The City of Carmona in nearby Cavite province is leveraging the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and international partners to advance its goal of becoming a “smart city.”
This can be gleaned after the Carmona City government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DOST’s Innovation, Science, and Technology for Accelerating Regional Technology-based Development Program (iSTART).
The MOA calls on the DOST to facilitate the transfer of relevant technologies and training to the city government, DOST-Calabarzon regional director Emelita Bagsit said on Wednesday.
In the Philippine context, a “smart city” is defined as “an innovative urban area that uses technology and innovation to enhance the overall functionality, sustainability, and livability of urban areas, making them more responsive to the needs of their inhabitants and the environment.”
Meanwhile, Smart City Network (SCN), in partnership with the DOST-Calabarzon and the city government Carmona on Tuesday conducted a workshop on smart city transformation at the Carmona Training Center.
The lectures were facilitated by Dr. Kok Chin Tay, SCN chair and executive director of the ASEAN Smart Cities Council, and Dr. Piyush Sinha, chief business officer of L&T Technology Services, Ltd.
During his speech, Sinha said “being an archipelagic country used to be a challenge, particularly in logistic(s), but given their advancement in connectivity, at least sharing some of the basic data around islands, will help in terms of creating an open data platform.”
“Despite the slower connection, the municipality can do digital literacy programs for the indigenous groups, and then they can be part of this journey,” Sinha said.
SCN is a non-profit individual membership-based organization whose members are professionals with expertise in a wide variety of themes, from strategic planning, integrated command center, circular economy, smart mobility (transportation), cyber security, smart locks, digital twins, augmented and virtual reality, education, healthcare, food security, start-up incubation and others. (PNA)
