(From left) Wilson, Kristjanson, Penguang, Morshidi, Chan and Wong after signing the MoU at Swinburne earlier.
KUCHING: Smart parking application SPark will make life so much easier for local residents, allowing them to settle their parking without fuss or inconvenience, and allowing Kuching City Parking Systems (KCPS) Sdn Bhd to streamline their operations.
Local Government Assistant Minister Datu Dr Penguang Manggil hailed this as a new technological solution in line with the Chief Minister’s vision for the future of Sarawak’s digital economy.
“This collaboration between a research and innovation centre, and the end-user in the real world is an exciting step forward,” he said before witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus with Kuching City Parking Systems (KCPS) Sdn Bhd and ODE Marketplace Sdn Bhd at the campus yesterday.
Penguang was there representing Local Government Minister representing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He added that this app brings together all key elements – a research and education institution, industry players, the general public, city authorities and the State Government – in their mission to improve the quality of life.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Housing wants to see Kuching develop in a sustainable way and this new parking solution is an excellent step towards that, not just the app itself but also as a model for how the various stakeholders in the city can work together for the future of the state.”
The MoU outlines the collaboration between the parties on the development of SPark, which works in tandem with the existing parking system operated by KCPS, and the commercial implementation of SPark by ODE Marketplace and KCPS.
Signing on behalf of Swinburne Sarawak was Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Professor John Wilson. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wong Ka Bing signed on behalf of ODE Marketplace, while KCPS was represented by Kuching City South Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato James Chan.
Also present were Sarawak State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdullah Ghani, and Swinburne University Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson.
The SPark application was successfully developed by researchers at the Centre for Digital Futures at Swinburne’s Sarawak campus in collaboration with ODE Marketplace.
The pilot run of SPark to be carried out with KCPS is expected to provide valuable insight crucial for the deployment of the application.
The Centre of Digital Futures was launched in August last year with the aim of bringing together visionary researchers, innovators and community collaborators under one roof to develop technlogies in the areas of electronics, information and design, as well as to understand the disruptive impact of digital innovation on the communities.
Providing expertise, facilities and resources to translate ideas into reality, the Centre works closely with researchers from Swinburne University Melbourne campus on digital lab innovation, factory of the future, design factory, and Swinburne Innovation Precinct.