By Gan Yu Jia, The Straits Times, 24 Mar 2012
TECHNOLOGY giant IBM has awarded the Jurong Lake District a grant to help it develop into a commercial hub.
The grant is part of IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge, which will award US$50 million (S$63 million) worth of technology and services to 100 municipalities worldwide over three years.
Jurong Lake District was identified in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Master Plan 2008 as a new growth area.
These plans were put forward in a proposal that was considered by a panel of global experts for the IBM grant.
Jurong Lake District is the first place here to receive the grant from the programme, now in its second year. There are 32 other recipients around the world this year.
An IBM spokesman said Singapore was primarily chosen for its clear strategic vision, track record of innovative problem-solving and commitment to using technology and open data.
'Singapore is very forward in its use of technology, especially data. It's really about how the city is able to respond to emergencies and things happening, thereby making life better for the citizens.'
The spokesman cited the National Environmental Agency's use of data collected from sensors to track weather patterns and 'manage water issues'.
The grant will allow the URA, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and their partners to work with IBM to transform Jurong Lake District into a more connected and vibrant district.
A team of IBM experts will visit the district later this year and immerse themselves for three weeks in local issues.
They will then make recommendations about how to build a smarter business city marked by more citizen engagement and better use of resources.
'The project represents an exciting opportunity to realise our vision of Singapore as a 'living laboratory' where companies and research institutes can collaborate with the Government to create, prove, demonstrate and commercialise innovative urban solutions in a real-life environment,' EDB managing director Beh Swan Gin said in a statement.
URA chief executive Ng Lang added: 'We hope to work with IBM to find smarter solutions to strengthen these goals for the Jurong Lake District.'
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