Public, private sectors must collaborate to create geospatial tech solutions: Vivian Balakrishnan

A COLLABORATIVE approach between governments and the private sector can shape future smart cities, said Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, in his virtual opening address at the Geo Connect Asia 2021 conference on Wednesday.

Guest-of-honour Dr Balakrishnan, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, said: "High-quality, high-resolution spatial data and location technology, and the availability of this in real-time, are in fact essential for more efficient planning, for more responsive public services and to enhance productivity. And more importantly, to improve our quality of life on a daily basis."

According to Dr Balakrishnan, the local geospatial industry has grown from about S$170 million in 2009 to half a billion dollars today. Real-time data is used in everyday lives, in traffic data, online maps or location technology in ride-sharing and food-delivery services.

In developing geospatial solutions, the government should not do everything alone, the minister said. To help the private sector innovate, the government has built digital platforms that they can use for their own applications.

Whole-of-government mapping platform OneMap, for example, facilitates geospatial data-sharing across both the public and private sectors, said Dr Balakrishnan. He believes that the launch of OneMap3D Beta last year will drive greater co-creation of innovative solutions using 3D geospatial data.

He also mentioned GeoWorks, a programme by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) that provides geospatial technology startups and scale-ups with accurate government data and a community to address geospatial challenges and promote growth and innovation.

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In the public sector, geospatial data is used to improve urban planning. Public agencies can leverage geospatial trusted centres built into government architecture "to strengthen policy analysis, and to drive evidence-based decision-making," Dr Balakrishnan said.

To optimise decisions when planning for land use, ePlanner - a system developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority - pools data from different agencies into a map. Healthcare and community organisations can also use the ePlanner to identify senior resident-heavy areas and plan health and social programmes for them, he noted.

The minister added that geospatial technology has allowed the government to better streamline operations and better deliver services.

For example, geospatial information, used to alert CPR-trained volunteers to cardiac arrest cases on the myResponder app developed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, has sparked a collaboration with Grab. The ride-sharing company plans to equip some of its vehicles with automated external defibrillators, so that drivers who receive alerts can locate the scene of the emergency and provide assistance.

Garuda Robotics, a company under GeoWorks, uses data from OneMap3D to guide drones to support cardiac arrest victims, the minister said, exemplifying "great synergy" with the myResponder app.

Geospatial technology is also key in Singapore's Covid-19 response, he said, by providing regular updates on crowd levels in public venues.

Beyond technology and infrastructure, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore needs to build a pool of geospatial professionals. The SLA is trying to raise the current count of about 2,200 through regional partnerships and collaborations to promote interest in these technologies among students, as well as in undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship programmes.

"There's a lot more that we can do to push the boundaries of innovation," he said.

Organised by international events organiser Montgomery Asia, Geo Connect Asia 2021 brings together industry professionals, government agencies and startups from across South-east Asia to network, discuss, collaborate and develop solutions in geospatial technology and location intelligence. Themed "Mapping the Data-driven Future Economy", this year's conference is piloting the hybrid-event prototype, hosting delegates both virtually and in a physical event.