SINGAPORE — The Internet is set to become even more prevalent in people’s daily lives as service providers in areas such as healthcare and logistics develop devices that utilise online connectivity to gather information about users and processes to improve results.
And Singapore is well placed to benefit from this trend, known as the Internet of Things (IoT), noted Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck at the opening of an industry conference yesterday.
“The Singapore market for IoT is expected to increase threefold over the next four years,” he said. “Our strong international and domestic network connections support the development and delivery of innovative interactive digital services to homes, schools and businesses, and serve as the enabling platform for IoT.” Mr Teo also noted that IoT can be deployed to raise productivity and streamline processes. The government is already leveraging on this trend to provide “more timely service delivery”, he said.
The Public Utilities Board, for instance, has 163 water level sensors and 49 CCTVs around Singapore to provide data on water levels in drains and canals, which are updated every 10 minutes. This enhances the monitoring of real-time conditions during storms, he said, and text alerts on rising water levels are then sent out to the public.
Technology commentator Alfred Siew said IoT has many applications, but it may be especially relevant in Singapore, where all sorts of information can be gathered to help mitigate the impact of overcrowding.
“But I think there are many pieces of the puzzle and it will take time for it all to come together,” he said.
In the business world, SMEs can benefit from IoT by helping them gather information about customers, including knowing how many are in a particular geographical area, said Mr Siew, who is also a part-time communications and new-media tutor at the National University of Singapore.
“However, I suspect they will be followers of the technology until some big companies create a compelling package or solution for them to directly take advantage of the technology.” TAN WEIZHEN
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