The National Parks Board (NParks) announced that a new model of greenery management for parks and streetscapes will be put into place. This model will use a set of digital tools that were made possible by NParks’ research and development efforts and partnerships with the industry since the 1990s.
This new model of managing greenery will have updated seamless work processes that will make it easier for the industry to accept digitalisation. It will be introduced first in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio district through a new tender for landscape maintenance and management.
The push for digitalisation in the industry will be helped by the start of a $7.5 million grant to increase output in the landscape and animal sectors and help the industry reach its next level of change by adopting technology and going digital.
As part of the Landscape Sector Transformation Plan (LSTP), the fund will help landscape companies and gardens pay for the costs of buying and making new digital solutions. The $7.5 million grant will be split between two programmes: the Standard Scheme, which will give out about $3 million, and the Innovation Scheme, which will give out about $4.5 million.
During the Green Thumbs 2023 held at Changi Civil Service Club, the Minister for National Development Desmond Lee talked about how important it was for the landscape business to help Singapore get greener over the past 60 years.
He noted that now is a good time to launch new projects that would help the gardening industry go to the next stage of change and provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to help make Singapore even greener.
Thus, NParks has come up with a new way to handle parks and streetscapes with greenery in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio district. The model uses digital tools and programmes like the Maven 2 system, which will let digital tools like Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and the Remote Tree Control System (RTMS) be used to centralise the control of greenery.
The goal of NParks’ digitalisation plan is to improve output, collect information to help make better decisions, and combine this information with systems to make management more predictable.
Also, NParks is looking into increasing the use of surveillance cameras and video analytics to get more accurate visitor numbers and to study how people use parks. This information is then used to improve park management and make the experience better for visitors.
Additionally, Singapore’s new Landscape and Animal Sector Productivity Grant (LAPG) is a co-funding programme that helps companies pay for new tools and new ways of doing things that will help them be more productive. Landscape Productivity Grant (LPG) and Agriculture Productivity Fund (Non-Food) have been replaced by this grant.
Under the Standard Scheme, the LAPG gives eligible businesses up to $100,000 per year in funding, up to a total of $200,000 per company, to buy digital solutions that are already on the market and can be used quickly.
The LAPG also has a part called the “Innovation Scheme.” Eligible businesses can get funding for up to 50% of the total cost of their projects, up to $600,000 per company. The landscape industry is also helped by training courses at Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) that give students the skills and knowledge they need to work in the industry.
