13 November 2013 – The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) today launched the GeoInnovation Fund to spur innovation through the use of Geospatial Information Science and Technology (GIST).

2. GIST has helped transformed the way businesses and societies work and communicate worldwide. Geospatial information can be used to identify movement patterns, areas of activity, and spatial relationships between people and the environment. This allows people to better understand and develop solutions for issues as diverse as healthcare, environment, marketing and real estate.

3. Earlier this year, the Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) launched a mobile app called LOO Connect for the public to locate clean toilets and to give feedback on the state of public toilets here. The app, which seeks to encourage socially responsible behaviour amongst users of public loos, uses OneMap for crowdsourcing and geospatial information.

4. The GeoInnovation Fund will allow like-minded individuals, keen to develop creative geospatial applications and services to tap on resources to turn their ideas into reality.

5. The GeoInnovation Fund welcomes especially students, application developers and start-up entrepreneurs who have an avid interest in the design and creation of geospatial applications and services. Nonetheless, anyone with a great idea on how GIST can be used to benefit the society and the economy and wishes to make the idea a reality may apply for up to $50,000 worth of funding per project. Examples of ideas can be found in Annex A.

6. Proposals submitted will be evaluated based on factors such as innovativeness, sustainability and feasibility of the solutions, with innovation being a key factor in the evaluation (Details of the GeoInnnovation Fund can be found in Annex B). Applications can be submitted throughout the year. Please visit www.sla.gov.sg to access the application form.

7. Mr Ng Siau Yong, Director of GeoSpatial Division, SLA, said, “GIST is recognized by the Government as a key enabler of effective decision making and public service delivery. We are confident that the GeoInnovation Fund will help drive geospatial innovation and nurture talent in this industry.”

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Issued by:
The Singapore Land Authority
13 November 2013

Annexes:
Annex A: Examples of Ideas
Annex B: Details of the GeoInnovation Fund Framework