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A lot of people are connected digitally on a daily basis and the risk of cyberattacks is growing with it, according to a recent report.
Just like other countries in the world, New Zealand must find ways to counter this growing threat.
Cybersecurity and criminality are inextricably linked in this interconnected world. Connected devices for ‘smart’ homes, called the Internet of Things (IoT), are an easy target for cyber criminals.
Smart appliances such as refrigerator, washing machine, and TV have limited security capabilities, which make them vulnerable to cyberattack by sophisticated data mining algorithms.
The consequences of these attacks can be serious as it can risk human life. The healthcare has been an attractive target for cyber criminals.
The Bay of Plenty District Healthy Board, for instance, has been facing as many as 864,000 cyberattacks a day, or 10 cyberattacks per second.
Cybersecurity is a serious issue that needs to be addressed urgently. But governments around the world are struggling to introduce laws and regulations to effectively combat the threat.
The European Union (EU) introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May of this year. It is reshaping the way data is collected and handled by healthcare, banking, and other sectors.
The regulation requires organisations to explicitly get the consent of the user for a specific purpose and providing them with an avenue to withdrawing consent easily.
Moreover, the GDPR requires organisations to notify individuals within 72 hours of detecting any data breach. Failure to comply with this will mean penalty for the organisation.
Aside from EU member states, other countries including New Zealand and Australia, have welcomed GDPR and reformed their own privacy acts.
New Zealand’s latest Privacy Bill, which was introduced in March 2018, better aligns the country’s privacy law with GDPR.
For a privacy breach, a penalty of up to NZ$ 10,000 can be given, although a recommendation by New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner asks for a fine of up to NZ$ 1 million for a serious privacy breach.
GDPR is putting pressure on organisations to properly protect the data, while also providing organisations an opportunity to embrace innovative business models with a focus on user privacy.
Before the regulation came into force, many countries have defined cybersecurity strategies in order to deal with potential cyber threats.
The cybersecurity strategy of New Zealand has four main goals. These are exercising cyber resilience, having cyber capabilities, improving cybersecurity, and increasing international cooperation.
Cybersecurity is one of those new careers that did not exist a decade ago. There is a global shortage of people with cybersecurity skills and New Zealand is not an exception.
It would be a wise choice to earn qualifications in this sector and become a cybersecurity practitioner.
Many universities have introduced degree programmes in Cybersecurity like the University of Auckland, which offers the Master of Professional Studies in Digital Security.
The Cyber Security Foundry was also launched. It is a hub for world-leading technical expertise, industry collaboration, training of security professionals, and the development of new security solutions.
All computer users need to be aware of cybersecurity threats and the growing risk they pose to systems and privacy.
The following recommendations could help reduce the chance of attack at the same time protecting personal and business systems.
Organisations should comply with privacy policies. They should store and backup the data of customers in encrypted form.
It is essential that employees are educated. They should learn how to deal with cyberattacks. Also, buying cyber insurance is good.
Users should protect personal information. It is important to tighten the privacy and security settings on the apps installed.
Software and apps should be downloaded from trusted sites or stores. Devices should be physically secured. Avoid using simple passwords and ensure that they are secured. Lastly, it is always important to be aware of cyberattacks.

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The Indian state of Punjab is set to integrate new crime and criminal tracking networks and systems (CCTNS) following the roll-out of two data analytic tools. The systems will enable police officials in the field to analyse data in a web and mobile-based application.
A vendor has already been awarded the contract to develop the app, according to a news report. 1,100 tablets have been given to police officials in the field. Further, 1,500 mobile phones providing access to a comprehensive database have been procured.
Last year, Punjab became the first state to roll out IBM-developed Cognos, a business intelligence tool used for big data collection. The tool was provided for free by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) but the states were required to purchase the hardware to make the tool functional.
Punjab Additional Director General of Police (Technical Services), Kuldeep Singh, under the Administration and Police Governance Reforms (ADGP), said that depending on the size of the state and the amount of data generated, the hardware costs more than IN 50 lakhs (US$66,912). Punjab was the first to roll out the tool, last year.
The Punjab police are also using ArcGIS, which is a big data mapping and analytics platform. The department has a fully loaded version of ArcGIS. It spent IN 3.5 crores (US$468,384) on the tool from police modernisation funds. The tool is not just about data analytics but is also used for locational intelligence. Singh also added that geo-fencing allows the department to digitally plot boundaries.
“We have done geo-fencing right up to police station level. It has been done fully in 18 districts. Geo-fencing is still in progress in big urban settlements,” he noted. “We now have last two years’ latitude and longitude-wise data of crime.” It helps identify hotspots such as road accidents. It can generate patterns of different categories of crime in any given area. For instance, if the police need to generate information on traffic needs, the tool provides comprehensive information about schools in the area. It is then able to generate traffic information by analysing peak hours while factoring in school timings.
After making the analytics tool functional, Singh noted that they are fully integrating it by creating the web and mobile app. The app will support artificial intelligence (AI), as well. Consequently, field staff will be able to access data, analyse it, and run inquiries. Mobile phones and tablets used to access the app come with a device management tool, which ensures the system is only used for official purposes.
The ADGP said the earlier CCTNS was elementary, and the broadband offered slow connectivity. “We had to tunnel our way through to access [the] internet,” he said, adding that the new system in place had upgraded connectivity based on Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology, which increased the speed and offered a secure environment.
Last month, the Punjab police department launched a mobile application to find stolen and lost vehicles recovered by the police. The Punjab Police Vehicle Finder System or PP VFS addresses the problem of tracing recovered vehicles. Through it, the public will be able to find out whether their stolen vehicle has been recovered in any of the police stations across the state. There is also an advanced search system that allows a citizen to search their vehicle by uploading the make, model, and colour details.
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The Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) launched this year’s Vietnam Top 10 ICT Businesses programme, earlier this week. It aims to support the government’s goal to have 100,000 digital technology companies by 2030.
Launched in 2014, the top 10 Vietnam ICT businesses programme includes three main activities of voting for outstanding enterprises in the 17 ICT fields in Vietnam, developing a special three-language publication, and boosting connections between ICT businesses and potential international and domestic customers.
To date, the programme has selected and introduced 390 enterprises, with 20 publications in three languages (Vietnamese, English, Japanese). These have been sent to more than 2,000 domestic agencies and units. And more than 10,000 partners from over 100 countries and economies in the international cooperation network of VINASA.
This year’s event will select the ten best ICT companies in 17 categories, divided into three groups according to their working field, business model, digital transformation solution provision, technological ability, and competitiveness.
Candidate enterprises will be evaluated across seven criteria:
- Financial indicators
- Human resources
- Products and services
- Technology, research, and development capacity
- Leadership and business management
- Awards, titles, and recognised achievements
- A special assessment for each sector
The evaluation process features three rounds – profile selection, presentation and verification, and final voting. Judges will comprise leading experts in technology, finance, corporate governance, e-commerce, start-ups, and media.
This year, the voting categories are expanded and will honour leading companies in new sectors – Fintech, Proptech, EdTech, and MedTech. The presentation round is scheduled from 15 April to 6 May. The announcement and award ceremony will take place on 13 July, before the Vietnam ICT Summit 2021.
In the last 5 years, the ICT industry has recorded the fastest growth rate, 26.1% per year on average. The industry has greatly contributed to the general national development and modernisation of Vietnam.
In 2020, the revenue of the ICT industry was US$120 billion, including US$6 billion from software development and digital content (two times higher than the one in 2015). The productivity and labour output values of this industry were also 3 to 10 times higher than those of others, reaching US$20,000 per person per year. The proportion of domestic contribution also accounted for 90%-95%.
The government has been creating several initiatives and events to support the ICT industry following the National Digital Transformation Programme, which was unveiled last June. In a recent interview, the Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) explained that when implementing digital transformation, it is necessary to calculate the value it brings. For example, labour savings, working hour savings, and recurrent cost savings. Long-term intangible values should be quantified as well. If the value created is higher than the cost, digital transformation is effective.
He added that digital transformation is not an incremental cost, but an added value. To avoid accidents that happened with the IT sector in the past, Vietnamese provinces should consider spending on digital transformation as an investment project.
Regarding employment, he said that digital transformation can positively support retraining and create tools and foundations for new jobs to be easier to learn and do. Digital transformation creates digital universities, and distance learning platforms make retraining easier.
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The Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay (IIT-Bombay) is offering a free online course on Java on the SWAYAM platform, which is open for anyone interested in learning the programming language. SWAYAM, which stands for Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds is a government-run open online course platform.
The spoken tutorial on Java has been funded by the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The course comprises 43 audio-video spoken tutorials by Professor Kannan Moudgalya, the Principal Investigator of Spoken Tutorial Project, IIT-Bombay.
“Calling out to the Java experts! Master the codes and concepts of this object-oriented, open-source, high-level programming language with the Java course by IIT Bombay on Swayam,” the official Twitter account of SWAYAM tweeted.
According to a news report, the course will be useful for high-school and college students. Software users, developers, working professionals, trainers, and research scholars. Anybody who stands to benefit from the technology.
Java is a technology that has various applications and is associated with benefits like strong memory allocation and an automatic garbage collection mechanism. It has powerful exception handling and type-checking mechanisms. A compiler checks the programme for any errors, and an interpreter checks any runtime errors, making the system secure from crashes.
The Java spoken tutorial available on the SWAYAM platform has been contributed jointly by TalentSprint, Hyderabad, and the Spoken Tutorial Team under IIT-Bombay. The spoken tutorial has been approved by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and can be covered in 15 weeks. Candidates who want to enrol in the course can register on the SWAYAM platform to access the spoken tutorial.
Last month, OpenGov Asia reported that IIT-Bombay announced it was establishing a Technocraft Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (TCA2I) to grow collaborations between the industry and academia in applied AI. It focuses on research across domains. It is looking at interdisciplinary research in the application of AI in supply chains, logistics, transportation, and cybersecurity, among others.
Apart from IIT-Bombay, several public educational institutes have launched programmes focusing on digital literacy. It is estimated that India will need nine times as many digital skilled workers by 2025. The average Indian worker will need to develop seven new digital skills to keep pace with tech advancements and demand. This amounts to a total of 3.9 billion digital skill trainings from 2020 to 2025.
Recently, IIT-Madras’ Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI) launched a fellowship in Artificial Intelligence for Social Good. Early-career researchers or recent PhD graduates in computer science, computational and data sciences, biomedical sciences, management, finance, and other engineering branches can apply for the fellowship.
The fellowship is designed to enable outstanding candidates to establish their independent research profiles and contribute significantly to socially relevant AI research. As remuneration, the fellows will get a salary of IN15-18 lakhs (approximately US$20,000-24,000) per year, depending on the experience (equivalent to Assistant Professor’s starting salary at any IIT) for a non-renewable term of three years.
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A pregnant mother wanting to test for Down’s Syndrome in her unborn baby without invasive testing. A doctor trying to make a call on the optimal drug and dosage for a safer and more effective treatment. These are some of the people that the Singapore National Precision Medicine (SG-NPM) programme aims to help.
Established in 2017, the vision of this 10-year effort is to enable a healthcare strategy that is tailored to Singapore’s population diversity through precision medicine – a move that can revolutionise how healthcare is delivered.
Precision medicine takes individual variations in genetics, environmental and lifestyle factors into account, allowing doctors to more accurately predict which treatment and prevention strategies will work in different groups of people. Enabled by tools to analyse data on a large scale and with DNA sequencing becoming more affordable, precision medicine can improve healthcare by giving doctors a more detailed understanding of each patient.
Central to the effort is the Centre for Big data and Integrative Genomics (c-BIG), a collaboration between four A*STAR research institutes – the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), the Bioinformatics Institute (BII), the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R).
These efforts are coordinated under A*STAR’s Artificial Intelligence, Analytics And Informatics Horizontal Technology Programme Office (AI3 HTPO), which catalyses the development and application of A*STAR’s broad range data science, AI capabilities and technologies for a wide range of industry sectors.
“The first step was to build an IT infrastructure to securely store, analyse and share genomics data at scale to produce and distribute a reference catalogue that captures the genetic variation of 10,000 healthy Singaporeans,” said Dr Shyam Prabhakar, Associate Director, Spatial and Single Cell Systems at A*STAR’s GIS.
This first phase of the NPM has been completed, where the researchers have created the world’s largest genetic databank of Asian populations, which has three Asian populations: Chinese, Indian, and Malay represented. The time is now ripe for Phase 2, which will be to scale up the database.
“The next step is to extend the generation of genetic and phenotypic diversity data to 100,000 healthy Singaporeans in NPM Phase 2, drawing on the capabilities of A*STAR and our ecosystem partners,” said Prof Patrick Tan, Executive Director of GIS, and Executive Director of PRECISE (Precision Health Research Singapore).
“The richness of the data provided by the database, combined with our knowledge of Asian genetics accumulated over the years, means that the clinical applications of genomics are vast.”
This genetic databank is useful for analysis to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, and especially to identify millions of novel Asian-specific genetic variants. Understanding the actual genetic makeup of the Asian population allows the tailoring of products and medicines for this specific market.
For example, genomics can be found at the core of diagnostic tests, such as the use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in pregnancy to identify children who may be born with debilitating or fatal genetic defects. Similarly, knowing the genetic variants that an individual carries can be used to estimate their likelihood of suffering from diseases such as diabetes or schizophrenia. Genomics can also be used to guide targeted treatments, such as administering the right drug in the right dose, relevant in pharmacogenomics (PGx), the study of how genes can influence responses to drugs.
Custom-built tech
The c-BIG initiative has contributed to delivering that vision through a variety of technologies and ecosystems. Leveraging the data storage and computing power capability from the National Supercomputing Centre, the team was able to deploy state-of-the-art genome analytics algorithms at an industrial scale to uncover the genetic variants of each individual.
A custom-built secured cloud-based big-data infrastructure has also been developed to enable and facilitate controlled programmatic and web-based graphical interface data access and analysis capabilities to Singapore’s biomedical research community. As the programme grows in the next phase, c-BIG will continue to scale by building on next-level data management, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
“The custom data sharing services built by c-BIG will enable secure mining of the resource, and thus pave the way for the discovery of new research insights and actionable clinical findings,” said Dr Nicolas Bertin, Chief Architect of the c-BIG’s NPM infrastructure.
As the team looks to tackle the new scalability challenges posed in NPM Phase 2, researchers are already working to source new types of data to enable richer integrative analyses, including methylation and single-cell expression signals.
The addition of new data types and scaling up of the databank will empower researchers and medical professionals to better understand the inherited diseases in Asian populations. This would pave the way to develop new treatments and ways to predict and diagnose diseases and enable more effective and efficient healthcare services for both Singapore and Asian populations.
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Vietnam Digital Transformation (DX) Day 2021 will take place from 26-27 May in Hanoi with conferences on digital transformation in eight priority sectors, as set out in the national digital transformation strategy.
They include finance and banking, healthcare, education, agriculture, transport and logistics, energy, natural resources and the environment, and manufacturing. Vietnam DX Day will also feature two conferences on digital transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises and digital start-up promotion.
According to the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA), the event is expected to attract the attendance of 3,000 delegates from government agencies and the business community. Its agenda will focus on four main contents:
- updates on digital transformation trends
- introduction of effective digital transformation methods
- sharing of success stories
- connecting supply and demand in digital transformation
On the sidelines of the event, there will be an online conference to introduce Vietnamese digital platforms and solutions.
Earlier this week, a networking event was held by the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association, aimed at connecting partners in digital transformation.
The programme gathered telecommunications and digital technology businesses to share their visions and goals while providing a comprehensive set of digital conversion solutions for customers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
As the fourth Industrial Revolution has exploded, digital transformation has become a vital factor for the existence and development of enterprises, especially in the context of the widespread COVID-19 epidemic.
Digital transformation is an opportunity, but also a challenge, requiring countries and businesses around the world to make drastic changes to keep pace with advancements in technology and science, a press release by the Ministry of Information and Communications noted.
Meanwhile, according to a survey by the Vietnam Software and IT Services (VINASA), only about 15% of domestic enterprises are taking steps towards full digital transformation. On the other hand, most small and medium-sized enterprises face difficulties in capital, so complete digital conversion is not feasible.
At the conference, VNPT Acting General Director Huynh Quang Liem said that VNPT has gained positive results in supporting the government, relevant ministries, sectors, and localities in digital conversion. The group is expected to provide more support in this field for businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones. He called for further cooperation with digital enterprises, which the group pledges to provide with the best infrastructure to develop solutions for digital transformation.
Additionally, with its existing digital capabilities, VNPT is also ready to integrate new solutions into the group’s digital ecosystem. Through its sales network covering 63 provinces and cities, these products will reach customers quickly, becoming a synergy of digital businesses to speed up and promote the efficiency of the national digital transformation process.
HCA Chairman Lam Nguyen Hai Long said that the cooperation with VNPT has helped its members expand upon new sales channels and reach more potential customers. It has also helped digital enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City save costs on infrastructural investment and accelerate digital transformation activities across a range of socio-economic sectors.
Through this activity, VNPT and other tech giants would create similar programmes for Vietnam’s small and medium-sized technology enterprises to develop rapidly and sustainably.
Also at the event, HCA and VNPT signed a cooperation agreement on training and consulting in digital transformation. They are committed to promoting cooperation between VNPT and IT enterprises in the city by providing digital products and solutions to small enterprises.
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Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology could help speech pathologists treat communication disorders, according to University of Queensland research.
Dr Atiyeh Vaezipour, from the RECOVER Injury Research Centre, said the results provided a foundation to inform the design, development and implementation of a VR system to be used in the rehabilitation of people with acquired communication disorders.
“Communication disorders can result in significant barriers to everyday life activities, and commonly require long-term rehabilitation,” Dr Vaezipour said. “Traditionally, speech pathologists deliver therapy in places such as hospitals and health centres, where there are limited opportunities for real-life interaction.”
It was noted that VR applications could simulate social communication situations that are difficult to create within the clinic in realistic, personally relevant and safe environments. VR could be used as a rehabilitation tool in communication environments that mimic the richness, complexity and dynamics of everyday situations.
Dr Vaezipour interviewed and surveyed speech pathologists following their use of an immersive VR kitchen environment. Participants in this study were positive about the usefulness of VR and its potential applications to the management of communication disorders within speech-language pathology, she said.
She also noted that speech pathologists considered VR to be a viable option for observation of communication performance in more life-like environments, bridging the gap between communication in the clinic and communication in external environments where distractions are present, such as background noise or visual complexity.
VR could provide valid contexts for people to practise their communication skills, build confidence interacting with others and generalise their communication skills to various environments. Dr Vaezipour said a human-centred design process was critical in developing VR tools for use in clinical practice. “Immersive VR applications will require customisation and adaptation capabilities that enable tailoring to the specific target goals, and physical, cognitive, and communication needs of the client,” she said.
Incorporating human factors from the early stages of design and development could enable the successful adoption of novel technologies in rehabilitation. More evidence-based research to support the use of immersive VR in the management of adult neurogenic communication disorders is critical to enhancing uptake and sustained use by speech pathologists.
The study is published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation.
The potential of VR in the medical profession
According to another article, virtual reality technology is used in many areas of healthcare, in a variety of applications. These include medical training, for both doctors in training and students, patient treatment, medical marketing, and educating people about a disease or medical condition or process.
Current medical training has shifted from the rote memorisation of facts to imparting skills to use facts to arrive at a proper management strategy when faced with a given patient. This training includes problem-oriented learning, communication skills, and VR-based learning.
Any kind of medical situation can be simulated using VR, to allow the students to deal with it as in real life. This is followed by feedback and debriefing, to allow them to learn from their mistakes, if any. The cheapness of VR systems and the fact that faculty are not required to be present makes access more flexible and broad-based.
VR can be used to help medical professionals visualize the interior of the human body, thus unveiling otherwise inaccessible areas. For one, the dissection of cadavers, which was a norm for every new medical student, has given way to the study of human anatomy via VR.
Computer graphics have made it possible to recreate any part of the body in great detail, with extreme faithfulness to reality. Moreover, training can be offered using scenarios that closely mimic common surgical situations.
The high cost of such VR environments, including the cost of monitors, programming, and the other tools required for such training, may perhaps be offset by including a greater number of students in each program. However, the results are superior, with more accurate knowledge resulting from the use of VR.
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In the recently held e-symposium Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Air Warriors, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and domestic and international experts explored AI-based solutions for air combat operations.
AI has grown significantly in the commercial sector and militaries across the world are pushing to deploy advanced technologies in their war-fighting facilities. Several initiatives to automate processes to improve the efficiency of aircraft maintenance operations have been launched. The sector has already digitised parts through electronic management systems. IAF is now focusing on AI-based applications on aircraft maintenance-related projects. Currently, IAF is working on predictive maintenance and the use of AI for predictive threat scenarios.
According to a C4I (command, control, communication, computers, and intelligence) expert, information received from heterogeneous sources is fused to enhance detection capabilities and identify targets. Multi-platform and multi-sensor data fusion is key. An AI-based decision support systems (DSS) architecture must be created for complex air combat operation environments. The latest generation of fighter jets are up to 90% software-centric for target detection, categorisation, tracking, and engagement activities. A human pilot cannot process the enormous amount of high-speed data being generated by multiple sensors. Only high-end processors that are manufactured for hard real-time architecture and run on a real-time operating system (RTOS) can process this data.
The net-centric tactical ISR information, combined with the joint operations in a combat mission requires information collection and transmission among net units (like satellites and air electronic warfare). Moving real-time information across multiple systems in the loop always diminishes the `real-time’ quotient within the information, making the data stale for use. Here, AI-driven, multi-access networking, and edge computing architecture are ideal communication solutions. Free-space optical (FSO) communication, 5G, and Satcom channels of communication can achieve flexible and assured bandwidth.
AI in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is the natural extrapolation, making the drones truly autonomous. These air-launched UAVs are capable of stand-off imaging and extended range communication. UAVs are expected to improve the decision support capabilities on the edge, making the DSS systems more efficient.
The use of AI for predictive maintenance is an already evolved field commercially. AI-based predictions maximise efficiency, reduce unplanned downtime, and increase equipment reliability. Coupled with a maintenance scheduler application, it provides the ability to manage, schedule, and execute maintenance programmes for thousands of machines. It also helps a user to manage the full asset lifecycle to aid intelligent strategic planning. It is possible to provide alerts via alarms, email triggers, or SMS notifications to prompt action. Aircrafts have a well-defined, structured, and strict maintenance schedule. The Ops Logistic Concept can be effectively implemented using similar AI-based predictive maintenance techniques.
The need for unbiased data to train and test combat systems is one of the biggest challenges for IAF. Also, security aspects like smart cloud servers available in India independently to provide data confidentiality and cybersecurity in support infrastructure needs to be addressed. AI solutions in air combat and predictive maintenance are expected to change the IAF standard operating procedures in the near future.