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Smart Nation: 10 years on, the journey continues

Since its launch in 2014, the nation-wide initiative has been paving the way for a thriving and inclusive digital future.

Smart Nation: 10 years on, the journey continues

A key aspect of the Smart Nation vision is digital inclusion, which involves actively engaging with individuals with disabilities to improve government digital products and services. Photos: GovTech

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At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Chua Hui Hua was called into an urgent meeting with the People’s Association (PA) to discuss a public mask distribution exercise.

At the time, Ms Chua was an assistant director at Government Technology Agency (GovTech), overseeing projects like the Parents Gateway app for the Ministry of Education. 

When the decision was made on Jan 30, 2020, to initiate public mask distributions, Ms Chua and her team had just 12 hours to develop MaskGoWhere, a website to guide the public on where to collect their government-issued masks.

Given the short turnaround, building an accurate and user-friendly website required constant communication with stakeholders across policy and operations. The team collaborated with various agencies and ministries, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, PA and the Public Service Division to gather critical up-to-date information on mask availability and new collection venues. Additionally, the team worked closely with PA and call centre personnel handling public enquiries about the exercise. 

Responding swiftly to public feedback was paramount. “Initially, we developed MaskGoWhere in English, but soon realised that many people were requesting for information in other languages,” recounted Ms Chua. 

To speed up the process, Ms Chua and her team took it upon themselves to translate the website into Malay, Chinese and Tamil while awaiting official translations. They sought help from the Ministry of Communications and Information (now known as the Ministry of Digital Development and Information) for additional checks and feedback. As a result, MaskGoWhere was rapidly rolled out in all four languages, ensuring that the platform reached Singapore’s diverse population.

PROGRESSING AS A SMART NATION

Ms Chua Hui Hua, deputy director of Government Digital Products at GovTech, helps develop tech solutions that empower Singaporeans to live meaningful lives.

Now a deputy director of Government Digital Products at GovTech, Ms Chua has overseen the evolution of GoWhere from a single website into a versatile platform that enables government agencies to create their own websites, enhancing the delivery of essential social services and information to the public. 

Today, the suite has expanded to include CDCVouchersGoWhere, HealthierSGEventsGoWhere, BudgetMealGoWhere and SupportGoWhere. Developed in collaboration with various government agencies, the suite now supports over 30 government initiatives and has garnered about 65 million website visits as of August 2024. The swift delivery of the GoWhere platform was made possible by a robust foundation of tech capabilities and infrastructure. These were already in place thanks to the Smart Nation initiative, launched a decade ago by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to improve lives through technology by driving digital transformation in the public sector.

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Ms Chua and her team developed the DIY GoWhere platform, enabling government agencies to customise their own campaigns.

In early October, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled Smart Nation 2.0, outlining three goals for the next phase: Growth, trust and community. The focus will be on empowering Singaporeans and businesses to realise their full potential, go online with confidence and harness technology to strengthen community bonds. 

BUILDING A DIGITALLY INCLUSIVE FUTURE

Tech Kaki is a Smart Nation initiative by GovTech that gathers public feedback on government digital products and services before they are officially launched.

A key principle of Smart Nation is to create innovations that deliver tangible benefits for all citizens, which requires a deep understanding of the diverse needs of its communities.

The development of the wireless Alert Alarm System (AAS), an elderly monitoring system co-created with the HDB and the Ministry of Health, underscored the importance of tailoring solutions to meet specific user requirements.

Intended to help seniors living alone in rental flats get assistance when needed, the original alert system was a wired device installed in their homes. However, many seniors were reluctant to use it. To understand why, Ms Chua and her team made personal visits to the homes of these elderly residents.

“We met one senior who had coiled up the alert system’s wires and hung them on the wall,” said Ms Chua. “She explained that the alarm would get triggered whenever she cleaned the floor. We realised that any solution we developed has to cater to the lifestyle and needs of the elderly users.” 

In response to this challenge, the wireless AAS was created, allowing senior users to place personal alert buttons anywhere in their homes where they spend most of their time. 

Ms Chua takes great pride in the progress made during Smart Nation’s decade-long journey and remains committed to advancing the public good by developing technology solutions that empower Singaporeans to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. 

“Singapore has rapidly advanced in its journey to become a Smart Nation,” she said. “What’s more, it has become increasingly inclusive, extending support to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and persons with disability.” 

“It’s incredibly rewarding when the products we develop bring value to the public,” Ms Chua added. “Moving forward, I hope that Singaporeans will be able to leverage technology safely and continue to reap its benefits in their everyday lives. A Smart Nation is about build a thriving digital future for all.” 

Learn more about Smart Nation’s progress and follow Smart Nation on social media. 

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