Minister reiterates Singapore's Smart Nation goals at tech showcase

THE latest technologies in infocomm - from the automatic monitoring of trash bins to the world's first 8K time-lapse camera system - were showcased on Tuesday at BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT 2015, a joint exhibition celebrating smart technologies from some 2,000 exhibitors across 56 countries.

Kicking off the event, Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim reiterated Singapore's Smart Nation and Infocomm Media Masterplan (IMM) goals at the Infocomm Media Business eXchange.

"The masterplan, to be launched later this year, will put in place the necessary infrastructure that will serve as a key enabler for Singapore's Smart Nation ... and build capabilities and create opportunities to grow our infocomm and media sectors," said Dr Yaacob.

He also announced the launch of the Video Analytics Smart Nation Tech Challenge, the first of a series of challenges to get individuals and businesses to find solutions and co-innovate with the government to tackle real-life urban challenges.

Video analytics - the use of computer algorithms to translate video footages into meaningful data - can potentially boost public safety, resource utilisation and situation awareness, said the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the agency championing Smart Nation.

The video analytics challenge will start in July, with winners expected to be announced in January 2016.

Also announced on Tuesday was Smart Logistics, a centralised platform that allows companies to leverage sensory networks in airports and seaports to track and manage their cargo in near real time.

According to IDA, cargo owners, freight forwarders and ground handlers - the smaller players, in particular - will benefit from this more affordable system that will enable the automation of labour intensive processes and overall inventory reduction.

The event, held at Marina Bay Sands, will run from Tuesday to Friday.