Box Story: The Open Digital Platform at Punggol Digital District (PDD)

Master-planned and developed by JTC, PDD is envisaged as Singapore’s first smart and sustainable district, where innovators and the community can meet, interact and turn ideas into reality, with the aim of bringing exciting changes to living and working spaces. PDD will serve as a vibrant hub for business innovation activities and house key growth sectors of the digital economy, leveraging the broader Punggol Town as a living laboratory for cybersecurity, smart living and smart estates solutions.

Applying the Open Digital Platform

The ODP is a smart city operating system that integrates various district management operations into a single platform. Developed by JTC and GovTech, the ODP will serve as the digital backbone for PDD and is intended to play a crucial role in driving Singapore’s Smart Nation ambitions. The key aim is for the ODP to facilitate the digitalisation and centralisation of district operations to (1) empower estate managers to run and operate estates effectively and efficiently, and (2) ease the delivery of estate services and amenities through open and secure data-sharing frameworks. As a key enabler, the ODP aims to deliver convenience to citizens, businesses and other government services, with the utilisation of real-time data from sensors and IoT devices to quickly identify and react to potential problems on the ground. The ODP was test-bedded at the JTC Summit and Woodlands North Coast in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and is set to be rolled out in PDD from 2025 onwards.

Cross-section of JTC Summit’s Digital Twin, showing almost real time data of the cooling system in the building (JTC)

A key feature of the ODP is the Digital Twin, which offers a true-to-life three-dimensional (3D) representation of the entire PDD, enabling scenario simulations, test-bedding of new technologies and real-time monitoring. Facility managers can navigate the built environment of PDD in 3D and monitor estate systems almost in real time, while also simulating scenarios and evaluating mitigating action.

Conclusion

The ODP’s implementation in PDD is intended to enhance estate services, operations and management efficiency. Due to its adaptability, the ODP holds the potential to revolutionise urban management practices, offering scalable solutions to optimise resource utilisation and bolster resilience in the face of evolving urban challenges.