Virtual line-up of geospatial interest and capabilities, knowledge-seeding by international industry professionals, and special features in heritage to build and inspire the GeoCommunity

Singapore Geospatial Festival 2021 (#SgGeoFest) returns for the third consecutive year with a virtual line-up of geospatial events and interactive activities. Presented by GeoWorks, Singapore’s geospatial industry centre managed and operated by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), #SgGeoFest will run from today, 6 September, to 17 September 2021.

2. Reaching an international audience of geospatial industry experts, young professionals, students and enthusiasts, #SgGeoFest combines a series of over 70 webinars, workshops and talks as a knowledge-sharing forum on topics ranging from digital twins and innovation in maps, to catalysts for earth observation for business and educational exchange.

3. The line-up of the activities organised during Singapore Geospatial Festival 2021 is available at the event website at go.gov.sg/sggeofest.

4. SLA chief executive Colin Low said, “The pandemic has fast-tracked Digital Transformation across the world, and geospatial technology has proven itself as a powerful took in helping us navigate a new way of life. Beyond developing geospatial technology and infrastructure, we are strengthening capabilities and cultivating talents towards a collaborative, adaptive and diverse geospatial ecosystem. This year’s #SgGeoFest will see a comprehensive line-up to build geospatial interest across new segments to reach special interest groups and even young students. It will be a chance to meet geospatial partners from around the world, to learn about their latest innovations, from creating Digital Twins for sustainable city planning, to using Augmented Reality for natural disaster response efforts.”

#SgGeoFest Highlights

International geospatial knowledge sharing

5. GeoMarketplace: Meet GeoTechs from Around the World is presented as a discussion to promote geospatial sharing across borders for industry professionals, featuring startups and scale-ups showcasing their geospatial innovation. GeoWorks’ international community partners and members from Finland, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States of America will also share about geospatial developments in their countries and regions.

6. The Open Geospatial Consortium 120th Member Meeting will be co-hosted by SLA at #SgGeoFest this year, marking the start of a 3-year collaboration for the meeting to be held in Singapore. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) boasts an international community of experts focused on open standards and innovation through interoperable geospatial technologies. #SgGeoFest attendees can register to attend OGC’s meetings including, but not limited to, the Open Plenary, Asia Forum, OGC startups presentation, and Today's Innovations, Tomorrow's Technologies, Future Directions. “OGC is very pleased to collaborate with SLA on advancing geospatial technology and best practices in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. We will join hands in establishing a number of industry events in the coming years to benefit the professional geospatial community in this region, starting with this year’s Singapore Geospatial Festival,” said Scott Simmons, chief standards officer of OGC.

7. GeoWorks’ GeoPartners and members, including Autodesk, Dassault Systemes, Esri, Hexagon, Geo Connect Asia, PTV Group, Synspective and Trimble, will also contribute to the line-up for #SgGeoFest with virtual conferences to update on use cases and applications across various sectors.

Developing geospatial interest in the young

8. To develop young talents, SLA will present the annual Regional Geospatial Youth Forum on 16 September as part of #SgGeoFest to build geospatial interest and awareness among young professionals and students from Singapore and participating ASEAN countries and regions.

9. SLA will also co-host the Young Geospatial Scientist workshop with Science Centre Singapore to develop geospatial knowledge among school children. The Young Geospatial Scientist Badge programme is a collaboration between SLA and Science Centre Singapore. Launched in March 2021, it has since been accessed by almost 2,000 students. “Today’s youths are tomorrow’s leaders. There is no question that youths are guardians of our planet’s future and have an extremely important role in our journey forward. In this world of rapid changes, young people need to develop a greater breadth of skills to thrive. Geospatial is a field that explores the connections between the community and the environment that can go a long way to help create and design meaningful solutions. We are proud to be partnering with SLA to expand our suite of ‘I Am A Young Scientist’ badges and continue advocating for the self-exploration of new technologies to unleash limitless possibilities,” said Professor Lim Tit Meng, chief executive of Science Centre Singapore.

SLA’s 20th Anniversary Special: Geospatial data for heritage research and navigational safety

10. In conjunction with SLA’s 20th Anniversary, a series of talks is presented to showcase the use of maps, location intelligence and spatial history in heritage archival research as well as safety management for the community. “Often times, old maps present information on site planning and can serve as a guide to looking into the background and history of a place of significance,” said heritage researcher Jerome Lim, who will be facilitating a virtual visit and presenting on the role of the Old Kallang Airport in Singapore’s aviation history. Old Kallang Airport is a State property managed by SLA.

11. Other highlights of this series include a review of the works of John Turnbull Thomson, Government Surveyor of the Straits Settlements from 1841 to 1855, by mapping consultant Mok Ly Yng; a discussion on the use of ephemera to better understand the narrative of places and buildings by architect Dr Lai Chee Kien; and an interpretation of past addresses, and colonial names of streets and places, in an ongoing study of Singapore’s heritage by the National Heritage Board’s researcher Ng Ching Huei.

12. Geospatial data is also used as a navigational tool to address mobility issues faced by the elderly and wheelchair users. Mapping our town with OneMap is presented by Wee Kit Bian, chief enabling officer of BLK.SG, as a project to teach users how to use Interactive OneMap.sg to find barrier-free routes or covered linkways for greater travelling ease.

Issued by:

The Singapore Land Authority

6 September 2021