Smart Nation will be next goal for Singapore

Singapore

SOON after the separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew set a goal for the newly independent state: it will become a metropolis in 10 years.

Singapore's third Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday declared that the goal has been more than met - and he set a new goal for the Republic: "Ten years from now, we will be a smart nation!"

That will make Singapore one of the world's top cities.

"New York, San Francisco, London, Shanghai, Sydney are attracting capital, talent, ideas, building outstanding urban environments, pulling ahead of the rest of their countries," Mr Lee said at the launch of the Smart Nation Initiative. "We have to be up there amongst these leading cities."

The vision is for Singapore to be a smart nation that integrates information technology, networks and data seamlessly to fundamentally transfrom Singaporeans' daily living, their communities and future.

On-going projects are already giving a flavour of the changes to come: improved transport applications; smart enabled homes; liveable, sustainable and safe neighbourhoods; one payment tool; cross-agency services, crowd sourcing platforms; home and health monitoring; and community apps.

"We can do this," Mr Lee said. "We have the people, the resources and the ability to make it happen."

Many of the technologies that will make Singapore's economy more productive, Singaporeans' lives better and their society more responsive to people's needs and aspirations are already out there, found in all sorts of devices and applications, he pointed out. But they need to be integrated in a coherent and comprehensive way to make the most of them.

Mr Lee said he would set up the Smart Nation Programme Office under the Prime Minister's Office to bring together Singaporeans, government and businesses in the drive to realise the smart-nation vision.

"The Smart Nation Programme Office will perform this co-ordinating role," he said. "It will take in perspectives and ideas from many sources. It will make sure that we take a whole-of-government, whole-of-nation approach to build the Smart Nation."

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan will oversee the Smart Nation Programme Office, but Mr Lee said he would also take "a personal interest" in it.

He said the government would build the infrastructure, facilitate innovation and create the framework for all to contribute in making Singapore a smart nation.

"One major initiative will be to open up our maps and allow the public to share geo-spatial information," Mr Lee said. "Imagine if we can tap on everyone's local knowledge and anyone can contribute data: animal sightings, traffic accidents, potential hazards for cyclists, best mee pok or chicken rice."

There would be a new government project called Virtual Singapore. It would develop an integrated 3D map of Singapore enriched with layers of data about buildings, land and the environment.

Apart from an integrated and concerted approach, to realise the vision of a smart nation also requires cyber security and the right skills and a mindset of experimentation and innovation.

Mr Lee said the government would study how best to organise and raise the defence against cyber attacks in its systems, institutions and key sectors. It would also reach out to companies and individuals to heighten their security awareness.

Students would be equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills to use technology. They would learn how to create technology of the future. Schools would teach them to code, prototype and build things as well as to fail fast and learn quickly.

"We need a 'can-do' spirit of experimentation and risk-taking," Mr Lee said.

The Infocomm Development Authority, while playing a regulatory role in telecoms and has a duty in maintaining large government systems, must also push the envelop in using technology to seek new applications, find new approaches to existing problems.

"I want to encourage IDA to continue on this path, and be bolder, to change things faster, work with other agencies to exploit the full potential of technology for Singapore," Mr Lee said.