IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

A few years ago, “smart city” was a new concept in Hong Kong. However, in recent years, it has become widely known as more people join in the discussions and practices. There are many good examples: the Common Operational Picture developed by the Civil Engineering and Development Department facilitates government departments to formulate emergency plans with maps on various aspects integrated with the latest information to monitor the situation when a typhoon hits Hong Kong. The interactive map dashboard which tracks local COVID-19 epidemic and presents the latest information in a one-stop manner is also a good illustration. It enables the citizens to get the information at a glance. Since its launch in early February this year, the number of visits by the public has exceeded 30 million, showing a wide acceptance.

In striving to integrate into the national development, Hong Kong must seize the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area opportunities and capitalise on its advantages as an international innovation and technology centre.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan made the statement this morning when delivering the Budget speech, noting that as Hong Kong integrates into the national development, the city must fully leverage its unique advantages and irreplaceable role under "one country, two systems" to make proactive contributions to the modernisation of the country.

During the past 25 years, information technology has made rapid progress in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. For example, the proportion of households with internet access has increased from about 30 percent in 1997 to more than 94 percent last year, while mobile phones have evolved from 2G to 5G.

Among the changes, there is one that many are not fully aware of, though it has an extensive impact on everyday life－digitization of urban planning. In simple terms, it is the transformation of paper maps to digital versions on a computer to enable processing of the increasing volume of data and making informed decisions.

In 21 chapters, the free app covers a wide range of subjects including the economy, commerce and industry, employment, the environment, social welfare, education, infrastructural development, culture and recreation, infrastructure development and state of IT adoption.

The Geospatial Lab (GeoLab) under the Development Bureau was officially opened in July this year. Located at Millennium City I in Kwun Tong, GeoLab is operated by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, occupying an area of 3,000 square feet. The lab has "geospatial" as its theme and is equipped with advanced technology and training facilities to raise the public's interest in spatial data through integration of education, experience and practice. Together with the community, it explores the value and application of spatial data in support of smart city development. Therefore, it bears a great responsibility.

Geospatial data has huge value and great potential. An earlier report issued by the Geospatial Commission of the U.K. stated that private companies realise up to an estimated £11 billion of economic value for the country each year in the form of job creation, air quality improvement, etc. by using geospatial data. However, the report also pointed out that policy-makers often lack understanding of the value of geospatial data and knowledge to apply it, making this valuable data underused or even idle.

Hong Kong was accelerating plans to roll out the Government’s Smart City Blueprint long before the COVID-19 pandemic. First introduced in 2017, the blueprint aims to improve all aspects of Hong Kong citizens’ daily lives by using technology and data.

The blueprint sets out 76 initiatives in six smart areas to develop the city’s digital infrastructure. These include “Smart Mobility”, “Smart Living”, “Smart Environment”, “Smart People”, “Smart Government” and “Smart Economy”. The city has started to experience some of the major benefits stemming from these developments during the last three years, including the introduction of free Wi-Fi hotspots, the Faster Payment System (FPS), and the “iAM Smart” platform.

Hong Kong is trying to add another jewel to its crown - that of a global data hub. Experts say the city needs a dedicated government unit to oversee growth of the digital economy, beefing up data sharing, and supervising data crossing.

With the help of digital technologies, all business, economic, social and cultural activities are going online, which provides fresh business opportunities in a digital economy - one that operates predominantly by using digital technology, and which has emerged as the new driver for economic growth worldwide.

The alliance reacted strongly to the fact that the government did not set up a safety barrier in the eHR Sharing System, and demanded that a balance be struck between the public service and individual rights.

The Food and Health Bureau contends the eHR Sharing System provides an efficient platform for healthcare providers to upload and access an individual's health related data.

This was confirmed yesterday by Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok.

Chow was addressing the Legislative Council health panel where results of a two-month public consultation on the voluntary Electronic Health Record Sharing Scheme were discussed.

Speaking at a press conference today to release the consultation document on the Legal, Privacy and Security Framework for eHR Sharing, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said, "In 2008, the Government embarked on a consultation on the reform of our health-care system to ensure its sustainable development. One of the proposals which received broad public support was developing a territory-wide patient-oriented eHR Sharing System as essential infrastructure for our health-care system, with an aim to enhance the quality and efficiency of health care."

Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) has announced its first Starlink satellite constellation project with a view to helping build smart cities across the Greater Bay Area (GBA), encompassing Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Satellite Constellation project will see the company deploy a low-orbit, high-frequency satellite to map the “ecological life-cycle” data of the GBA.

Hong Kong's transportation sector is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the city, accounting for about 18 percent of total carbon emissions in 2019, according to the special administrative region's Climate Action Plan 2050.

Among the categories of vehicles, private cars were responsible for 4.5 percent of the emissions, followed by medium-goods vehicles (3.2 percent) and franchised buses (2 percent).

Smart city starts with smart planning, and geographic information system or GIS is the foundation technology for smart city development. It empowers town planners to determine how, where, and when their designs can have the greatest impact to improve the quality of life.

Hong Kong SAR is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In the last 25 years, through applying GIS, Hong Kong becomes a better living place mainly in the following four areas:

My new English electronic book Smart City 4.0 demonstrates to the younger generation and startups how spatial data and geographic information system (GIS) revolutionises our lives through sharing of real cases from all walks of life.

The British government estimated that spatial data can generate a value up to £11 billion (about HK$110 billion) for the country each year, and the acquisitions of related startups by large companies directly reflected these values.

According to Victor Lam, Deputy Government CIO of Hong Kong, open source provides government agencies with the capability to be more agile and innovative while effectively optimising the way taxpayers’ dollars are spent.

The Assistant Commissioner for Transport (Technical Services), Mr Leung Tak-fai, noted in the briefing session that the Public Transport Enquiry Service (PTES) had recorded more than 1.3 million users since its launch in April 2009.

"Using mobile phones for internet access has become very popular in recent years. To help travellers search for suitable public transport routes while on the move anytime, anywhere, the TD and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) have developed the PTES smartphone app and mobile website," Mr Leung said.

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has rapidly progressed in recent years, bringing with it the promise of enhancing road safety by minimising human errors and optimising the use of limited road space. Around the world, trials and pilot projects have been steadily expanding, and Hong Kong has positioned itself to explore the future of smart mobility through a carefully planned regulatory and policy framework.

The city first outlined its ambitions in the “Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint” released in December 2017, which recognised the facilitation of AV trials as a cornerstone of its Smart Mobility agenda. This early vision was reinforced in 2019 when the Transport Department released the Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong, setting out a clearer direction for the integration of new mobility solutions into the city’s transport landscape. Together, these initiatives signalled the government’s intent to prepare for a future where AVs could become a regular feature on public roads.

One of the main reasons for the slow development of Hong Kong's smart city in the past five years is that the government does not appreciate data governance, especially spatial data, not to mention making good use of it in decision-making.

Spatial data is the driving force of new economy, the scale of Singapore’s geospatial industry is S$500 million (HK$2.8 billion) in 2021. The U.K. government is expected to unlock £11 billion (HK$100 billion) per year of economic value by the local private sector alone through better use of geospatial data, however, it is not easy to make full use of data.

Following is a question by the Hon Charles Peter Mok and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, in the Legislative Council today (May 13):

Question:

In 2011, the Government launched the portal, Data.Gov.HK, for release of public sector information (PSI) in digital formats for re-use by the public free of charge.The information on the portal is provided by various government departments and public organisations with the aim of stimulating community creativity and ingenuity by enabling the public to make use of PSI data to developinnovative and practical applications for bringing convenience to the public and benefiting the community.

• Adoption of open-loop payment system in Hong Kong reflects similar advances in major cities worldwide
• Visa has accelerated efforts to partner with transport operators to encourage use of tap-and-go card payment method

Hong Kong, which is home to about 7.3 million people and one of the world’s most densely populated places, has often been commended for the speed and efficiency of its public transport network.

The city’s public transport system was ranked No 1 in the world – based on factors including affordability, operating hours, crowding and commute speeds – in the think tank Oliver Wyman Index’s 2022 study of 60 global cities, titled “Urban Mobility Readiness Index”.