More investment needed in digital transformation of urban management: conference

A conference being held in HCM City on September 19 to discuss digital transformation in urban management. - Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — A conference held in HCM City on September 19 discussed the importance and application of digital transformation in urban management, especially traffic.

The local Department of Information and Technology said the city is working towards launching several technology solutions to optimise data collection for decision making, helping create a smart urban management system.

It is focusing on expanding its data centre to ensure large data storage, processing and sharing capabilities and building specialised databases which apply Geographic Information Systems technologies for land, traffic, environment and other areas, it said.

The city also aims to launch automatic data collection systems using Internet of Things-based sensors to gather real-time data on the environment, traffic and others.

Artificial intelligence will be utilised to analyse photos and cameras to detect incidents and make predictions.

It will use big data analysis technologies to process large volumes of data from various sources, and develop AI models to assist in decision making in emergencies and make automatic decisions for routine issues, which will decrease the staff workload and increase efficiency.

Furthermore, the city will develop modern network security solutions to protect its databases.

Thạch Phước Hùng of the Institute for Regional Development Research and Consulting said HCM City is focusing on smart traffic management system, also known as "Smart Mobility".

Though it is keen on digital transformation, its resources are limited and it needs to selectively invest in key areas to develop this system and pick the right technologies to adopt, he said.

He wanted the city to build monitoring and forecasting models that can send warnings to traffic through apps and electronic signs to alleviate congestion.

Võ Khánh Hưng, deputy director of the Department of Transport, said his agency has been working with the Department of Information and Technology to apply digital transformation to traffic management like monitoring bus stops and trips and issuing e-tickets on some routes.

By the end of 2024 this initiative will cover all routes, and all the information will be available to the public on applications and websites such as Go!Bus.

The technology department is providing assistance for integrating the data into the city's database.

He also said that his department is working on piloting smart traffic light systems, which can automatically adjust the duration of the light signals according to traffic flow.

But there is a problem with attracting manpower since IT engineers tend to earn lower salaries at state agencies compared to other sectors, and many highly qualified personnel who had studied abroad only work at the city's smart traffic management centre for a short time.

Investment in upgrading traffic management technologies is limited, and awareness of the importance of digital transformation is low at the lower levels.

According to experts at the conference, it is important to raise awareness of digital transformation among authorities in charge of investment in traffic so that they allocate more for smart traffic systems.

A comprehensive plan with a specific vision, solutions and roadmaps is crucial for the investment to be effective.

HCM City should have co-operation programmes with domestic and foreign universities and research institutes to train future workers.

HCM City is focusing on digital transformation in traffic management. - Photo laodong.vn

​The Department of Natural Resource and Environment has also been paying close attention to using technologies to manage natural resources and monitor the environment in the past few years.

Vũ Văn Thái, director of the Natural Resource and Enviroment Informational Technology Centre, said the department is implementing a system to monitor vehicles transporting solid wastes, which allows oversight of waste collection in real time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 it also piloted a model to monitor the collection of medical wastes in quarantine areas.

The department is working on a comprehensive environmental management system covering many areas such as waste management, issuance of permits, inspections, and reports.

It will include a database for waste sources which, when completed, will be shared across relevant organisations and agencies.

The conference heard that various authorities need to work together closely for building databases and investing in technologies, and that AI could help tremendously in processing data and decision making.

The conference was organised by Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper. VNS