Goh Siew Lee, Deputy Director, Joint Capabilities (Sense-making & Surveillance), Home Team Science & Technology Agency, Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore
By Nurfilzah Rohaidi
Women in GovTech Special Report 2019.
I lead the project delivery team on sensory implementation for the MHA Home Team. Together with my team, we are the brains behind the ‘virtual eyes and ears’ deployed for the MHA Home Team operations.
For example, we provide the Singapore Police Force (SPF) with relevant and up-to-date technology, focusing on video sensors technology that can enhance policing efforts in Singapore. My team and I work mainly behind-the-scenes to provide backend support for the operations teams.
What has been the most exciting thing that you worked on in 2019?
The most exciting highlight in 2019 for me has to be delivering the final phase of PolCam 2.0. This is the culmination of four years of conceptualising, planning, developing and refining video analytics capabilities that will automate the analysis of footage from the police cameras, and flag out incidents of interest.
What is the best thing you have experienced in your career?
One of my projects was to implement an extensive network of police cameras in the heartlands. The project has helped the SPF in solving crimes and reducing crime rates. Every time, when I see a crime has been solved and the police cameras have played a part, I feel a deep sense of achievement for being part of the team to make Singapore a safer place to live in.
If you were to share one piece of advice that you learned in 2019, what would it be?
Embrace challenges and see them as opportunities to grow in knowledge and experience.
What tool or technique particularly interests you for 2020?
With cameras getting smarter, I am particularly interested in big data technology to harness the massive video data and applying data analytics to enhance sense-making capabilities for the MHA Home Team.
What are your priorities for 2020?
My immediate work priorities for 2020 is to deliver for the Home Team, an enterprise platform that offers a full suite of video services comprising video management, processing, storage and video analytics to better support the frontline departments in performing their public security and public safety tasks.
What is one challenge you would like to take on in 2020?
As the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) serves as the force multiplier of the Home Team, the challenge I would like to take on is to deliver an enterprise platform that provides sense-making capabilities across the MHA Home Team. The benefits would be immense and amplify our capabilities to achieve MHA’s mission of keeping Singapore safe and secure.
What has been your fondest memory from the past year?
When the plans to set up the HTX began, I had the opportunity to be part of its planning process. Now that the HTX has officially launched, I am happy to be part of the pioneer batch and I am looking forward to embark on an exciting technological journey with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency.