GIS as Malaysia’s digital geological infrastructure
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) should no longer be seen as just a mapping tool, but as critical national digital infrastructure.
Esri Malaysia Sdn Bhd CEO Tan Choon Sang said in a world shaped by climate risk, urbanisation, e-commerce and data-driven decision-making, location intelligence is now foundational to how governments and businesses operate.
He explained to The Malaysian Reserve (TMR) that Malaysia’s journey with GIS began in reactive mode.
Saudi Arabia’s the Line is collapsing into a hyphen
Originally envisioned as an extravagant 105-mile-long smart city, the Line is reportedly shrinking into a pragmatic data center hub.
Saudi Arabia is officially gutting Neom and turning the Line into a server farm. After a year-long review triggered by financial reality, the Financial Times reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship project is being “significantly downscaled.” The futuristic linear city known as the Line, originally designed to stretch 150 miles across the desert, is scrapping its sci-fi ambitions to become a far smaller project focused on industrial sectors, says the Financial Times. It’s a rumor that the Saudis originally dismissed when The Guardian first reported on it in 2024. The redesign confirms what skeptics have long suspected: The laws of physics and economics have finally breached the walls of the kingdom’s futuristic Saudi Vision 2030, a country reconversion program aimed at lowering Saudi Arabia’s dependency on oil and transforming the country into a more modern society.
Top 5 Smart Cities Worldwide
Imagine a city where your morning commute flows seamlessly, public services respond to your needs in real time, and sustainability isn’t just a buzzword but a living reality. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? Yet this vision is becoming increasingly tangible in cities around the globe. From sensors that optimize energy use to data platforms that predict traffic patterns, urban centers are racing to integrate technology into the fabric of everyday life.
The question is no longer whether cities should become er, but which ones are actually pulling it off. Rankings shift year by year, innovations emerge at breakneck speed, and what worked yesterday might be outdated tomorrow. Let’s explore five cities that have managed to stay ahead of the curve, each bringing something unique to the table.
How data centers and urban planning are powering the UAE’s smart city leadership
Data centers now serve as the brains that manage smart cities, processing vast volumes of data instantaneously
The UAE continues to strengthen its advanced approach to smart city development, supported by broad strategic investments, particularly in data centers, which form the operational backbone of smart urban systems and the knowledge- and innovation-based digital economy.
PH: Mindanao: `Smarter cities’ to rise in Soccsksargen region
“Smart local government units (LGUs)” will soon rise in Region 12 or Soccsksargen following the rollout of the SMART Automated Response and Tracking for Emergency Reporting (SMARTER) project, a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology-12 (DOST-12) and the University of the Philippines (UP).
Soccsksargen is the first region in Mindanao where the project is being rolled out.
DOST-12 and UP signed the memorandum of agreement for the SMARTER Soccsksargen project here on Monday.