The Sarawak State Government is proud to host the 2nd International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak, IDECS. This conference will take place from 14th – 15th May 2018, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Sarawak.
IDECS will once again be held under the patronage of The Right Honourable Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi (Dr.) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, and will see The Honourable State Secretary of Sarawak, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Morshidi bin Abdul Ghani as the Conference Chairman.
This annual conference will gather thirteen (13) local and international speakers, experts in their respective fields, to discuss issues related to the development, implementation, use and management of emerging technologies and the move towards a digital economy. This year’s IDECS is anticipated to gather close to 3000 participants, up from the previous year. This conference will be a convergence of Digital Economy experts, from various sectors – the Sarawak Civil Service, captains of the industry, as well as private and global practitioners.
Prompted by the need to develop data driven organizations (DDO), this year’s theme is “Data to Fuel Economic Growth and Quality of Life”. IDECS will serve as a platform and will provide a great opportunity to explore and exchange ideas. In addition, this conference also aims to expose participants to the tremendous potential unfolding from the digital economy particularly within this region, across four sub-themes; Data Intelligence, E-Commerce, Smart Community and Digital Government. It will also serve to encourage deliberatione on how these digital elements impact business growth while at the same time making our lives easier and more convenient to ensure and enable economic sustainability.
A report from McKinsey Global Institute estimates that better use of data could increase world income by $3 trillion each year in seven industries. The report also notes that over half of this value would go to consumers – for example in the form of fewer traffic jams, easier price comparisons and better matching between educational institutions and talents.
Last year’s IDECS was an insight into understanding the conceptualization of the Digital Economy and saw the declaration by The Right Honourable Chief Minister of his 8 mandates. This year, we revisit these mandates, distilled into the 47 strategic action plans of the Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018 – 2022.
| 1 |
Establishment of the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) |
| 2 |
Establishment of the Sarawak Multimedia Authority |
| 3 |
Establishment of the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation |
| 4 |
Committed to boost speed connectivity of the State’s ICT infrastructure |
| 5 |
Establishment of the Digital Village and e-Com Y30 |
| 6 |
Promoting e-learning |
| 7 |
Making Sarawak a data centre in relation to its rich biodiversity |
| 8 |
Establishment of labs and workshops for the next six months to brainstorm and chart the roadmap for Sarawak |
Nonetheless for Sarawak – The launch of our own big data along with the sharing of databases by the Federal Government will create more opportunities for our communities and businesses, drive competitiveness and productivity, and strengthen connectivity across Sarawak. The greater efficiency of mobility and connectivity in the major urban centres, and the general improvement in our local economic environment suggests that there is a better future we can build for Sarawakians – as opined by The Right Honourable Chief Minister of Sarawak.
Putting in place the action plans through the Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018 – 2022 a year after IDECS 2017 is in alignment with and symbolic of taking the first steps towards realizing Sarawak’s vision of becoming a high-income nation by 2030.
IDECS 2018 is an event not to be missed!
These IDECS 2018 sub-themes will be discussed during the parallel sessions during day 1 and 2 of the conference.
Data Intelligence
The euphoria over data intelligence is far from just media hype. Whether by design or need, the significance of data has morphed tremendously over the past few years due to the advancement of technology and the growth of the digital economy. This mega trend has affected every facet of life imaginable from health sciences, business enterprises and social interaction. Data has multiplied worth when applied in various economic and social sectors. This creates an ‘intelligent’ multiplier effect which leverages data precision and consistency to allow its users to reach and make informed decisions. The science of data intelligence is now being embedded in machines, especially computer systems. Within this sub-theme, participants will learn and explore topics relating to Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Data Modelling and Analytics.
E-Commerce
E-commerce or the dot.com phenomena began in the early 1990s. In the last 3 decades, e-commerce has moved into its second generation wave incorporating search engine optimization and building upon content syndication. Most conventional brick and mortar businesses by now have an online presence and markets to provide better services and effective strategies for link building. Today's new business models are built upon network platforms and engaging directly with consumers and stakeholders. New critical success factors look at the capabilities and dynamics of network effects, value creation, value capture and new business models. In this session, opportunities to understand the “winner-take all market” and the “how-to” question in order to develop digital strategies in a start-up business environment will be shared by industry experts.
Smart Communities
Smart communities or smart cities, are the epitome of a sophisticated and modern lifestyle where everything runs on the efficiency of the latest tech. Although the term “smart city” has gained a wider currency, there is still confusion about what a smart city is, especially since several similar terms are often used interchangeably. Research published by the IEE-CCD Smart Cities White Paper states that by 2050, 9 billion humans will be living on Earth of which 70 percent will be in cities, implying development of best practices to improving city resource management. A smart city must combine legacy networks and new communication architectures in order to configure existing communication networks to achieve compatibility and interoperability. In this section, topics on social media interaction, engagement and the challenges of fostering smart communities will be explored.
Digital Government
Missions drive agencies, and the need to deliver better services to customers at a lower cost – whether it is a teacher seeking classroom resources or a family figuring out how to pay for college – is pushing the government to look for new solutions. Digital Government is the most recent phase of “government evolution”, made possible by the dawn and maturity of a nexus of mobile, social and cloud technologies. Moving in that direction, the State Government has identified three initiatives, all of which are aimed at creating an open and seamless digital government system, paving the way for the State to leapfrog into becoming a Digital Economy, and to innovate and improve government service delivery. Continuous digital evolution may see some struggle as the environment changes around them; but others will take advantage of all that digital transformation can offer – and thrive. The Government must take a leading role as a facilitator and enabler – to create an ecosystem of public-private partnerships to create new solutions, new businesses and new wealth, as part of the strategy to become a high – income nation by 2030.
