BRUNEI-MUARA

INFORMATION and Communication Technology (ICT) should be best used to not only make life more comfortable but to create a safer and secure society, said a senior officer from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

The Acting Director of the e-Government Innovation Centre (Eg.InC) at UBD, Dr Hjh Syamimi Hj Md Ariff Lim, said this in her opening remarks at the Smarter Cities Conference and Workshop.

She said that ICT usage can assist in the development of “smarter cities” with numerous cities now committing to the vision of a smart city to meet the challenges of today.

“Cities have a major impact on the economic and social development of nations. They are genuine platforms where people live, where companies have their businesses and in which numerous services are provided. What’s more, they are major centres of consumption of resources,” she said.

She explained that cities consume 75 per cent of the world’s resources and energy and generate 80 per cent of greenhouse gases despite only having to occupy on two per cent of the world.

“Without a doubt, this evolution raises a very important change with regard to the deployment and management of all types of infrastructures within cities. Therefore, this fact must be taken into account by public policies that are being developed in the coming years,” said Dr Hjh Syamimi.

The concept of a smart city is a city that makes use of ICT to produce more interactive and efficient infrastructure services.

“Development of ICT has fundamentally changed not only our daily lifestyles, but also communication between people and social systems. It is increasingly important that we make the best use of ICT to make our lives more comfortable, as well as to create a safer and secure society,” she continued.

A smart city can contribute in the reduction of public spending whereby the provision and management of public services is reduced. It can also assist in increasing efficiency and the quality of services where the management of resources and quality of services are improved.

“(It can assist) in providing support in decision-making to facilitate the identification of the needs of the city and the approach for new services to provide them with support. Additionally, it can give assistance in promoting innovation, incubating new business and, in general, promoting social development,” added Dr Hjh Syamimi.

“Lastly, one of the most important aspects is to provide information in real time where it enhances the awareness of citizens about the environment in which they live by providing information that flows in real time and, at the same time, improving the transparency of the administration,” explained the acting director as she noted that various programmes are under way on a global scale to tackle the problems that come with urban transformation.

The Brunei Times