The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has announced plans to develop the Smart Nation Platform (SNP) and initiatives that boost soft infrastructure, such as creating standards for Internet of Things @ Home and building of talent in new areas like Games Science. Additionally, 15 smart services will be trialled at the Jurong Lake District (JLD). The initiative builds on the achievements of the intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) masterplan. To support the vision and enable a Smart Nation, IDA plans to strengthen the hard and soft infrastructure holistically.
According to Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister of Communications and Information, a key component in the Smart Nation vision is the Smart Nation Platform or SNP. As part of the SNP, Singapore will expand its capabilities in pervasive connectivity, by building new infrastructure and common technical architecture to support an innovative ecosystem across Singapore.
The SNP gives a strong boost to Singapore's hard infrastructure. On top of enhancing the existing connectivity in Singapore with technologies such as that used in HetNet, the SNP seeks to bring together a nationwide sensor network and data analytics abilities, providing better situational awareness through data collection, and sharing of collected sensor data. SNP will thus comprise of key components such as the communications backbone, sensor networks, data analytics and real-world applications. The SNP will be developed in various phases, with the first phase focusing on the connectivity and sensor aspects expected to be available by 2015.
In boosting the communications backbone, IDA will also be starting trials for the Heterogeneous Network (HetNet). HetNet is expected to allow for seamless connectivity, and the trials will validate technologies and capabilities of HetNet. A briefing on how the industry can participate in the trials will be made available on 1 July this year.
Various Smart Nation technologies will also be deployed and tested at JLD, which offers a "live environment and living lab". Smart queue monitoring, smart mobile navigation guides and autonomous buggies will be tested in the JLD.
Part of the soft infrastructure in a Smart Nation also includes technical standards. IDA's Internet of Things @ Home initiative will identify open standards to enable interoperability between connected smart devices as they are applied in a home setting.
The project also includes development of intuitive interfaces or gesture control and services in virtual reality. Such interfaces and services can be developed by applying Game Science and Technology, an area that IDA is newly exploring, to ascertain its use in non-game industries such as healthcare and education.
