From: mbl900@anusf.anu.edu.au (Mathew BM LIM)
Newsgroups: aus.aarnet
Subject: Singapore's IT2000 statement
Date: 24 Dec 1992 00:01:53 GMT
Organization: Australian National University
NNTP-Posting-Host: 150.203.5.2

With the recent "debate" over the CRC's AARNet funding and also with
the recent US bill on IT infrastructure, I thought people may be interested
in the following document I found down a Gopher hole recently. I think
it's fairly self explanatory.


----------------- BEGIN
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        /  \                                                    /\
        \__/                                                   / /__
       //  \\                                                 _\/_\ \
     _//    \\_                                              /___/ \_\
    /  \____/  \                                                NCB
    \__/----\__/


                ******************************************
           ****************************************************
        *****                                                *****
        *****                                                *****
        *****   IT2000 - A Vision Of An Intelligent Island   *****
        *****                                                *****
        *****                                                *****
           ****************************************************
                ******************************************



            ======================================================
           //                                                  //
          //                  Background                      //
         //                                                  //
        ======================================================

The Study
---------
        The IT2000 Vision of An Intelligent Island was formulated in
August 1991 after a rigorous study covering the eleven major economic
sectors of Singapore:

        - Construction and Real Estate,
        - Education and Training,
        - Financial Services,
        - Government,
        - Healthcare,
        - IT Industry,
        - Manufacturing,
        - Media, Publishing and Information Services,
        - Retail, Wholesale and Distribution,
        - Tourist and Leisure Services, and
        - Transportation.

The study tapped the practical and visionary expertise of more than
200 senior executives from both the public and private sectors to see
how IT can be pervasively applied to improve business performance and
the quality of life.


NCB's Response To The Next Lap
------------------------------
"The Next Lap", a plan formulated by the Singapore government, charts
the future direction of Singapore - to be a developed country, the
first developed city of distinction in the tropics, a city of gracious
living and a cultured society.  The National Computer Board's (NCB)
response to "The Next Lap" is called IT2000 - A Vision of an Intelligent
Island.  The realisation of this vision will bring about new national
competitive advantages and enhancements in the quality of life of the
people of Singapore.


Our Achievements
----------------
Over the past decade, Singapore has deliberately prepared herself to
meet the new challenges of the information age.  We have developed a
substantial national information technology (IT) capability.  A positive
environment exists for the private and public sectors to collaborate in
exploiting IT for national competitive advantage.  "The World
Competitiveness Report" has, in recent years, placed Singapore among the
top nations in the world in terms of strategic exploitation of IT by
companies, computer literacy of workers and telecommunications
infrastructure.


Vision of an Intelligent Island
-------------------------------
In our vision, some 15 years from now, Singapore, the Intelligent Island,
will be among the first countries in the world with an advanced nationwide
information infrastructure.  It will interconnect computers in virtually
every home, office, school, and factory.  The computer will evolve into
an information appliance, combining the functions of the telephone,
computer, TV and more.  It will provide a wide range of communication
means and access to services.  The vision of the IT2000 is based on the
far-reaching use of IT.


Living in the Intelligent Island
--------------------------------
Singaporeans will be able to tap into vast reservoirs of electronically
stored information and services to improve their business, to make their
working lives easier, and to enhance their personal, social, recreational
and leisure options.  Text, sound, pictures, video, documents, designs
and other forms of media can be transferred and shared through the high
capacity and high speed nationwide information infrastructure made up of
fibre optic cables reaching all homes and offices, and a pervasive wireless
network working in tandem.  This information infrastructure will also
permeate our physical infrastructure making mobile telecomputing possible,
and our homes, work places, airport, seaport and surface transportation
systems "smarter".  A wide range of new infrastructural services, linking
government, business and the people, will be created to take advantage of
new communications and tetherless network technology.



            ======================================================
           //                                                  //
          //       The Five Strategic Thrusts of IT2000       //
         //                                                  //
        ======================================================

Developing A Global Hub
-----------------------
Too small to rely on its own resources, Singapore has always plugged into
global networks.  The Intelligent Island vision will help turn Singapore
into a highly efficient switching centre for goods, services, capital,
information and people.  Singapore will be further developed as a hub for
business, services and transportation.  Companies with global operations
and specialists who want to market their expertise worldwide will find
Singapore an attractive base.  Knowledge and information-intensive services
can be provided from Singapore to points around the globe.


Improving Quality of Life
-------------------------
Making work more efficient and chores less time-consuming will increase
discretionary time.  Singaporeans will have more time to spend on leisure,
kinship, social and civic pursuits.  People will be able to handle
transactions with government agencies or private businesses electronically.
Examples include paying bills, submitting applications and routine shopping.
Booking tickets for sports and cultural events, restaurants and shows,
accessing vast video and reading libraries, browsing through the world's
renowned museums and art galleries, communicating with friends and family,
and deciding on a holiday will be made easy through multimedia and other
technologies in the Intelligent Island.


Boosting the Economic Engine
----------------------------
The potential benefits to the economy are immense.  Information is becoming
a critical factor of production providing the many industries with the
impetus to enhance their competitiveness.  It is transforming the economy.
For example, innovative exploitation of IT can help Singapore develop high
value-added manufacturing with links to lower cost manufacturing centres in
the region and markets around the world.  Commerce can be boosted by
increasing Singapore's efficiency as a regional distribution centre and in
retailing.  The construction industry can use the fast and efficient exchange
of information, documentation and drawings to improve competitiveness and at
the same time foster local and international collaboration.


Linking Communities Locally and Globally
----------------------------------------
The Vision of the Intelligent Island knows no boundaries.  It will help
strengthen social bonds among our people by linking like-minded people,
or those with a common cause or interest, electronically.  Individuals will
be able to form their own communication links - be it the clan, the reservist
unit, the old school tie, a professional society, lonely hearts club or
residents' committee.  The nationwide infrastructure has the ability to
cross geographical and cultural boundaries so that Singaporeans will be able
to see and talk to people around the globe - from their home or office.
Those residing abroad, especially Singaporeans and friends of Singapore, will
be able to access the nationwide information infrastructure to keep in touch
with people and events in Singapore.


Enhancing the Potential of Individuals
--------------------------------------
In the Next Lap, skills, creativity and knowledge will become even more
important for success.  Workers will need to be re-trained and re-skilled
continuously to keep pace with changes in their working lives.  In the
Intelligent Island, people who want to acquire a new capability, say learning
a new language, can do so in novel and interactive ways.  Distance learners
will be able to use their computers to learn at their own pace and at a time
and place of their choice.  New teaching methods will make learning more
interesting witht the use of multimedia learning packages and aids.  This
will complement and enhance traditional teaching methods.  IT will also help
enhance the capability of the physically handicapped.  For instance, video
conferencing will allow the deaf to "talk" over distance.



            ======================================================
           //                                                  //
          //         National Information Infrastructure      //
         //                                                  //
        ======================================================

National Information Infrastructure (NII)
-----------------------------------------
The development of physical infrastructures such as transportation,
utilities, and telecommunications systems have tremendous impact on a 
nation's ability to succeed.  Today, we face a new infrastructure challenge.
Just as an efficient highway system is needed to facilitate movement of
people and goods, a nationwide information infrastructure is needed to move
enormous quantities of data and to support and stimulate the innovative use
of IT in the emerging information society.

To realise the Vision of an Intelligent Island, a well integrated and well
connected National Information Infrastructure (NII) must be put in place
to enable the linking of computers and other information appliances in homes,
offices, schools and factories across Singpore and to facilitate global 
access.  The NII will serve as the infrastructure upon which new and enhanced
services, ranging from distance learning to ticket ordering to 
video-on-demand, are built and rendered.


Components of the NII
---------------------
The NII comprises three components: *Conduit*, *Content*, and *Compute*.
It links members of the public, business and government through a common
infrastructure.

                        Public
                          __
                         /  \                    ____     Conduit
                         \__/
                        +/  \+                   ++++     Content
                      _+/ NII\+_                  __
            Business /  \____/  \ Government     /  \     Compute
                     \__/++++\__/                \__/

*Conduit* refers to the physical "pipelines" that carry information.
Examples of such pipelines include telephone services, broadband services,
fibre to the homes, broadcast and cellular transmission.

*Content* refers to information that flow through the *Conduit*.
Examples include an electronic delivery order between a wholesaler and
a retailer, a digitised building plan between the architect and the governt,
educational multimedia courseware between an adult learner and the open
university, or full motion entertainment video between a home viewer and
a cable TV company.

*Compute* refers to the processing of *Content* in the NII.
Examples of such processing include user authentication, billing,
processing of permit documents and other transactional services.


The NII Framework
-----------------
The NII will be built on the strength of existing infrastructure and further
developed according to a strategic framework.  The proposed framework
involving many organisations is illustrated below:

                _____  ___ ___                    ___  _____
                |   |  | | | |                    | |  |   |
                |   |  | | | |  National          | |  |   |
     Policy and |   |  | | | |  IT Applications   | |  |   | Technical
     Legal      |   |  | | | |                    | |  |   | Standards
     Framework  |   |  |_| |_| : : : : : : : : :  |_|  |   |
                |   |  ______________________________  |   |
                |   |  |  Common Network Services   |  |   |
                |   |  ------------------------------  |   |
                |   |  ______________________________  |   |
                |   |  | Telecommunication Networks |  |   |
                -----  ------------------------------  -----

*Telecommunication Networks* are the carriers of information and include
cable, wireless and broadcast networks.

*Common Network Services* are value added services implemented mainly 
through software.  They enable users to exchange information and perform
transactions in a secured, reliable and compatible environment.

*National IT Applications* consist of applications that can be implemented
using today's telecommunication networks and those that require higher
bandwidth and wireless features of future networks.

*Technical Standards* will be based extensively on international and
de-facto standards.  They help ensure seamless and harmonious integration
across the infrastructure.

*Policy and Legal Framework* will address non-technical issues of a social,
economic and regulatory nature.



            ======================================================
           //                                                  //
          //              From Vision to Reality              //
         //                                                  //
        ======================================================

To turn the vision into reality, there is a need for a comprehensive
approach to the synergistic development of a well integrated and advanced
national information infrastructure (NII).  Some of the strategies to be
undertaken include:

        * rapidly exploiting current technology for immediate
          benefits,
        * experimenting and prototyping emergin technologies for
          future deployment,
        * evolving the NII architecture to take advantage of new
          technologies and standards, and at the same time
          leveraging on past investments,
        * establishing strategic alliances with local and
          international R&D institutions and technology
          organisations, and
        * fostering local and international collaboration and
          cooperation with business, government agencies and the
          IT industry.

Efforts are also being made to reach out to the people of Singapore - to
promote awareness of the new benefits to be reaped from advanced IT.

Businessmen, office workers, the man in the street and his children will
be shown how IT will affect and enrich their lives.  They will be equipped
with IT skills as far as possible to prepare them for life in the Intelligent
Island.  The whole thrust of this process is to remove the "technology
barrier" and to bring IT and its advantages closer to ordinary Singaporeans.

To ensure that our NII evolves as a well integrated and well connected
infrastructure, both nationally and internationally, the National Information
Infrastructure Division (NIID) has been set up within the NCB.  This
Division will spearhead the efforts and collaborate with other agencies to
realise our Vision of the Intelligent Island.  As masterplanners, this
Division will also be responsible for coordinating the evolution of the
different layers of the NII, each of which is the responsibility of different
agencies.

A high level steering committee, the National IT Committee (NITC), has also
been formed to oversee and guide the highly coordinated multi-agency effort
needed to implement the nationwide infrastructure.


>>>>>      Written inquiries can be directed to:                       <<<<<
>>>>>          Director, Planning and Infrastructure Department        <<<<<
>>>>>          National Information Infrastructure Division            <<<<<
>>>>>          National Computer Board                                 <<<<<
>>>>>          71 Science Park Drive                                   <<<<<
>>>>>          Singapore 0511.                                         <<<<<
>>>>>                                                                  <<<<<
>>>>>        or email:        robinhu@ncb.gov.sg                       <<<<<

 

Mathew Lim, Unix Systems Programmer, ANU Supercomputer Facility,	
Australian National University,	GPO Box 4, Canberra City, ACT, Australia 2601.
Telephone : +61 6 249 2750 	| 
Fax       : +61 6 247 3425	| E-Mail  : M.Lim@anu.edu.au


-- 
Mathew Lim, Unix Systems Programmer, ANU Supercomputer Facility,	
Australian National University,	GPO Box 4, Canberra City, ACT, Australia 2601.
Telephone : +61 6 249 2750 	| 
Fax       : +61 6 247 3425	| E-Mail  : M.Lim@anu.edu.au