IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

A committee tasked with propelling needed reforms under the Thailand 4.0 policy on Monday heard progress updates from state bodies in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

A series of measures must be implemented to aid in the nation’s digital transformation, including this August cancelling state agency requirements for photocopies of the Thai national ID card and household registrations to access services.

Improving employees’ hard and soft skills is necessary to digitally transform organisations, experts said at the “Synergising Digital Leadership with People Leadership to Achieve Breakthroughs in 2022" webinar on Thursday.

Studies conducted by several institutions worldwide show that 70 per cent of organisations failed to achieve digital transformation because their staff was not ready for the change.

The data centre will make use of modern Geo-Informatics technology in order for concerned government authorities to make well-informed decisions during times of natural calamities.

The MOST, Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, are among the many agencies that are actively making use of satellite image maps from GISTDA as a significant tool for monitoring the effects of the recent disaster.

Thais will soon no longer need to show photocopies of their ID cards or household registration certificates when dealing with government offices.

The Digital Government Agency (DGA) expects the administrative changes will take effect by the end of the year as people’s records are accessed online.

The DGA said it will submit to the Cabinet as early as next month a report on the resolutions of the Digital Government Development Steering Committee meeting that dealt with this issue.

Smart cities present a more connected, efficient vision for the future – they are more innovative and use technology and data in ways that enable them to be cleaner, more sustainable and offer citizens a variety of automated services. From environmental monitoring to automated traffic management and digital payment capabilities, rapid technological advancements are enabling cities to create limitless potential that will shape the future of urban centres.

The shift toward creating smarter cities is completely transforming urban planning as governments around the world look to accelerate smart city development. Research shows the global smart cities market is growing so rapidly that it is expected to exceed US$2.5 trillion as early as 2025 – more than double the estimated US$1 trillion in 2020. And although the economic pressures of the pandemic have stalled some smart city developments – at least temporarily – some of the world’s biggest tech companies continue to invest heavily in smart city projects.

Thailand has embraced the agenda of smart cities, with promises of hope for better urban futures. It is not always clear what is meant by a "smart city" but the agenda in Thailand is presented as being founded on seven core pillars -- Environment, Economy, Mobility, Governance, Living, People and Energy, with promises to improve people's quality of life, reduce inequality, and create prosperity, security, and sustainability.

Importantly, the Smart Governance pillar offers "to make governance fair and transparent, and also encouraging people's participation". These are commitments that are much needed in Thailand, but the planning process of smart cities appears to exclude the majority of urban citizens and is a long way from being transparent or accountable, and with no meaningful participation in how cities are shaped or for whose benefit.

Many envision a smart city similar to what we saw in Sci-fi movies with flying vehicles transporting people from door to door or a doctor that is literally a machine inside every residence.

We have long heard about cities becoming ‘smart’. How smartness for a city is defined today and how close we are to realize such vision? Where are we with ‘Smart City’ in 2022? Although the modern vision of a smart city is still far from what portrayed in movies, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud technology, big data and the internet of things (IoT), are gradually aligning reality with user expectations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a timely demonstration of the extent to which digital technology could become fully entrenched in a city, as a means to support public health precautions and maintain effective infection control.

Sensor connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been used to facilitate the screening for and tracking of infections while also enabling the delivery of contactless services in the new normal of people’s daily lives.

Thailand's spending on the transition to a new version of Internet Protocol (IP) is expected to drive IT equipment purchases by as much as 100 billion baht over the next 3-5 years.

The Thai government has ordered all e-government services to support Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) by 2015.

Launched officially worldwide yesterday, IPv6 involves a global IT network mandate to replenish available IP addresses. An IPv6 migration will involve upgrading all applications, hosts, routers and DNS infrastructure.

The recent years saw Phuket turn into the very place where innovations in technology are created, changing the city’s outlook and building it with fancy technology. From upgrading the existing sectors to taking the lead in the implementation of smart city solutions, the island of Phuket is keen to incorporate the digital revolution into its growth strategy.

This article unravels the futuristic innovation that Phuket has in stock using Blockchain technology and the transition into smart cities as the main point.

Call it "Mission: Possible" - in the next couple of years, the new government's Smart Thailand initiative will see rural residents submitting their house registrations online at their local tambon office instead of having to travel to the main district town.

This high-tech mission will also enable them to have new smartcard IDs made at their local post office, consult with doctors in Bangkok from any health station in the country and, for students, study in virtual classrooms.

Supported by Korean Funds-in-Trust, this project spanned seven countries, namely Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China.

Industry analysts agree the premier is likely to pay more attention to national information and communication technology (ICT) policy because of her experience in the telecom field.

Ms Yingluck has served as president of Advanced Info Service, founded by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who is also her elder brother.

The Thai Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) wants to encourage governments and organizations to start using open source software for server communication applications and for desktop office productivity applications, and to migrate to other applications later.

Speaking recently at the ICT SME Summit 2007, Abhisit said human resource development was also a top priority and the party would put more focus on ICT education initiatives.

The EGA’s president and chief executive officer, Sak Segkhoonthod, told the Nation that his agency specifically wants departments such as the ministries of Labour, Public Health and Education, to get on to the online system because these ministries have a lot of services.

The aim of the initiative is to provide an easy means for the general public to find information and use smart ID cards to do transactions with the government.

“City life has made visiting hospitals difficult for some people due to traffic congestion and busy works. Hospitals need to develop a new approach to deliver healthcare service to the patients at this era,” said Dr Somsiri Sakolsatayadorn, Managing Director and CEO of Samitivej Group.

Dr Sak Segkoonthod, president and CEO of the EGA revealed early this week that his agency will deploy telepresence services at the Parliament and ten other government agencies within this year following the national implementation of cloud computing this month.

“Telepresence might be launched at the Parliament first for government organizations to defend their annual budgets without needing to come to the Parliament,” he said.