(Photo courtesy of Victorias City Information Office)
BACOLOD CITY – The City of Victorias in Negros Occidental has created a digital road map for the implementation of a smart city master plan merging technology and government.
Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said Thursday they have already identified several projects to be pursued by the city government, which will be announced once already put in place.
“We’re very excited because the new technology, especially data science and artificial intelligence, will push governance to a different level. I really want to merge technology and government. I did not only study political science, I also had classes in computer science because technology can really move government to a different level,” he said in an interview.
In crafting the smart city master plan, the city government collaborated with Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI), a Singapore-based data science and artificial intelligence company.
Last week, Benitez, along with his department heads, attended the final digital road mapping workshop and seminar, with ADI's chief operations officer for smart cities, Alvin Ng, and head of public sector, Carlos Streegan, as the facilitators.
Through the design thinking and road mapping exercise, the key stakeholders achieved a consensus on the city’s vision, identified expected outcomes, recognized barriers and capabilities, and prioritized the top 16 use cases.
In November last year, Benitez and the department heads went on a benchmarking and immersion activity at the ADI headquarters in Singapore, after which the department heads also attended a three-day workshop with ADI in the city. (PNA)
