Alibaba Group has entered a partnership with the Macau SAR government to help transform Macau into a smart city.
The collaboration will focus on using cloud technologies to bring benefits to residents and tourists visiting the city.
Under the four-year partnership, the parties will work together to upgrade the IT infrastructure in Macau to foster developments in tourism, transportation, healthcare, governance and talent development.
The project will involve developing a dedicated smart technology platform to help promote cloud technologies in Macau, building a smart transport network to optimize the management of road, water and air traffic and the development of smart tourism capabilities using analytics and targeted consumer marketing.
The project will also focus on smart healthcare – enhancing Macau's electronic medical system and assisting healthcare decision-making through the use of online medical information.
In addition, the project will involve collaborating on smart city governance by developing a centralized cloud-based platform connecting different government departments, and talent development through the launch of the Alibaba Cloud IT Certificate program and B2B e-commerce training program.
“After setting the goal to turn Macau into a smart city, Macau Government has studied the experience of other cities in developing their own versions of smart cities. After thorough study and research, we have decided to collaborate with Alibaba Group to foster the development of cloud computing and big data technologies,” Macau chief executive O Lam said.
“By leveraging the power of these technologies and connecting resources of different government departments, the project is expected to enhance the model of socio-economic operation in Macau, expediting the city’s transformation into a smart city.”
First published in Computerworld Hong Kong