Hii (right) presenting Abang Johari with a VR headset to put on as part of the launching gimmick of the ‘Kuching VR’ app. Also seen are Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan (left), Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh (second right) and Swinburne Sarawak deputy vice-chancellor and chief executive officer Prof John Wilson (second left). — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: The state government is continuously carrying out efforts to upgrade the state’s Internet infrastructure to ensure that its Internet speed is up to par and able to support advanced technologies such as virtual reality (VR).
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said if the state continues to have inadequate technology support such as fast Internet speed, this would no doubt create problems such as users encountering constant lag in connection which in turn can disrupt VR app.
“The problem for us in Sarawak concerns high-speed Internet because in VR, your audio as well as image must be in real time.
“So I’m now working very hard to upgrade our Internet infrastructure as well as the main Internet gateway to link with international networks so that we can link through major international gateways such as Singapore and Hong Kong,” he said when officiating Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus’ ‘Kuching VR’ app at the university’s campus here yesterday.
Abang Johari pointed out that VR has proven to be a transformational technology which provides users with a new landscape to analyse things. He informed that the state government would be embarking on a research to cool the state’s climate using aerosols emitted by trees, based on a study conducted in Finland.
“I have requested Finland to help us in this research because Finland cools its climate with aerosol particles from trees.
“However, Finland is a four-season country whereas we have tropical climate. So we have to find out which tree species here would be suitable and we can do all these through VR analysis,” he remarked.
In this regard, he hoped to see universities such as Swinburne Sarawak use technologies such as VR to propel the state forward.
Abang Johari, who is also the university’s pro-chancellor, commended the university for creating the ‘Kuching VR’ app which he described as ‘a precedent’ that should serve as an inspiration for others.
“I must congratulate Swinburne Sarawak for having alumni that are really thinking about the future and I hope that this VR app will become a platform for us to move forward and train our students towards a new, real world.”
The ‘Kuching VR’ app is a 360-degree VR smartphone application which gives users an immersive experience that enables them to see some of the city’s landmarks and tourist attractions in addition to the university’s 16.5-acre city campus.
The app was created by four Swinburne alumni Chandrika Ong, Nehemiah Raymond, Jenny Wong and Stephen Lee under the supervision of the university’s Faculty of Business and Design lecturers Augustus Raymond and John Hii.