Singapore has been named the Smart City of 2018 and recognized for ‘Smart Nation,’ a nationwide initiative that promotes the use of digital technology and innovation to boost live-ability and sustainability.
The Smart City Awards jury, with representatives from the Barcelona City Council, the UITP International Association of Public Transport, UN-Habitat, the World Bank and Smart City Expo World Congress stated, “Singapore has undoubtedly become a global beacon of the urban transformation and how to implement smart urban solutions in a meaningful manner that not only enhances the city’s functioning but also improves the services provided to its citizens and through them their quality of life.”
The Smart Nation initiative includes five key national strategic projects:
- National Digital Identity framework – enabling digital transactions in a convenient and secure manner;
- e-Payments drive – which allows everyone to make simple, swift, seamless, and safe payments;
- Smart Nation Sensor Platform – to accelerate the deployment of sensors and other IOT (Internet of Things) devices;
- Smart Urban Mobility – leveraging data and digital technologies to further enhance public transportation; and,
- Moments of Life – which bundles government services across different agencies to the citizen at key moments of his or her life reducing the need for citizens to transact with multiple government agencies.
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State and Minister-in-charge of GovTech. said, “I would like to thank the Smart City Expo World Congress for presenting us with this award. Singapore’s Smart Nation efforts are about the transformation of our country, through technology. We will continue to create a better lived experience for our citizens, and these efforts must benefit our future generations as well. We look forward to working with other cities to make all our cities smart together.”