Singapore’s GovTech looks at anticipatory digital services

Singapore’s GovTech agency is investigating how it can anticipate citizens’ needs at key stages in their lives, it revealed today.

“We looked at various exploratory ideas about how we could use moments of life, micro-moments, to anticipate citizens' needs,” said Jacqueline Poh, the agency’s CEO-designate, at the Ministry of Communications and Information’s workplan briefing.

Citizens “want services to be pushed to them when they needed it,” she added. For instance, a new mother could automatically be sent information on birth registration and infant care.

GovTech is looking at a platform that could do this. It would bring together services from different agencies that people at a particular stage in life might need.

“We are exploring things like building moments of life platforms for businesses and as well as individuals,” Poh said.

Agencies will need to take a cross-cutting approach to deliver such services, however.

“In terms of digital, a lot of our government services are quite fragmented. They are performed individually by each agency looking at its mandate and its area of interest,” she said.

For example, an elderly person might be looking for health care, income, welfare, housing, social activities, and companionship.

“All of these things can individually be found, done by different parties. But what would it be like if we put it together?” Poh said.

“The ultimate aim is to make citizens' experience across the whole of government far more seamless for businesses, citizens, and also public sector employees,” she added.