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By Ian Tan Hanhonn
The National Parks Board (NParks) is implementing a new digitalisation push to encourage the landscape sector to adopt more advanced technologies.
NParks hopes to attract younger workers to the sector, enable more older workers to join the sector, and create up to 1,000 new jobs in the sector over the next five years with the effort.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced the initiative during the launch of the Digitalisation Plan for Landscape Sector on 11 January 2021 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
Addressing landscape partners and students, Mr Lee said that Nparks will work with stakeholders on new initiatives as part of the 10-year Landscape Sector Transformation Plan launched in 2019.
He said: “We want to help our landscape companies move up the value chain to engage in higher-value landscape management work. We hope you will do this by adopting technology and upskilling our workforce.”
Over the next year, NParks will pilot various digital technologies to manage greenery and parks in the Ang Mo Kio-Bishan area.
One example is the Remote Tree Measurement System (RTMS), which uses light detection and ranging scans and machine learning, to automatically map the locations of individual trees and their exact measurements.
The RTMS will reduce the need for landscape workers to manually inspect trees and update the tree records.
Other technologies that NParks will pilot include improved tree tilt sensors, automatic lighting fault reporting system, and grass height sensors.
“When the pilot concludes, we will work with you [NParks’ landscape partners] in the landscape sector to deploy these technologies progressively as part of our park and greenery management contracts across Singapore,” said Mr Lee.
The pilot will conclude in January 2022.
NParks will continue to partner Institutes of Higher Learning to develop skilled young Singaporean talent for the sector.