Surbana
Jurong, Microsoft to develop technology to reduce lift
breakdowns
SINGAPORE: Urban planning consultancy firm Surbana Jurong and
Microsoft inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday (Nov
25) to develop cloud-based technology for governments and city
planners to better monitor common estate facilities like lifts, and
in turn better manage their cities.
The agreement is the first such collaboration for Microsoft in
the region, and also comes after Surbana Jurong launched its Smart
Cities in a Box initiative in July, which allows city officials and
to track city assets like lights, water tanks, buildings and lifts
through a series of applications.
Surbana will now have access to Microsoft's cloud computing
platform Azure, which both sides say will help save costs, and
allow clients to access the Smart Cities in a Box technology from
anywhere without software and hardware upgrades. Cloud computing
involves storing or managing data on Internet servers instead of a
local server or personal computer.
Following the MoU, Surbana said it will also be able to tap on
Microsoft's predictive technology to improve its smart city
solutions, and in particular lift management. For example, this
could mean having sensors in lifts to predict breakdowns before
they occur, or using video technology to detect if a person faints,
and trigger alerts accordingly.
The firm currently monitors 24,000 lifts in Singapore's public
housing estates, and have been conducting trials of the technology
with town councils since July.
"As our predictive analytics capabilities are refined and
enhanced over time, we could see a reduction in the number of lift
incidents in the future," said Surbana Jurong Group CEO Wong Heang
Fine at the MOU signing.
- CNA/xk