HDB collaborate to develop useful applications and services for residents

SINGAPORE: Applications and services for residents of the Housing & Development Board (HDB) could soon be developed as part of the agency's plans to improve the living environment of its areas.

As part of the Pulse of the Heartlands program, HDB will partner with Sentient.io, StarHub, IBM and IMDA to develop an ecosystem of applications and services that "will be useful to residents", said Agency in a statement. a press release published on Wednesday, November 28th.

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The development of this ecosystem will utilize information about HDB cities, such as neighborhood stores, and harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence, such as voice-activated chatbot, with which residents can interact, said HDB.

"The Pulse of the Heartlands initiative is part of the Smart HDB Town Framework, which explains how HDB will create viable, efficient, sustainable and safe cities," said HDB.

To begin, StarHub will develop a new mobile application that will allow residents to search for dining options, retailers and service providers in their neighborhood. They can also use the chatbot to get more information on where to eat or shop, as well as to receive alerts on the latest events taking place nearby.

A beta version of the app should be available for free by the first quarter of 2019, and other features will then be rolled out gradually, HDB said.

"Over time, the platform will enrich more datasets as more government agencies and private companies join us to offer more data types, such as: that the location and availability of means of transport and parking, "said HDB.

He noted that the data collected would be anonymized before analysis to protect the privacy of residents.

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GRASS ENTREPRENEURS, COMPANIES TO GET FINANCING

The Pulse of the Heartlands initiative is one of two projects announced by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday as he launched the HDB Innovation Festival – a two-day showcase of innovative solutions and programs in Canada. HDB Atrium Hub.

The other initiative, called Cool Ideas Enterprise, is for entrepreneurs and aspiring companies who have ideas to improve the HDB's living environment.

The program is managed by HDB in partnership with Enterprise Singapore and supported by Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and the Intellectual Property Intermediary (IPI).

As part of this program, entrepreneurs and businesses can apply for funding and seek mentorship to help them refine or develop their solutions for implementation, HDB said.

"Enterprise Singapore will fund up to 70 percent of the development costs of each innovation, and an estimated $ 5 million will be allocated to several projects over two years," HDB said of funding for the initiative. .

These ideas could include solutions for areas such as energy, urban greenery and living environment.

HDB said it would offer "expertise and practical advice", test opportunities and a potential chance to drive these ideas into selected areas such as Punggol, Yuhua and Tengah.

Successful applicants can also use Enterprise Singapore's corporate networks and ACE can also help them develop their ideas abroad.

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