Speech by S for IT at Hong Kong IoT Conference (English only)

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Hong Kong IoT Conference:

Andy (President of the Hong Kong Internet of Things Industry Advisory Council, Mr Andy Bien), Anna (Chief Executive of GS1 Hong Kong, Ms Anna Lin), Charles (Legislative Council member Mr Charles Mok), distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning everyone. It is a great pleasure to join you all today at the Hong Kong Internet of Things (IoT) Conference 2019, which has stepped into its seventh edition. 

     First of all, I would like to thank GS1 for organising this annual event. The conference provides an excellent platform for leaders and experts across industries to exchange views on the emerging trends of IoT and potential applications on real businesses. The theme of this year's conference, "Connected World · Connected Business", aptly describes the increasing significance of being connected in the digital era.

     The Internet has evolved from a global network of computers to one connecting almost everything from electrical appliances to vehicles and even buildings. Internet of Things or IoT brings opportunities for new products and services, and creates new value for businesses and consumers. Global consulting firm Gartner predicts there will be 20 billion IoT devices by 2020, and more than 65 per cent of the enterprises around the world will adopt IoT products by then.

     Hong Kong aspires to become a leading smart international city in economic development and quality of life. The Government published in December 2017 the first-ever Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong, which set forth over 70 specific initiatives under six smart areas, covering digital infrastructure and various smart city applications in different walks of life. One initiative is the installation of multi-functional smart lampposts. We will start with about 400 smart lampposts throughout the city under a pilot scheme. The first batch of 50 smart lampposts are being installed in Kwun Tong and Kai Tak Development Area. These lampposts will deploy the patented technology called BATS, developed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. BATS offers high throughput, high expandability and stable data transmission without the need of optical fibre for each lamppost. Later this month, you will see these lampposts coming into operation progressively.

     Equipped with cameras, sensors and other smart devices, the smart lampposts can collect real-time urban data such as traffic flows, air quality and weather conditions. Transmitted through a dedicated communications network, the data will be processed using big data analytics and artificial intelligence, so they can be used for enhancing the city management. The data will also be uploaded on to the Government's open data portal, which can then be used by the public for further smart city innovation. We will set up a smart city dashboard to present key metrics in a visual manner on the Government's open data portal by the end of this year. You will see these exciting results upcoming.

     There are also many other smart city applications in the public sector adopting IoT. For instance, the Hong Kong Airport Authority has recently highlighted its IoT-Augmented Airfield Service System (AS2). By analysing data from an integrated system of IoT networks, better management of turnaround time between arrival and departure of aircraft was achieved. This innovative solution received a Grand Award under the Smart Mobility Award Category at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019. Speaking of which, I would like to thank GS1 Hong Kong for being the leading organiser of this award category.

     The rapid advancement of IoT technologies is creating endless possibilities for enterprises and the Government. We are also pushing ahead a number of key infrastructure projects to support such developments. These include provision of electronic identity or eID to all Hong Kong residents starting in 2020, promoting the use of Building Information Modelling, and the deployment of a Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI). Let us work together to embrace and leverage these new technologies to better serve the Hong Kong public.

     I am sure all of you attending the Conference are looking forward to the upcoming discussions, which will offer insights on IoT and related digital innovations for the best possible application. I wish the Conference every success and all of you a very fruitful and rewarding experience. Thank you very much.