Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative is a great example of a countrywide attempt to leverage technology for the optimization of its functioning while improving the daily lives of its citizens. The project was launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. This initiative focuses on using the Internet of Things (IoT), but also open data and digital identity systems to streamline services, boost public safety, and make urban living more efficient. Essentially, the main aim is to wire the whole city together, so that it functions “smarter” and safer.
One of the features standing out is the Smart Nation Sensor Platform (SNSP). As a result of this project, already 110,000 lampposts equipped with wireless sensors have been placed across the island. They constantly collect data on traffic, public infrastructure usage, and even housing. This data is then used for example to improve planning public transport routes or maintain good quality of infrastructure in real-time and ensure its correct ageing. For me, it sounds like the future there just arrived. However, as with any other unrealistic future scenario, it seems to bring quite some worries, besides obvious benefits. Personally, I would not like my government to monitor every move I make. Even though it might not mean much on a unit level – after all, it’s just the human right to privacy broken – but on a macro-scale, it might lead to too much information about the whole society in the hands of too few decision-makers.
There are, however, undeniably positive aspects of Smart Nation. For example, The National Digital Identity system. This system simplifies online interactions between citizens, businesses and institutions making it significantly faster to engage in safer transactions like registering for services, filing tax reports or just verifying identity online.
To put the government’s involvement into a financial perspective, I ought to note that in 2017, it allocated $2.7 billion for potential collaborations with tech startups to foster Smart Nations development and deployment.
To conclude, by introducing Smart Nation, Singapore only solidifies its position as one of the world’s top 5 most innovative cities (IMD Business School, 2024).
Sources:
IMD Business School. (2024, September 12). Smart City Rankings – IMD business school for management and leadership courses. IMD Business School for Management and Leadership Courses. https://www.imd.org/smart-city-observatory/home/rankings/
Smart Nation Singapore. (n.d.). https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, July 25). Smart nation. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Nation
