NCS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Singtel Group, has won a US$7.5 million (S$10 million) tender by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) of Singapore as the lead provider to blueprint the smart HDB towns of the future under the Smart Urban Habitat Masterplan (SUHMP). In addition, NCS will develop a Smart Hub platf
NCS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Singtel Group, has won a US$7.5 million (S$10 million) tender by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) of Singapore as the lead provider to blueprint the smart HDB towns of the future under the Smart Urban Habitat Masterplan (SUHMP). In addition, NCS will develop a Smart Hub platform to provide the HDB with advanced analytics and data for better estate management.
Chia Wee Boon, Chief Executive Officer of NCS said, ”The Smart Urban Habitat Masterplan supports Singapore's aspiration to become a Smart Nation by outlining a long-term plan to drive the development of HDB towns with smart eco-friendly features that make communal environments more liveable, safe and sustainable. For more than 80 percent of Singapore residents who make their home in HDB flats, the benefits in the long-run are manifold.”
For example, to conserve energy and reduce wastage of resources in HDB estates, data from sensors on solar panels, LED lights and smart pumps in water tanks can be analysed to assess and maintain the effectiveness of these systems. Service disruptions to residents can also be minimized by analyzing usage patterns of common amenities such as lifts and smart lights to pre-empt maintenance problems.
Such benefits can be made possible through the Smart Hub, which is based on NCS' IntelliSURF platform for situational awareness and smart city operations. Once developed, this Smart Hub will integrate all the data that it receives from sensors embedded within the estate and generate relevant insights for HDB.
Chia added, “The Smart Hub has the capability to integrate information from a variety of data systems and sensor networks. It is designed to help HDB and estate operators know what is happening in the estate so that they can improve service efficiency and achieve sustainability goals.”
The Smart Hub will scale up to over 1,000 HDB blocks progressively from 2017 onwards.
As the lead provider, NCS will partner AECOM Singapore, Arup Singapore and Samsung SDS Asia Pacific to identify and recommend a series of smart initiatives, with which HDB can consider for deployment into HDB towns. These initiatives can include a variety of estate enhancing services such as smart community services and implementation of game-like tools to engage residents and foster closer community living.