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SINGAPORE – Residents will soon have a mobile app that allows them to make appointments with banks or clinics in the Housing Board (HDB) areas or to request public spaces such as bridges empty.
He will even tell them when nearby stores will have promotions.
Although the beta release that will be released in the first quarter of next year will contain only a digital directory of commercial stores, the application will have more features tailored to the needs of residents by the end of the year.
It is part of a partnership between HDB, the telecom operator StarHub and the technology start-up Sentient. It is the first application of a "digital ecosystem" planned to use intelligent technologies and data analysis to create useful services to residents.
With the data collected – such as residents' interests and frequently asked questions about their neighborhood – agencies can get information to help them better plan and manage community facilities in the future.
For example, knowing which stores are frequently searched by residents can give HDB planners an indication of the type of stores in demand and help them adjust planning guidelines for commercial stores.
Over time, the platform will get more data sets as other public agencies and private companies engage, such as the location and availability of car parks.
On Wednesday, November 28, the HDB signed an initial agreement with Sentient, StarHub, IBM and the Infocomm Media Development Authority to develop these applications.
Nicole Cheah, Director of StarHub Digital Platforms, said, "The ultimate goal is for residents to be able to use the app to, for example, find a neighbor who takes care of their dog during their trip. We want to encourage people to find the best way to communicate safely, so as not to just greet the elevator. "
At the same inaugural Festival of Innovation Festival organized by HDB at HDa Hub in Toa Payoh, where the mobile app was announced, the Minister of National Development, Lawrence Wong, launched a fund of 5 million dollars over two years to encourage businesses to offer mobile apps. innovative solutions to improve social housing.
The Cool Ideas Enterprise program is an extension of an existing program, originally intended for the general public to come up with ideas for improving HDB domains.
Although the response to this iteration has been mixed, the expanded program now targets companies whose products are ready for implementation but require funding or mentoring.
Hocklim Engineering, which is working to install a soil retention system to stabilize steep slopes at lower cost, and FytoSol, which has created a nanogel allowing different types of plants to grow on HDB roofs.
Hocklim's executive director, Chua Yuan Shen, said the system, developed by Nanyang Technological University, would help increase the capacity of the land.
For example, the inclination of a slope can be better managed so that, instead of wasting space, "the elderly can do taiji now".
Lam Yeng Ming, a materials scientist at Nanyang Technological University, who oversees FytoSol, said the gel could reduce plant water consumption by at least half.
It also allows the cultivation of water-hungry plants, such as Japanese roses, and food crops, which "will add color to our roofs and improve the sustainability of food".
Noting that innovation is not risk-free, Wong said, "Sometimes we may receive complaints because ideas look good and good, but you may have unexpected reactions that you did not anticipate. But that's what innovation is. "
"We must never be dissuaded, we must continue to go beyond the status quo and always seek new and better ways of doing things," he added.
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