- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Government and enterprises, in an unprecedented period in history, have been compelled to accelerate and bring forward their digital transformation strategies. The pandemic has vaulted the governments and businesses into the next stage of digital transformation and online services.
Personalisation, efficiency and effective services are only possible with a comprehensive, 360o view of citizens and customers. This understanding is built on and powered by data. More than ever, data has become integral for organisations interested to get ahead of the curve, gaining a competitive advantage and engaging their customers more effectively.
To become a truly data-driven organisation that operates in real-time, agencies must deploy multiple modernisation initiatives, including application modernisation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud, edge computing and analytics.
In that regard, Singapore has taken the lead in championing the use of data. Singapore has unveiled two new programmes to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the government and financial services sectors. It also plans to invest another SG$180 million ($133.31 million) in the national research and innovation strategy to tap the technology in key areas, such as healthcare and education.
The fund is on top of SG$500 million ($370.3 million) the government already has set aside in its Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan for AI-related activities, said the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) in a statement in November 2021
These investments have been earmarked to support various research in areas that address challenges of AI adoption, such as privacy-preserving AI, and of societal and economic importance including healthcare, finance, and education. The funds also will facilitate research collaborations with the industry to drive the adoption of AI.
The future lies in harnessing data to deliver more effective and personalised services and the government has signposted the future with their policies. Agencies need a platform that draws together disparate applications, systems and teams with data being the backbone and making it easier to gain actionable insights. This platform should be able to unlock and repurpose the existing data for countless modern applications and use cases securely and efficiently.
The focus of the first day at the OpenGov Leadership Forum was aimed at unpacking the importance of data in empowering the public and private sectors to power mission outcomes, better serve citizens, ensure security and compliance, enhance IT efficiency and maximise productivity.
Morning Session
Powering a new world reality through data
Mohit Sagar, Group Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, OpenGov Asia, kicked off the session with his opening address.
“We are in the age of Metaverse,” Mohit opens. “While cryptocurrency was once viewed with suspicion – banks denounced it and people called it a hoax. Yet in 2022, it has become the currency of the future.”
The fact is that the world is rapidly changing and there is a need to stay ahead of the curve and stay relevant – and people are capable of accelerating things. Organisations were able to rapidly change governance and personalise information for customers and citizens.
Today, responsive citizen engagement is more important than ever. Organisations can deliver faster, more personalised and interactive experiences for citizens and other agency stakeholders with event streaming. “Data, and universal access to it, is the key to transforming organisations,” Mohit asserts.
Citing the example of Regeneron, Mohit points out that after developing a COVID-19 treatment in mere months, Regeneron adopted a data catalogue and is developing a data governance framework to speed up its drug development pipeline.
“Information and insights are all there only if you have data at the drop of a hat,” says Mohit. Empathically, he points out that while organisations are talking about the importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the key lies in utilising the new technology and truly embracing it.
“Habits are not shifting enough,” says Mohit. “The real challenge is getting people to truly understand how to make decisions through intelligence and not emotions.”
Mohit acknowledges that there are costs involved in having data in real-time but asserts that it is also the future. When the tools, people and technology are aligned, the big question is: what is the next step and how can organisations be more relevant?
In closing, Mohit urges delegates to partner with organisations that can help them strategise ways to leverage data. Data is the most essential ingredient and catalyst of our time and partnerships can allow organisations to transform their operations. Experts can assist organisations in delivering responsive citizen engagements and making their digital transformation journey smoother, cost-effective and impactful.
The value of connected data in digital transformation
Robin Fong, Regional Director – ASEAN, Neo4j spoke next on the use of graph data to contextualise and reveal connections, especially indirect connections among dispersed data.
“Having data and being able to run business intelligence and analytics is not enough,” Robin comments. “The next step is to be able to identify relationships.”
Data relationships create context and interrelationships create structure. Graph data adds context by capturing and storing relationships natively and processing them efficiently. That is how knowledge is created – when data is contextualised.
Governments and enterprises have been amassing lots of data and allocating large budgets to store them. It is now time to make sense of all the collected data to uncover hidden gems of insights, knowledge and wisdom by connecting them in a graph data platform.
Connectivity and networks require organisations to move from collected data to connected data, he explains. While organisations can take data and add some basic organising principles to create a knowledge base, the context is shallow and quickly ages because the underlying infrastructure is not built for relationships. However, if organisations can combine data, semantics and a graph structure, they will end up with a knowledge graph that has dynamic and very deep context because it is built around connected data.
Robin shares that Neo4j is in the business of helping the world make sense of the data. In fact, they are the founder of the graph data category and the world’s leading Graph Data Platform adopted by thousands of organisations globally. Moreover, Neo4j is the only Graph Data Platform vendor in the Govtech Data bulk tender for Data Science & AI.
Graphs are not new, Robin acknowledges. They are already deployed in a lot of situations today among leading companies – in banking and e-commerce. Graphs are extensively used across a wide range of sectors and use – fraud detection, supply chain management, customer experience, compliance and privacy management, personalisation and recommendations, employee or customer or patient or product 360, medicine research and cybersecurity.
Doctor.ai is a great use case from the healthcare industry as an example. Neo4j powers the Voice Chatbot for Doctor.ai in their work with Singapore Healthcare AI Datathon and EXPO 2021 with NUHS-NUS.
Graph Data enable fast access of patients to their private health records, monitor health and provide advice while it also creates alerts and makes doctor appointments. For doctors, Graph Data has enabled quick access to patients‘ health histories, assists in the decision-making process, makes machine learning predictions and pushes the newest research.
Robin strongly suggests delegates consider potential business problems/use cases where Connected Data (Graph Technology) may be useful and relevant. To get started, he provides steps on how organisations can get started and encourages delegates to contact Neo4j for a Discovery Workshop.
Before bringing the presentation to an end, he invited delegates to connect with him and the team if they would like to explore ways Neo4j can help and support agencies in transforming their organisation.
Harnessing Graph Data Technology in establishing a Smart Government
Damien Wong, Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan, Confluent elaborated on the use of Graph Data in powering smart governments.
Event streaming is a real-time infrastructure revolution that is fundamentally changing how governments think about data and build applications. Rather than viewing data as stored records or transient messages, data could be considered to be a continually updating stream of events. Event-driven architecture is the future of data infrastructure.
“The world is changing,” Damien opines. “The world has changed for the current generation because technology is shaping how businesses need to respond to these changing expectations. The younger generation has never walked into a bank branch, and likely will never understand why anyone would ever need to do so since everything can be done online today.”
Most organisations today, are “becoming software.” Ride-hailing, he said, was an excellent example. Not too long ago, people needed a taxi, they would call a taxi dispatch service, wait for the ride to be confirmed and look out for the vehicle to arrive – there was no information on how long the taxi would take to arrive or the ETA to destinations. Today, all that information is given almost instantaneously on apps.
Today, software is the interface, Damien is convinced. It was not that it was not there before but rather than being an adjunct to the business, it has become the business. However, to make this transition, organisations have had to move on from relying solely on traditional data architectures. New architecture needs to be fast and responsive while batch processing has moved to real-time processing.
“Data systems need to be connected not treated in silos,” Damien emphasises. “In the new reality, services would be fast, in real-time and connected.”
This transformation is happening everywhere, and it is drastically causing people to rethink their approaches and systems:
- Cloud: Rethinking Data Centres
The cloud has changed how organisations think about data centres and running technical infrastructure. Today, every company is moving to the cloud.
- Machine Learning: Rethinking Decision Making
Machine learning has changed how decisions are being made, and this happens increasingly in an automated manner, driven by software that communicates to other software.
- Mobile: Rethinking User Experience
Mobile devices and internet connectivity have dramatically changed the user experience of how customers interact with organisations and have raised the bar for expectations.
- Data in Motion: Rethinking Data
Event streaming has changed how people think about and how people work with the data that underlies all the other trends.
“Data in Motion is the central nervous system for today’s enterprises,” he asserts. “And Apache Kafka is the event streaming technology powering Data in Motion.”
For Damien, the traditional use of data at rest is to consolidate data into a warehouse and apply analytics. Data in motion is, on the other hand, understanding the predefined actions that will be taken when encountering a specific event or data stream.
The rise of event streaming can be traced back to 2010 when Apache Kafka was created by the future Confluent founders in Silicon Valley. From there, Kafka began spreading throughout Silicon Valley and across the US West Coast. In 2014, Confluent was created to turn Kafka into an enterprise-ready software stack and cloud offering, after which the adoption of Kafka started to accelerate. Today, tens of thousands of companies across all kinds of industries the world over are using Kafka for event streaming.
If Kafka is the engine (the core technology), then Confluent is the ready-to-use product around that. Confluent is a natural candidate for real-time operations like command and control, cyber security and other anomaly detection solutions. It can enable event-driven architecture that helps modernise IT applications and hasten the addition of new citizen services or capabilities. Apart from that, data infrastructure for data in motion, Confluent will help organisations move towards multi- and hybrid- cloud and DR operations.
In conclusion, Damien encouraged delegates to consider some questions as they navigate through the paradigm shift:
- Are you looking to become a real-time smart agency? If so, how mature are you in leveraging data-in-motion platforms to support this?
- What are some of the use cases you’re implementing around this?
- Are there challenges that are holding you back from successfully making this transformation?
Damien affirmed the need for organisations to embrace the importance of real-time data if they want to stay relevant. Data in Motion is the ultimate key when it comes to delivering better services and empowering business missions.
Polling Results
Throughout the session, delegates were polled on different topics.
In the first poll, delegates were asked to vote on their priority in 2022. Half of the delegates indicated digital acceleration as their priority, followed by workforce transformation (33%) and tech modernisation (17%).
On what their biggest challenge was, a majority of the delegates (35%) indicated the lack of skilled staff who understand big data analysis. The remaining were split between the lack of quality data and proper data storage (30%), not able to synchronise disparate data sources (15%), not able to derive meaningful insights through data analytics (15%) and the inability to get voluminous data onto big data platform (5%).
Concerning the maturity of their organisations in using data and analytics, (38%) indicated that their organisations use performance dashboards to slice, dice and drill down. Other delegates indicated that they distribute static reports regularly (24.8%), combine data with predictive modelling, AI and machine learning techniques (24%) and use self-service analytics (14%).
The delegates were asked if they are familiar with the advantages of graph technology and how it will enhance their daily decision-making process. Just over half (53%) were familiar but are currently not using this it while about a quarter (26%) were not familiar but interested to know more. The remaining delegates are familiar and currently using this technology (21%)
On the common Data Integration/Connection challenge faced by delegates, most (35%) indicated disparate data formats and sources as the main challenge, while others expressed that low-quality or outdated data (29%) was. The remaining delegates face the challenge of data that isn’t available where it needs to be (24%), followed by the issue of having too much data (12%).
With regard to processing real-time data, most (65%) felt that they were emergent (some processes and knowledge, non-standardised), followed by limited: ad-hoc, unstructured, uncontrolled, reactive (29%), and structured: standardised, governance, scale, proactive (6%)
When asked about what would be important for a successful AI adoption in their organisation, an overwhelming majority (94%) indicated that starting small and building the business case by demonstrating initial wins would be important. The remaining delegates indicated aligning all departments on the single vision and garnering support (6%)
Inquiring about being the essential tenet for ethical AI to work, most delegates (40%) believe in the need for an effective and practical ethical framework/ Governance model for AI. The other delegates were split between AI solutions that should allow for auditability and traceability (26.7%), guaranteeing privacy by design in machine learning systems (26.7%), and the iimportance of training AI models with carefully-assessed and representative data (6.7%).
In the final poll for the morning session, delegates were asked what they would invest in, if they had an unlimited budget. Just over a third (35%) said they would spend on integrating disparate systems, followed by spending on resources to improve delivery timeline (29%), updating legacy technologies (18%), improving security and compliance (12%) and staff training / upskilling (6%).
Afternoon Session
Data Virtualisation in supporting advanced analytics
Elaine Chan, Regional Vice President Sales – ASEAN & Korea, Denodo spoke about how data virtualisation can help with advanced analytics and cloud modernisation.
As data analytics and data-driven intelligence take centre stage in today’s digital economy, logical data integration across the widest variety of data sources, with proper security and governance structure in place has become mission-critical.
Based on a Denodo Global Cloud Survey 2021, cloud adoption is on the rise with a 25% increase year-over-year in advanced cloud workloads. This indicates that more complex workloads are moving to the cloud and that COVID-19 has perhaps driven that increase.
Today, the hybrid cloud model remains in the lead, with more than one-third of users leveraging that architecture. Private cloud also saw some good gains, with nearly 25% of their workloads still being run on-premises.
One of the key benefits that cloud technologies provide is the ability to scale faster, although performance and ease of data management also provide strong benefits, identified by 31% and 20% of participants, respectively.
Data Virtualisation allows for flexibility, access from anywhere and lowers the costs of operations. However, there are also concerns about how the transition to cloud might create new data silos, security and latency.
Elaine believes that there is a need for logical data architecture. “Data Fabric is the best path to data management automation,” Elaine opines. In layman terms, it can be broken down as follows:
- “Integrate data” from disparate data sources, on-prem and in the cloud
- Securely deliver an “integrated view” of the different data objects
- Consume the “integrated data” for analytics and operational purposes
- Automate the entire process using AI/ML
According to Elaine, Denodo logical data fabric sits between the data sources and the consumers and have a few characteristics:
- Unified Data Integration and Delivery
- Allows reusing existing analytics systems
- Allows using the best system for each need
- Abstraction: No Lock-In
- Evolve / Optimise infrastructure without affecting data consumers
- Dramatically Increased Productivity
- Minimise data replication: virtual or smart, selective data replication
Breaking down the essential capabilities of data virtualisation, Elaine highlights five aspects
- Data Abstraction: Decoupling applications and data usage from data sources and infrastructure
- Zero Replication, Zero Relocation: Physical data remains where they are
- Real-Time Information: Most reporting and analytical tools can easily connect for real-time data
- Self Service Data Marketplace: A Dynamic Data Catalogue for self-service data discovery and data services available in the virtualisation layer
- Centralised Metadata, Security & Governance: Manage access across all data assets in the Virtualisation layer for enterprise data security and supports dynamic data anonymisation
- Location-agnostic Architecture: For hybrid and multi-cloud acceleration
Delving into the use case of Statistics Netherlands, Elaine elaborated about the requirements that the data management team was looking for:
- Create tailored reports for government agencies that want to change public policies for people who need extra support
- Add new data sources without affecting the continuity of other public service agencies and at the same time making them more agile in the process
- Expand the data services supporting more teams without increasing infrastructure costs for storage and servers.
With Denodo, the logical data warehouse created using data virtualisation enabled Statistics Netherlands to create one access point to explore and access all data, bringing data to its fingertips. It also created a self-service culture for data consumers that is easy to use, while enabling Statistics Netherlands to implement security and governance by centralising authentication and authorisation.
Summing up the presentation, Elaine pointed out good infrastructure in place is necessary to support more advanced analytics. Data virtualisation helps to complete enterprise information, combining Web, cloud, streaming, and structured data. It promises ROI realisation within 6 months, with the flexibility to adjust to unforeseen changes, and an 80% reduction in integration costs, in terms of resources and technology. Most importantly, there is real-time integration and data access, enabling faster business decisions.
She encouraged delegates to reach out to her directly if they have any queries about the journey towards data virtualisation.
Generating incisive insights through Graph technology
Tony Tan, Co-Founder & Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Imperium Solutions spoke about why graph analysis is possibly the single most effective competitive differentiator for organisations pursuing data-driven operations and decisions after the design of data capture.
“Optimising supply chain is tricky,” Tony opens. “Even after over 50 years with billions invested and R&Ds and building of complex ERP systems, and advancements in operation management, we are still facing a supply chain problem.”
For example, in Singapore, many people like to own cars, but the recent BMW models do not come with touch screens, satellite radios, digital keys and the stop-and-start engine. Manufacturers are good at supplying first-tier suppliers but many of the problems are further downstream.
This begs the question – is there a technology that will bring everyone closer to solving issues? And if so, where are the opportunities in the bottlenecks? Tony believes that creating a breakthrough in solving recurring issues requires methods outside of what has been tried.
Drawing a parallel to the issues with the supply chain, Tony says that fraud has many facades. PWC published a report last year based on a survey they conducted with over 5,000 respondents between 2019-2020. They claimed that 42 billion dollars were lost in financial fraud.
The majority of this is based on 4 types of customer fraud – cybercrime, asset misappropriation and bribery/corruption. However, there are others such as accounting fraud, procurement fraud, deceptive business practices, AML / sanctions, tax, IP theft and anti-trust. The problems are aplenty, Tony claims, which takes up time and energy investment to resolve.
Problems also abound in the metaverse. While blockchain is here to stay, Tony feels, and decentralised finance enables the open and transparent exchange of digital currency. However, such a new system, unregulated, can also be a breeding ground for criminals and hackers, ripe for exploitation. With scammers on the rise, there is a need to establish relationships between users to identify scammers more efficiently.
Tony acknowledges that technology is the key towards solving many of the issues that companies faced – and data is at the centre of it. The operations of major companies, Linkedin, Google, Netflix and as well as the largest bank in the US are powered by Graph Technology. Gartner says it is the top 8 technologies of the near future.
With Graph Technology, relationships between data points are established which enables people to swiftly locate information and redefines the way we are looking at data today. It allows going deep into the relationship and can be used for a variety of problems and domains such as:
- Companies, markets
- Countries, history, politics
- Sciences, art, teaching
- Technology, networks, machines, applications, users
- Software, code, dependencies, architecture
- Criminals, fraudsters, terrorists
TigerGraph is currently deployed by 8 of the largest banks in the world, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Bank of America, and ICBC (China).
“The time to use graph is today,” Tony says. To face mounting challenges, there is a real need to harness the insights through graph technology which can amplify the connected data.
Polling Results for Afternoon Session
Throughout the afternoon session, delegates were polled on different topics.
In the first poll, delegates were asked to vote on their priority in 2022. Most of the delegates (48%) indicated digital acceleration as their priority, followed by tech modernisation (30%) and workforce transformation (22%)
When asked about what their biggest challenge is, a third (33%) indicated the lack of skilled staff who understand big data analysis as the biggest challenge. The remaining votes were distributed between not being able to synchronise disparate data sources (29%), the lack of quality data and proper data storage (17%), not able to derive meaningful insights through data analytics (8%) and the inability to get voluminous data onto big data platform (13%).
On organisation maturity in using data and analytics, a majority (41%) indicated that their organisations use performance dashboards to slice, dice and drill down. Other delegates have embedded visualisation into our process and transactional systems (23%), distribute static reports regularly (18%), combine data with predictive modelling, AI and machine learning techniques (12%) and use self-service analytics (6%).
The delegates were also asked if they are familiar with the advantages of graph technology and how it will enhance their daily decision-making process. Most (40%) were familiar but are currently not using this it while others are familiar and currently using this technology (33%) and the rest were not familiar but interested to know more (27%).
On the common Data Integration/Connection challenge faced by delegates, just over half (52%) indicated disparate data formats and sources as the main challenge, while others (18%) expressed that low-quality or outdated data was. The remaining delegates face the challenge of data that isn’t available where it needs to be (12%), followed by the issue of having too much data (12%) and the use of wrong integration software (6%).
On the maturity of their organisations in processing real-time data, the majority (44%) felt that they were emergent (some processes and knowledge, non-standardised). The rest were split between limited: ad-hoc, unstructured, uncontrolled, reactive (28%), and structured: standardised, governance, scale, proactive (28%).
When asked about what would be important for a successful AI adoption in their organisation, a huge majority (65%) indicated that starting small and building the business case by demonstrating initial wins would be important. The remaining delegates were split between aligning all departments on the single vision and garnering support as important (17.5%) and establishing clear lines of authority and ownership across the entire organisation (17.5%)
Asked about the essential tenet for ethical AI to work, about half (52%) believe in the need for an effective and practical ethical framework/ Governance model for AI. The others were split between the belief that AI solutions should allow for auditability and traceability (22%), the importance of training AI models with carefully-assessed and representative data (17%) and guaranteeing privacy by design in machine learning systems (9%).
In the final poll for the morning session, delegates were asked what they would invest in, if they had an unlimited budget. The majority of the delegates (35%) would spend on updating legacy technologies, followed by spending on resources to improve delivery timeline (36%), integrating disparate systems (21%), and staff training / upskilling (8%).
Closing
To conclude the day, Mohit emphasised the importance of understanding and harnessing data to derive insights that will help organisations stand out among competitors. Data is the new future that can help to improve services for an increasingly data-driven world.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of technological innovation, promising transformative solutions to complex challenges across various domains. Recognising its potential to revolutionise industries and improve societal well-being, the National University of Singapore (NUS) has inaugurated the NUS AI Institute (NAII). Led by Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, NAII aims to accelerate AI research and its practical applications, fostering collaboration, innovation, and societal impact.
In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, AI has emerged as a powerful tool with the capacity to reshape diverse sectors, ranging from healthcare to finance, education, logistics, and beyond. The establishment of NAII underscores NUS’s commitment to harnessing AI for the greater good, addressing critical issues facing Singapore and the global community.
At the core of NAII’s mission is the advancement of fundamental AI research, aimed at pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities and exploring novel applications across various domains. Through foundational research initiatives, scientists at NAII will tackle complex AI problems, spanning hardware and software systems, AI theory, responsible AI, reasoning AI, and resource-efficient AI. By delving into these areas, the institute seeks to develop cutting-edge AI technologies that address real-world challenges and drive innovation.
Moreover, NAII will prioritise research into the ethical and societal implications of AI, aiming to develop robust governance frameworks that ensure responsible AI development and deployment. This includes examining issues related to transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making in AI systems. By fostering dialogue and research on AI ethics and governance, NAII aims to guide the responsible use of AI technology and mitigate potential risks.
In addition to foundational research, NAII will spearhead applied research initiatives, focusing on developing AI-driven solutions for specific application domains. Collaborating with experts from diverse fields, including healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, finance, urban sustainability, and education, the institute will tackle pressing challenges and explore opportunities for AI-driven innovation. From optimising supply chains to improving healthcare outcomes and enhancing urban infrastructure, NAII’s applied research efforts aim to deliver tangible benefits to society.
Furthermore, NAII will serve as a hub for AI talent development, providing comprehensive education and training programs for students, professionals, and policymakers. By offering hands-on learning experiences and internships, the institute seeks to nurture the next generation of AI leaders and entrepreneurs, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to drive innovation in AI.
To support its research and educational endeavours, NUS has allocated significant resources to NAII, including external research grants and institutional funding. Moreover, the institute will collaborate closely with government agencies and industry partners to amplify its impact and drive innovation. Strategic partnerships with leading companies such as IBM and Google Cloud will enable NAII to leverage industry expertise and resources, accelerating the translation of research outcomes into real-world applications.
In alignment with Singapore’s Research, Innovation, and Enterprise (RIE) strategy, NAII aims to contribute to the nation’s AI ecosystem by fostering collaboration, innovation, and talent development. By positioning NUS as a global leader in AI research and application, the institute seeks to drive positive societal change and economic growth.
The establishment of NAII represents a significant milestone in NUS’s journey towards harnessing the power of AI for societal benefit. Through cutting-edge research, education, and collaboration, the institute aims to unlock the full potential of AI and pave the way for a more innovative, sustainable, and inclusive future. With its interdisciplinary approach and commitment to excellence, NAII is poised to make a lasting impact on Singapore and the global AI landscape.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has reached a significant milestone with its artificial intelligence (AI) platform, VNPT eKYC, logging over 1 billion user authentication requests. This accomplishment solidifies VNPT’s position as a pioneer in electronic identification and verification solutions within Vietnam.
Since its inception, VNPT eKYC has been at the forefront of electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) services for over five years, serving a diverse range of clients including banks, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and e-commerce entities. With over 100 organisations utilising its services, VNPT eKYC has facilitated electronic identification for more than 40 million individuals across the country.
On average, the VNPT eKYC system processes an impressive 600,000 requests daily, with peak days witnessing over a million requests being handled seamlessly. This demonstrates the platform’s robustness and reliability in managing high volumes of authentication transactions efficiently.
The significance of VNPT eKYC extends beyond its technological capabilities, particularly in the context of evolving regulatory requirements. The State Bank of Vietnam’s decision mandating biometric authentication for transactions exceeding 10 million VND (approximately 416 USD) and other significant transactions from July 1, 2024, underscores the critical role of advanced authentication solutions like VNPT eKYC in ensuring compliance and security in financial transactions.
Moreover, the platform’s success highlights the increasing importance of domestically developed solutions in the banking and financial sector. Domestic solutions such as VNPT eKYC offer several advantages, including rapid implementation, cost-effectiveness, adherence to global technology standards, scalability, and high readiness to meet evolving regulatory requirements.
Central to the effectiveness of VNPT eKYC is its advanced AI models, which enable the verification of facial biometric data with an impressive accuracy rate of up to 99.99%. This high level of accuracy not only enhances the security of authentication processes but also contributes to building trust and confidence among users and regulatory authorities.
As Vietnam’s digital economy continues to grow and evolve, the role of advanced authentication and verification solutions like VNPT eKYC becomes increasingly indispensable. Beyond facilitating seamless and secure electronic transactions, these solutions contribute to enhancing the overall digital infrastructure and ecosystem of the country, paving the way for further innovation and economic growth.
Looking ahead, VNPT remains committed to advancing its AI platform and expanding its capabilities to meet the evolving needs of its clients and the regulatory landscape. With a strong focus on innovation, reliability, and security, VNPT eKYC is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of electronic identification and verification in Vietnam’s dynamic digital economy.
VNPT’s achievement of logging over 1 billion authentication requests with its AI platform, VNPT eKYC, marks a significant milestone in Vietnam’s journey towards digital transformation.
Amid a swiftly changing global landscape, Vietnam emerges as a frontrunner in a digital revolution, strategically positioned to harness technology’s transformative power for economic progress and societal development.
It is embracing its digital transformation journey, highlighting collaborative efforts to drive the nation’s digital transformation. The nation’s digital technology industry aims to propel Vietnam towards high-income status by 2045 through technology mastery, innovation, and indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
Moreover, the nation is working to harmonise its regulations, streamline laws, and promote consistency in its legal framework to foster a more favourable and appealing cyber environment.
As the country continues to embrace technology-driven solutions to address emerging challenges, VNPT eKYC stands as a testament to the potential of domestic innovation in driving progress and excellence in the digital era.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
In a significant scientific breakthrough in a space sector, Dr Sarah Kessans has developed hardware designed to operate autonomously in orbit, transforming the study of protein crystallisation in microgravity. This technology provides scientists on Earth with unprecedented insights into protein behaviour, with far-reaching implications for developing more effective medicines and vaccines, among other applications.
Minister for Space Dr Megan Collins lauds Dr Kessans’ research as an inspiring example of how space technology can drive innovation on Earth. This achievement follows the recent successful launch of MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to track and monitor global emissions from space, highlighting the significant potential of space technology in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges while bolstering our globally competitive space sector.
The MethaneSAT satellite will be equipped with a highly sensitive spectrometre that can detect concentrations as low as two parts per billion, and it will have high-spatial resolution coupled with a broad, 200-kilometre view path, allowing it to quantify even small emission sources over large areas.
Dr Kessans’ research culminated in successfully launching her hardware on a rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, USA. This mission also included protein experiments from leading New Zealand universities, including Canterbury, Otago, Victoria, and Waikato, showcasing the collaborative efforts of the country’s academic institutions in advancing space science and technology.
The launch of Dr Kessans’ project results from a strategic agreement between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the US commercial space company Axiom Space. This partnership aims to facilitate New Zealand researchers’ advancement in space science and technology, fostering innovation and driving collaboration between academia, government, and private enterprise.
Dr Kessans’ project has also received government funding for further development through the MBIE-administered Endeavour Fund, highlighting the government’s commitment to supporting cutting-edge research and innovation in the space sector. This collaborative effort between academia, government, and private enterprise is a testament to New Zealand’s growing presence in the global space economy, positioning the country as a key player in space research and technology development.
Previously, New Zealand had collaborated with several countries, including Australia, to advance space research, as reported by OpenGov. The collaboration between SmartSat and the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) is an important development. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities aims to accelerate the growth and technological advancement of the Australian and New Zealand space industries, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of space exploration and innovation in the Australasian region.
This partnership is underpinned by a shared commitment to fostering innovation, driving research and development (R&D), and nurturing a skilled workforce capable of propelling technological breakthroughs in the space sector. The MoU, ceremoniously signed at the NZSA headquarters in Wellington, signifies a strategic alignment between SmartSat and NZSA to leverage their combined resources and expertise.
At the core of this collaboration, it is designated to support joint research initiatives in three key technological domains: Earth Observation, Space Situational Awareness, and Optical Communications. These areas represent the forefront of space exploration, offering immense potential to revolutionise humanity’s perception and interaction with the cosmos.
Minister Judith Collins, New Zealand’s Minister for Space, praised the new agreement as a testament to the enduring collaboration between Australia and New Zealand in space exploration. In a statement on her official website, she reiterated her commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration, recognising the transformative potential of space technology in addressing global challenges.
Minister Collins reaffirmed the government’s dedication to developing the country’s space sector, promoting innovation, and strengthening partnerships with the New Zealand research community, international space agencies, and commercial collaborators. These collaborative approaches underscore New Zealand’s commitment to advancing space science and technology to benefit society and the economy, paving the way for future breakthroughs in the field.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
In a significant stride towards bolstering research efforts in offshore wind power technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory have inked a collaborative agreement to establish the PolyU-Yangjiang Laboratory Joint Research Centre for Offshore Wind Power (JRC).
The joint initiative, officially announced through a signing ceremony held at PolyU’s campus, marks a pivotal moment in the burgeoning partnership between the two entities. With the JRC set to be jointly operated and managed by the PolyU Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and the Laboratory, the collaboration signifies a concerted effort to deepen research collaboration and foster innovation in offshore wind power technology.
Under the ambit of this new partnership, researchers from PolyU and Yangjiang will synergise their expertise, resources, and laboratory facilities to undertake pioneering research projects. These projects will focus on developing novel technologies and materials tailored for offshore wind power applications, with a paramount aim to translate research outcomes into tangible solutions for industry implementation.
The signing ceremony, attended by a delegation from Yangjiang in Guangdong province alongside PolyU representatives, saw the presence of Prof. Christopher Chao, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Mr. Liu Dewei, Vice Mayor of Yangjiang Municipal People’s Government. Their attendance underscored the significance of this collaborative endeavour in driving forward advancements in renewable energy technology.
In his welcoming address, Prof. Christopher Chao highlighted the pivotal role of wind power in the global transition towards carbon neutrality. He emphasised that the collaboration between PolyU and the Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory not only serves to advance offshore wind power expertise but also fosters a robust platform for mutual engagement in research, talent development, and knowledge exchange.
Prof. Chao expressed optimism that the JRC would harness the collective research capabilities of both organisations to tackle pressing scientific challenges and overcome technical barriers in the energy sector, ultimately contributing to the establishment of a world-class research and innovation hub for wind power and clean energy.
The partnership between PolyU and the Laboratory holds particular significance for Hong Kong’s energy landscape. With the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department of the HKSAR Government estimating that wind power could potentially satisfy a significant portion of the city’s electricity demand, the collaboration is poised to address critical engineering challenges in the construction of offshore wind farms. By facilitating interdisciplinary research and engineering solutions, the collaboration aims to benefit not only Hong Kong but also the wider region and beyond.
The Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory, comprising leading experts from esteemed mainland universities, is dedicated to advancing fundamental science and technology in the offshore wind power sector. Leveraging the collective expertise of institutions such as Zhejiang University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, among others, the Laboratory is at the forefront of research in this domain.
Established in 2021, PolyU’s Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) has been actively engaged in interdisciplinary research undertakings, with offshore wind power emerging as a focal area of interest. A delegation from RILS visited wind energy-related facilities in Yangjiang in November 2023, laying the groundwork for potential collaboration opportunities with the Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory.
As the PolyU-Yangjiang Laboratory Joint Research Centre for Offshore Wind Power takes shape, it symbolizes a collaborative initiative aimed at driving innovation and addressing the energy challenges of tomorrow. Through concerted research efforts and knowledge exchange, the partnership between PolyU and the Laboratory is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing offshore wind power technology, thereby contributing to a sustainable energy future.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
In a landmark display of indigenous innovation, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) unveiled its latest breakthrough: the NeoStand Electric Standing Wheelchair. This cutting-edge mobility solution promises to redefine accessibility for wheelchair users across India.
With its emphasis on user empowerment and well-being enabled by technology, NeoStand stands poised to usher in a new era of accessibility, where every individual, regardless of ability, can realise their full potential.
Led by Professor Sujatha Srinivasan, Head of the TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2) at IIT Madras, the development of NeoStand represents a significant milestone in the quest for inclusive technology.
At the heart of NeoStand lies a commitment to user-centric design and functionality. Unlike conventional wheelchairs, NeoStand features a motorised standing mechanism that allows users to effortlessly transition between sitting and standing positions with the push of a button. This innovative feature opens up a world of possibilities for individuals with mobility impairments, enabling them to engage in face-to-face interactions, access higher shelves, and experience the physical and psychological benefits of standing.
The launch event illuminated the profound societal impact of NeoStand, showcasing its potential to redefine accessibility and inclusivity for individuals with mobility impairments. By bridging the gap between innovation and social responsibility, NeoStand symbolises a transformative shift towards a more equitable and empowering future
“These translational research endeavours underscore our commitment to fostering social impact through innovative solutions,” remarked Professor Kamakoti. “Indeed, NeoStand represents more than just a mobility aid; it symbolises a paradigm shift in how we perceive and address the needs of individuals with disabilities.”
One of the key drivers behind NeoStand’s development is its emphasis on promoting user independence and well-being. For many wheelchair users, the ability to stand remains an elusive goal, often hampered by physical limitations and reliance on external assistance. NeoStand seeks to address these challenges head-on, offering users the freedom to stand comfortably whenever needed. This not only enhances their physical health by improving blood circulation and digestion but also fosters a sense of empowerment and autonomy.
The journey from concept to reality has been made possible through a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders. Sponsored by a company as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative and developed in partnership with NeoMotion, an IIT Madras-incubated startup, NeoStand exemplifies the transformative potential of public-private collaboration.
“The launch of a new product this evening for the differently abled signifies a turning point in our endeavour to foster inclusiveness and empowerment,” remarked Mr. Sudhakar Rao, IAS (Rtd), Member of the Board of Directors at the company.
Professor Srinivasan, the driving force behind NeoStand’s development, highlighted the device’s therapeutic benefits and ease of use. “Integrating standing functionality into a wheelchair provides health benefits as well as functional and psychological benefits to the user,” she explained.
Testimonials from users like Mr. Justin Jesudas, a quadriplegic individual, further attest to the life-changing impact of NeoStand who noted that, “The ability to stand with just a push of a button makes the wheelchair even more inclusive, helping quadriplegics to stand independently.”
Looking ahead, NeoStand stands out for individuals with mobility impairments, promising a future where accessibility knows no bounds. As India continues to embrace innovation and inclusivity, initiatives like NeoStand serve as a testament to the transformative power of technology in shaping a more equitable society.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Mudik is a tradition of returning to one’s hometown that is widely practised by the Indonesian community, especially when Eid al-Fitr celebrations approach. This tradition involves a massive population movement from big cities to their origin areas or hometowns to celebrate the holiday with family and relatives.
The phenomenon of mudik also shows the importance of family values and togetherness in Indonesian culture. It becomes a moment to reconnect social and cultural ties among family members who might have been separated by distance for various reasons, such as work or education.
The Indonesian government often takes special measures to accommodate the travel surge during the mudik period, such as increasing public transportation capacity, providing emergency health services on the mudik routes, and maintaining and repairing road infrastructure.
This year, as a State-Owned Enterprise, the cellular operator Telkomsel provides 4G networks on 14 mudik ships operated by the Indonesian National Shipping Company (Pelni).
Over the years, mudik travellers choosing to travel by sea have faced significant obstacles related to internet access. This condition has left them disconnected from the outside world. At the same time, in the middle of the sea, thus unable to access up-to-date information, communicate with family, or even enjoy entertainment.
“With this latest development, we can provide high-quality services to our customers, ensuring that they remain connected even while in the middle of a sea journey,” said Saki Bramono, Telkomsel’s Vice Director of Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility.
Further, Telkomsel’s 4G service has now successfully reached as many as 1,100 shipping routes served by 14 ships and 83 ports across Indonesia. This innovation results from a strategic collaboration with Telkomsat, a Telkom subsidiary specialising in satellite internet services. Through this collaboration, Telkomsel and Telkomsat present a strong and stable 4G LTE signal on ships, allowing passengers to stay connected to the internet during their mudik journey.
Telkomsat uses the Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) Landing Rights to ensure broad and reliable satellite internet coverage. Saki stated that the initiative to provide 4G internet services on ships, chosen by the community for mudik, is the first time Telkomsel has implemented satellite internet technology. This move not only revolutionises the sailing experience for mudik travellers by sea by ensuring smooth and continuous communication access but also marks a new chapter in Telkomsel’s efforts to overcome connectivity challenges in Indonesia, especially in hard-to-reach locations like the middle of the sea.
To improve service quality and customer experience during the crucial mudik Lebaran period, Telkomsel focuses on upgrading and optimising telecommunications networks and proactively expands and strengthens its network infrastructure. As part of these efforts, Telkomsel strategically increased the 4G network capacity at 70 existing Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and took a significant step by building 325 new 4G BTS.
These measures ensure that customers enjoy smooth connectivity and high-quality communication in urban areas and mudik routes that often cross areas with limited telecommunications access.
Telkomsel estimates a 15.22% increase in internet traffic during the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2024 period compared to regular days. Of the total increase in internet traffic, the cellular operator estimates the highest increase comes from the areas of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, popular mudik destinations, at 26.25%.
The second highest increase is estimated from Sumatra, at 16.99%. An increase in internet traffic is also expected in Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan by 13.11%. Meanwhile, the increase in internet traffic in the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, and West Java areas is estimated to reach 4.28%.
Telkomsel has prepared a customer service team that works tirelessly, ready to serve customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can easily access this service through various channels, including social media, customer service calls, the MyTelkomsel mobile app, and a virtual assistant named Veronika. Customers can also visit GraPARI outlets spread across various locations for face-to-face services.
These comprehensive measures affirm Telkomsel’s commitment to providing high-quality and reliable telecommunications services, especially during important moments like the mudik Lebaran, where smooth and fast communication is critical.
With the improvement of network infrastructure and strong customer service support, Telkomsel strives to ensure that every customer can connect with family and loved ones without obstacles, making their mudik journey safe and enjoyable.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
Da Nang, a central city in Vietnam, is gearing up to bolster its semiconductor industry with a targeted focus on human resource development. The Vietnam–Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU) recently launched a comprehensive programme aimed at training professionals in integrated circuit (IC) design.
The initiative underscores the city’s commitment to advancing its semiconductor sector. In 2024, Da Nang will concentrate on cultivating a pool of qualified teaching staff through collaborative efforts with the Viet Nam-Korea Information Technology (IT) and Communications University, the Institute of Information Technology under the Viet Nam National University – Ha Noi, and the Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Centre for Research and Training (DSAC). Support from Synopsys Vietnam Company will further bolster these endeavours.
The training programme, spanning six months, comprises both theoretical learning and project-based training. It encompasses four modules covering Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) Design, SystemVerilog/Verilog/Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language, basic digital integrated circuits, and basic analog circuit design.
The inaugural training course for lecturers will host 25 participants selected from prestigious institutions including the Viet Nam-Korea Information Technology (IT) and Communications University, Da Nang University of Science and Technology, University of Technical Education, Duy Tan University, and FPT University. A significant highlight of the programme is the access granted to lecturers to Synopsys’ extensive library and teaching materials, enabling them to develop practical IC design curricula upon completion.
Huynh Cong Phap, Principal of VKU, emphasised the programme’s objective of equipping students with practical IC design skills to facilitate training deployment at universities in Da Nang. Additionally, the university plans to offer short-term training courses in semiconductor circuit design for junior and senior students pursuing majors such as computer engineering, technology, embedded systems and IoT, and technology information.
Speaking at the event, Ho Ky Minh, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, hailed the programme as a significant stride in the city’s strategy for high-quality human resource development. He commended the collaborative efforts between DSAC, VKU, Synopsys Group, and the Information Technology Institute under the Vietnam National University in swiftly launching the city’s inaugural IC circuit design instructor training course.
In line with the city’s ambitions, Ho Ky Minh, the Standing Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Da Nang, welcomed Susan Burns, the US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, expressing his aspirations for enhanced collaboration with the United States within the semiconductor industry.
Susan Burns lauded the programme as a testament to the robust cooperation between government bodies, private enterprises, and universities in nurturing high-tech talent in Vietnam. This collaboration aims to fortify Vietnam’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain. The United States acknowledges Vietnam’s pivotal role in fostering flexible semiconductor supply chains and extends strong support for the industry’s development in the country.
In tandem with the programme launch, the university unveiled the VKU – SSTH centre, dedicated to semiconductor circuits and smart technology. Equipped with 30 computers and proprietary circuit design software from Synopsys, the centre is poised to serve as a hub for training and research in semiconductor circuits and smart technology.
OpenGov Asia reported that Da Nang inaugurated the Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Training (DSAC) in January this year, marking a significant stride in technological advancement. This initiative underscores Da Nang’s dedication to enhancing its capabilities in integrated circuit (IC) design and artificial intelligence (AI).
The decision to establish DSAC was announced on January 26 by Le Trung Chinh, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, highlighting the centre’s role in realising the city’s strategic objectives. DSAC is poised to engage in research, training, and technology transfer in microchips, semiconductors, and AI development, while also fostering international cooperation in these critical domains.