Makassar and Singapore sign smart city deal
By Medha Basu
Mayor Ramdhan Pomanto wants to get global support for his vision.
Makassar City in Indonesia is partnering with the Singapore Government to build smart city solutions and digital services.
A memorandum of understanding was signed today between the Mayor of Makassar Ramdhan Pomanto and Assistant CEO of IE Singapore Tan Soon Kim (pictured).
The agreement was signed during Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Indonesia to meet President Joko Widodo this week.
The partnership will give Singaporean companies opportunities to work with the Makassar government on its smart city plan. This will include building digital service platforms, smart cards, intelligent transport systems, preemptive flood detection systems, and smart street lighting.
“The Mayor expects this agreement between Makassar and Singapore as a first step towards more partnerships in the future,” the mayor’s press chief, Firman Pagarra, told GovInsider.
Makassar must get “support from global companies and governments” to implement its smart city vision, Mayor Pomanto told GovInsider earlier this year.
The Mayor wants to use data to improve services across education, healthcare and transport. Students are now required to use smart cards to enter their school and access facilities.
This will allow schools to track their attendance, and push alerts to parents on their children’s academic performance. Mayor Pomanto also wants to collect data to cut traffic congestion and persuade motorbike riders to use public transport.
He plans to trial smart minivans equipped with sensors, GPS and WiFi, which will be monitored centrally through a command centre.
Makassar has also launched a scheme for doctors to diagnose patients in their homes. Residents are being given smart cards which hold their medical history and vital indicators.
Doctors equipped with tablets can access this data, give preliminary diagnoses and get remote specialist help if required. “We have identified Makassar City as a favourable place for Singapore businesses.
The MOU strengthens our relationship and will open doors for Singapore companies to provide smart city solutions,” said Tan from IE Singapore.
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