With the launch of the Malaysia Smart City Framework in 2019, providing a better way of life for the citizens has been the main goal for the development of smart cities in Malaysia.
The smart city framework is made up of six key components– smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, and smart people.
Smart people are highly important as the community needs to possess additional technological skills to be able to communicate and benefit from the smart city they are living in while helping to build on it too.
Urban development in Malaysia has witnessed challenges in managing and developing urban centres and smart cities.
Efforts to increase the local talent in advanced analytics knowledge have been in full swing in local learning institutions, which includes Swinburne University Sarawak.
Its current collaboration with SAS, an American developer of analytic software, shows Malaysia’s attempts to pursue the development of talent for digital and analytics.
Joining the other ASEAN countries on the digital transformation and technology bandwagon, Malaysia affirms the necessity of providing sufficient knowledge and exposure to the local talents.
The high demand in data analytics skills around the world, including Malaysia, acts as the driving tool that urges endless learning and collaborations with foreign institutions such as SAS.
Supports like advisory programmes conducted by SAS, and the use of actual analytics cases that would produce meaningful experience to the students are a few initiatives to prepare local students in the field.
It is expected that about 200 data graduates are to be trained and supervised by 2020. The partnership between SAS and Swinburne University Sarawak will extend as these graduates will work together with professionals from the institute.
The purpose of the partnership is for the development of strategies towards powering the future smart cities, which include Sarawak, and eventually the rest of Malaysia.
Three main areas that would be experiencing advanced digital and technology services are healthcare, industry 4.0, and business and social innovation. Malaysian consumers would also have the convenience to deal with financial agencies, government agencies and manufacturing firms as they are also being supported with advanced analytics systems.
Previously, the government also announced plans to implement a smart traffic light system in Kuching to elevate the overall efficiency of traffic management and transportation system.
Highlighting the fact that 30 percent of travel time would be reduced through the initiative, the government spokesperson said that they have identified 140 junctions in the Greater Kuching area for the installation of the smart traffic lights.
The state government is particularly motivated to make several neighbouring cities of Sarawak smart cities as well through the smart traffic light system.
Moving forward, local government, agencies and the people will play active roles in improving the quality of life of the Malaysians. Issues such as water management, development of local data students and as well as sustainable technologies are carefully handled through collaborations with professionals from other countries.
Malaysia’s smart cities are envisioned to be properly equipped with excellent technologies like 5G connectivity, cashless community, autonomous public transport, drone delivery, energy-efficient buildings, and smart treatment of water and waste management. These technologies are the benchmark for any efficient smart city in the world.
The prosperity and well-being of the citizens are the main goals, thus the smart digital cities in Malaysia need to have a functional, resilient and efficient mobility system. With this, Malaysia is on its way for the successful adoption of IR 4.0 and is one of the digital revolutionized countries in Asia.