SINGAPORE - When the Punggol Digital District (PDD) is up and running in 2023, workers could have their breakfast delivered to them by drone, thanks to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on Tuesday (July 10).
ST Engineering and government agency JTC Corporation plan to create an open digital platform that integrates systems, helping to manage buildings,security, cooling and waste.
It will help estate managers to optimise and control resources by providing real-time data and pre-emptive solutions.
For example, building occupants will be able to give feedback on the temperature through an app so it can be adjusted accordingly, optimising energy use.
Traffic video analytics can detect road conditions and smart traffic lights will adapt signal cycles to clear congestion.
Workers arriving at the district's business park could trigger a chain of smart systems that work together, so that after biometric information detects their arrival in the transportation hub, the system can send an alert to the hawker centre to prepare their favourite dish before flying it to their office by drone.
The MOU was signed at the World Cities Summit at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
JTC chief executive Ng Lang said the platform would be the first of its kind in Singapore.
"Besides making our work more efficient, we hope it can also enhance the convenience and experience of people working in the district," he said, adding that data provided by the platform would help to develop solutions for the community.
Academia, researchers and start-ups will be able to plug into the platform for data on physical infrastructure, urban solutions and digital systems.
JTC and ST Engineering will each provide half of the investment required for the deployment of smart-city solutions and the platform. The project's cost was not revealed.
ST Engineering has implemented more than 500 smart-city projects across 70 cities worldwide.
"The intent of this partnership is to ensure that PDD sees a full integration of smart-city solutions in tandem with physical infrastructure of the digital district for deeper integration from the start," the companies said in a joint statement.
The platform will first be tested at research and technology hub one-north.
The guest of honour at the signing, Dr Janil Puthucheary, who is Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, said similar platforms could be deployed to other areas such as the Jurong Innovation District.
Dr Puthucheary, who is part of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, said: "It's an opportunity to test innovative solutions... At the heart of all this is the partnership with the community. It's not just about the technology."
