IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

I've been wondering how far artificial intelligence (AI) can go to make human life easier and, amid the current pandemic, safer. A good place to start is Japan, where AI is gaining ground in fields from fashion to elder care.

For example, apparel companies hit by the pandemic have been tapping AI technology to boost sagging sales, using it to predict trending designs and colours.

A successful government is judged by its capacity to turn policy into action, but a capable government can only be enabled by a wide variety of parameters — a crucial one being a country’s political stability.

e-Government CEO Mohammed Ali Al Qaed today discussed with Thai Ambassador to Bahrain, Chayapan Bamrungphong, ways to promote cooperation in the field of IT and e-Government.

The two sides also discussed creating new joint venture investment opportunities in various areas.

A "smart city" in Thailand supported by a single communications network supports kiosks, outdoor Wi-Fi, street lighting, parking and more, according to a press release.

The 5G Open RAN Smart City in Ban Chang, Thailand is able to support use cases across industrial robots, factory automation, remote telemedicine, aviation, logistics and agriculture.

The value of Thailand’s digital economy has swelled by 20 per cent this year to Bt2.5 trillion, accounting for 17 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), with even faster growth pencilled in for next year by a leading forecaster.

The Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting of University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) expects the information technology-related economy will expand 25 per cent next year to Bt3.2 trillion next year, making up 19 per cent of GDP. The centre’s projection is based on an assumed national economic growth of more than four per cent.

Gp Capt Anudith Nakornthap, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister, said the number would represent a doubling in users and credited lower prices for smartphones and tablets.

At the end of last year, Thailand had 26 million internet users or about 37% of the population.

The country’s digital government chief, Dr Sak Segkhoonthod, on his priorities.

“When you want to start a business in Thailand, there will be no need to bring any documents,” says Dr Sak Segkhoonthod, Chief Executive of E-Government Agency, Thailand. Citizens will also have a single card to transact across agencies, and they will automatically be told the taxes they owe without having to provide information to the government.

Anudith Nakornthap, Minister of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) said on Friday that the ministry was allocated a new budget of 27.15 million U.S. dollars to expand the free wifi coverage which is currently available at 200,000 spots nationwide.

The service is partly to facilitate first grade students who have been given free tablet computers for education under the government’s “Smart Thailand” policy, he said.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Minister Anudith Nakornthap announced the plan on Monday when inaugurating a seminar on "Smart Thailand: Modern Public Services through High Speed Internet", in which executives and senior officials of all ministries and government agencies took part.

Thailand has defined its vision to increase and improve its use of ICT to help develop a stronger economy as well as boost social equality and environmental friendliness by 2020, as part of the Smart Thailand concept.

Speaking at a public hearing hosted by Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Chadamas Thuvasethakul, Nectec's deputy executive director , said ICT can be used to strengthen the kingdom's economy and reduce the social gap by boosting the public's knowledge and the quantity of smart human capital through increasing the availability of high-speed Internet.

ICT Minister Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap said when he presided over a seminar on Smart Thailand that the ministry has a policy to extend internet coverage to 80-85% nationwide within four years and to improve readiness of the public service in the same time.

Jirawan Boonperm, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), said today that this i-government stands for “intelligence, integration and inclusion” and the plan will “respond to the development goals laid out in the national economic and social development plans”.

Underlying the masterplan is a key goal of integration. Boonperm said to FutureGov Asia Pacific: “We want to see an integration of goals of governance, various agencies of government, public and private sector services, and the services of different departments.”

Khon Kaen has been chosen to be the government's model smart city for other provinces to learn from.

Last Saturday, Khon Kaen hosted the Smart City Expo 2018, an event designed to showcase a variety of projects aimed at achieving the goal.

There has been a lot of overtime recently at Thailand’s Revenue Department. The agency has just concluded personal tax filings for the year, and it has been busier than ever: the total number of taxpayers has risen to around 7.4 million, up on the previous year’s total of 6.6 million. Partially as a result of this increase in the number of taxpayers, Jantima Siriseangtaksin’s 250-strong IT team have been putting in three shifts a day to provide 24-hour support to the work of the Revenue Department’s 25,000 staff.

Phuket ranks as Thailand’s most technologically advanced province among 23 smart provinces while Wangchan Valley in Rayong tops the list of 30 smart cities, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) announced on Wednesday (June 19).

Depa’s Smart Cities Office released the ranking of 30 smart cities in 23 provinces for 2023 as part of its report, “Thailand Smart City Competitiveness Index (TSCCI) 2023”.