure adherence to data governance rules, it is crucial to adopt an intentional strategy for the collection and transformation of raw data into useful and insightful outputs. Such a strategy can help ensure that the data is handled fairly and responsibly and that any potential risks are addressed pre-emptively or proactively. Moreover, this approach ensures that the resulting outputs are accurate, reliable and trustworthy.

About the team

The organisation recognises the importance of aligning team members towards a shared vision and objective, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. With a diverse team, each member can bring their unique perspectives and expertise to the table. Working collaboratively, the team can leverage these diverse perspectives to generate innovative problem-solving strategies.

The VICA team fosters an atmosphere of open communication and encourages feedback, creating a cooperative environment where team members feel heard and valued. This establishes a safe place where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.

They frequently organise team-building activities outside of work to foster camaraderie, build stronger relationships and create a more cohesive team dynamic. They believe this approach can lead to more innovative solutions and better decision-making.

Defining clear objectives and goals is crucial for the success of the VICA team. Every team member understands that they are working towards a common objective, providing a sense of purpose and direction.

Clear missions and defined tasks allow the team to stay on track and ensure that their efforts are moving the project forward in the right manner. This approach helps ensure that everyone is aligned and focused on achieving the same goals, which ultimately contributes to the success of the project.

The VICA team has implemented a robust project management framework that outlines the roles and responsibilities of team members at each project stage. They adhere to budget planning procedures to manage costs effectively. This framework helps ensure that everyone is clear on their responsibilities and contributes effectively to the project’s success within the specified budget.

The VICA team has adopted an agile approach that emphasises adaptability, speed and continuous quality improvement. The team uses retrospectives to evaluate what works well and what doesn’t, identifying opportunities for future improvement. This enables the team to quickly make adjustments and continuously improve the project’s quality, resulting in a more successful outcome.

EKSKLUSIF! Pemerintah Singapura Pakai AI dan ML untuk Bikin Chatbot Cerdas

Proyek VICA (Virtual Intelligence Chat Assistant) adalah platform layanan chatbot yang bisa digunakan sebagai dasar pengembangan berbagai layanan chatbot di berbagai instansi pemerintahan Singapura. Platform ini ditenagai dengan Kecerdasan Buatan (Artificial Intelligence/ AI) dan pembelajaran mesin (Machine Learning/ ML) agar chatbot yang dikembangkan oleh berbagai instansi pemerintahan bisa memberikan respons yang lebih ‘manusiawi’ kepada warga dan berbagai perusahaan di Singapura.

Layanan platform chatbot VICA dikembangkan oleh GovTech, yaitu Badan Teknologi Pemerintah (Government Technology) yang mendorong transformasi digital ke berbagai instansi pemerintah di Singapura. GovTech mengembangkan VICA sebagai perbaikan dari layanan chatbot sebelumnya; Ask Jamie.

Untuk membantu VICA memberikan jawaban yang lebih natural dan akurat, GovTech memanfaatkan teknologi NLP (natural language processing) terbaru dengan platform mesin-agnostik. Menerapkan kecerdasan buatan dan pembelajaran mesin membuat VICA mampu mempelajari dan menafsirkan percakapan dan meningkatkan interaksi ketika ‘diajak bicara’ secara virtual maupun lewat telepon. Sebagai sebuah platform, VICA juga digunakan oleh berbagai instansi pemerintah lain untuk melatih chatbot yang mereka kembangkan. Fitur ini sebelumnya tak ada di platform chatbot Ask Jamie.

VICA merupakan bagian dari upaya GovTech untuk membangun dan menggunakan chatbot guna menjembatani pemerintah dengan warga dan swasta. Kepiawaian dan inovasi GovTech ini mendapat atensi dari OpenGov Asia untuk mendapatkan penghargaan OpenGov Asia Recognition of Excellence Award yang akan diberikan pada Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum 2023 tahunan ke-8.

Chatbot pintar

Dalam wawancara dengan CEO dan Pemimpin Redaksi OpenGov Asia, tim pengembang VICA menyebut mereka telah meningkatkan berbagai fitur untuk memperbaiki cara chatbot anyar ini dalam melayani pengguna. VICA bisa memberi jawaban lebih cepat dan sesuai konteks sehingga ia tak hanya menjawab pertanyaan berdasarkan jawaban yang sering ditanyakan atau sesuai template semata. Hal ini membuat pengguna merasa lebih nyaman ketika berinteraksi dengan VICA.

Sebagai sebuah platform, VICA juga digunakan untuk mengembangkan chatbot instansi pemerintah lain. Contohnya adalah chatbot IRAS yang digunakan wiraswasta seperti supir taksi atau pemilik kios jajanan untuk meminta bantuan dalam pengajuan pajak. Kaki, chatbot layanan terpadu dari Kantor Layanan Kota bisa yang akan menampung laporan dan keluhan warga soal masalah kota lewat WhatsApp dan Telegram.

Selain itu, platform chatbot VICA juga bisa memberikan informasi terbaru secara real-time kepada warga. Contohnya, chatbot Gov.sg yang memberikan pembaruan status COVID-19 dan pengumuman pemerintah dalam bahasa Inggris, Mandarin, Melayu, dan Tamil.

Agar interaksi dengan VICA lebih ramah pengguna, tim memanfaatkan teknologi NLP untuk bisa memahami dan menginterpretasikan bahasa manusia. Namun, bahasa utama yang paling baik diinterpretasikan VICA saat ini adalah bahasa Inggris Singapura.

“Dengan memahami maksud pertanyaan, siapa yang menanyakan, dan konteks pertanyaan, ini akan jadi bahan arahan bagi chatbot untuk memberikan jawaban yang memuaskan kebutuhan pengguna, sehingga alur percakapan bisa lebih terstruktur,” jelas tim VICA.

Agar performa VICA makin bagus, tim juga melengkapi platform ini dengan analisis data. Hasil analisis itu memberikan gambaran terperinci tentang kinerja chatbot serta bagaimana kinerjanya atas percakapan pengguna. Hal ini membuat tim VICA bisa mengidentifikasi hal yang bisa diperbaiki untuk meningkatkan akurasi VICA.

Ketika memanfaatkan AI, terdapat kekhawatiran masalah etika dari kecerdasan buatan yang digunakan. Sebab, pada beberapa kasus, AI kerap memberi jawaban yang menyesatkan atau tidak sesuai etika. Tim VICA menyadari hal dan sepakat kalau model AI bisa memberikan respons yang salah namun terdengar meyakinkan.

Jawaban yang keluar dari model AI juga bisa terkontaminasi oleh bias. Bias bawaan ini mungkin terjadi imbas dari kumpulan data yang digunakan untuk melatih model AI itu. Namun hal ini bisa jadi sulit dicegah karena kekurangan informasi yang dimasukkan dalam data latihan AI tersebut. Bias dan jawaban menyesatkan tadi kemudian nampak dalam respons AI atas pertanyaan pengguna.

Untuk menjaga pembicaraan yang sehat, model AI juga perlu menyaring konten yang ditanyakan pengguna. “Moderasi obrolan diperlukan untuk memantau dan menyaring pesan yang dimasukkan pengguna untuk mengatur respons AI terhadap konten yang tidak pantas dan menyinggung.”

Etika lain yang dipertimbangkan tim pengembang VICA adalah soal tata kelola data. Saat berinteraksi dengan chatbot, pengguna mungkin secara tidak sengaja memberikan data pribadi dan rahasia secara sukarela akibat perintah chatbot.

“Terlepas dari fungsi dan potensi AI generatif yang sangat besar, kami memastikan teknologi ini digunakan dengan cara yang etis dan menguntungkan pengguna dan masyarakat,” tegas tim VICA.

Untuk mengurangi berbagai risiko disinformasi, misinformasi, bias, dan masalah etis lain, tim memastikan efisiensi dan kegunaan tiap informasi yang dikumpulkan dan ditransformasi sebagai bahan data mentah pelatihan model AI yang mereka kembangkan. Hal ini juga dilakukan agar mereka mematuhi aturan tata kelola data yang berlaku. Selain itu, mereka pun senantiasa memeriksa umpan balik pengguna agar chatbot yang dikembangkan berfungsi semestinya.

Ketika ditanya soal pengembangan VICA ke depan, sejak pertengahan 2022, tim pengembang telah mulai bereksperimen dengan program AI Generatif. Program ini bisa memahami petunjuk tertulis dan merespons dengan bantuan yang bermanfaat secara real-time.

Dalam jangka Panjang, VICA akan terus disempurnakan dengan teknologi terkini yang paling sesuai dengan kebutuhan Whole-Of-Government. Mereka akan mengembangkan antarmuka obrolan terpadu sehingga branding pada chatbot pemerintah lebih seragam di semua kementerian dan lembaga. Selain itu, mereka juga berencana melakukan integrasi VICA dengan Singpass, memperbanyak fitur Live Chat, serta integrasi dengan platform chat seperti Whatsapp dan Telegram.

Selain itu, tim VICA juga telah menjajaki teknologi kemampuan percakapan tingkat lanjut seperti yang digunakan oleh ChatGPT. Mereka tengah menelisik teknologi ini dalam program beta tertutup dan tengah melakukan pengujian internal untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan kenyamanan pemakaian chatbot. Langkah selanjutnya adalah menerapkan cara yang dapat mempermudah para mitra GovTech ketika mengadopsi platform VICA ketika mereka ingin membuat chatbot sendiri. Dengan VICA, mereka bisa mempersingkat waktu dan mengurangi kerumitan dalam melatih serta memelihara chatbot mereka.

“Kemajuan teknologi apa pun harus bisa memberikan pelayanan yang lebih baik bagi mitra instansi dan warga, itu sudah menjadi DNA kami,” tegas tim VICA

Cita-cita jangka panjang lain adalah membuat chatbot VICA bisa digunakan sebagai media transaksi. Jadi, chatbot ini tak sekedar bisa menjawab pertanyaan saja, tapi juga bisa terintegrasi dengan operasional layanan pemerintah. “Kami juga selalu terbuka untuk teknologi baru dan siap melakukan kalibrasi melalui fase pengujian internal, sebelum meluncurkan layanan itu kepada warga.”

Membangun tim inovatif

Tim VICA lantas membeberkan sejumlah cara yang mereka lakukan untuk memastikan inovasi berkelanjutan dan keberhasilan program.

“Dengan menetapkan tujuan dan sasaran yang jelas, setiap anggota tim akan terbantu untuk memahami bahwa mereka memiliki tujuan bersama yang jelas, sehingga setiap orang memahami tugas dan tanggung jawab masing-masing.”

Di tahap awal, tim membangun kerangka kerja manajemen proyek. Kerangka ini membantu peran dan tanggung jawab anggota tim untuk pembagian beban kerja yang sehat di setiap tahap proyek. Kerangka ini juga berguna untuk penentuan perencanaan anggaran agar biaya bisa dikelola secara efektif. Tim juga menciptakan suasana yang terbuka terhadap berbagai umpan balik, sehingga setiap anggota tim bisa dengan bebas dan merasa aman dan didengar ketika mengajukan pendapat.

Untuk mengukur dan mengevaluasi keefektifan kerja, tim VICA mengadopsi metodologi Agile. Metode ini dianggap lebih fleksibel, cepat, dan bisa membantu tim untuk meningkatkan kualitas kerja mereka. Sementara dalam proses pengembangan produk, mereka mendapat manfaat dari metode Scrum dan Kanban. Sebagai bahan evaluasi, tim juga mengandalkan retrospektif untuk mempelajari kembali apa yang berhasil dan apa yang tidak. Bahan ini lantas digunakan untuk perbaikan produk di masa mendatang.

Ketika berinteraksi dengan tim yang berbeda latar belakang, tim VICA memulai proyek dengan membangun rasa saling percaya dan menyelaraskan visi dan tujuan bersama. Sehingga, tiap anggota bisa memiliki cara masing-masing untuk berkontribusi dengan caranya yang unik. Dengan menyatukan semua pendapat berbeda ini, mereka dapat menciptakan dan menemukan solusi inovatif untuk berbagai masalah.

Sementara untuk menjaga kebersamaan dan kolaborasi yang efektif dalam tim, mereka memperbanyak waktu bersama lewat sesi curah pendapat (brainstorming), proyek bersama, hingga kegiatan team bonding. Mereka pun mengembangkan budaya untuk menghargai kontribusi dan menghormati pendapat setiap anggota tim. Inisiatif ini menjamin tiap pendapat didengar serta memberikan lingkungan yang aman bagi tiap anggota untuk berbagi pandangan yang berbeda.

Singapore: New App for Uroflowmetry Analysis

Associate Professor Ng Lay Guat of Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has created a mobile application capable of detecting abnormal urine flow. When implemented, the app may reduce clinic wait times by allowing patients to perform certain tests at home prior to their visit. Currently, in testing, the SGH urology team led by Associate Professor Ng is likely to launch the app within the year.

Patients being treated for urological conditions routinely submit to uroflowmetry, a standard test in which they urinate into an electronic machine. The collected data assists physicians in determining the treatment’s efficacy and whether any modifications are necessary. For the test to be accurate, the patient’s bladder must be full; otherwise, the result may be inconclusive.

The clinic can be a stressful environment for the patient, according to Dr Edwin Jonathan Aslim, Consultant, Department of Urology, SGH. Having other patients behind them in line for the same test can induce anxiety, so they perform the test quickly even if the bladder is not full.

He added that inaccurate test results require patients to retake the examination, which increases their waiting time by one to two hours, as the bladder must fill up again. Hence, patients might even have to return on a different day.

With the app, patients can retake the test at home without anxiety as often as they desire, providing doctors with a more accurate picture of their condition. Using the app will also enable nurses to devote more attention to patients who require it. With the standard method, nurses must transport the patient to the machine, empty the urine container, and replace it when the test is complete.

The team is collaborating with the Singapore University of Technology and Design to create an app that will measure the speed and volume of urination. It can also determine patterns, such as whether the urine flow is continuous or intermittent.

An SGH analysis led by Assoc Prof Ng from 2017 to 2019 gathered data that was later employed to acquire a deep-learning algorithm that processes app data. In addition to measuring urine output, the app has other useful features, such as a voiding diary.

When released, the app will provide physicians with vital information, such as the fact that a sluggish flow in male patients with an enlarged prostate may indicate an obstruction. The app can measure urine volume in women with overactive bladder for use in keeping a voiding diary. Patients now measure and record the volume of their bowel movements manually.

Assoc Prof Ng anticipates that the app will eventually be utilised in the primary care setting, where patients with stable conditions can be monitored. The app will provide the polyclinic doctor or general practitioner with actual parameters, as opposed to relying on the patient’s subjective description.

In addition to these features, the app is a useful screening tool for the general public. If patients detect anything abnormal on their apps, they can consult a physician, who can then make an accurate diagnosis after conducting additional tests.

According to emerging digital health trends, more patients than ever are using their smartphones to track their general health, get health advice, and have video calls with doctors for prescriptions. Patients value the undeniable convenience that healthcare apps offer.

Patients can benefit from lower costs, immediate access to individualised care, and an increased sense of control over their health thanks to advances in mobile healthcare technology.

March 26, 2023

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