Chiang Mai is mapping out a future as a wiser metropolis through the use of superior applied sciences to assist remodel its tourism and agriculture industries and create different new drivers of inventive financial development.
Linking affected person databases and healthcare asset info may assist create a hub.
The usage of know-how to construct a powerful medical tourism sector and enhance meals manufacturing is a part of the Sensible Metropolis programme supported by IBM.
IBM defines a Sensible Metropolis when it comes to the enhancements in high quality of life and financial well-being that may be achieved by making use of info applied sciences to planning, designing, constructing, and working city infrastructure.
The corporate is awarding $50 million value of know-how and providers to 100 municipalities worldwide over the subsequent three years. Chiang Mai is receiving $400,000 or 12 million baht to herald international consultants to advise on new approaches, stated Parnsiree Amatayakul, the final supervisor of IBM Thailand.
Chiang Mai was chosen based mostly on its 700-year-old tradition, ample pure assets and strategic location within the Better Mekong Subregion.
Nonetheless, Chiang Mai’s gross provincial product (GPP) is just one.59% of whole gross home product, and its development charge has been low as a result of its economic system just isn’t very diversified. It depends closely on tourism and agro-industry in meals processing and agriculture.
The federal government, native universities and the non-public sector have been making an attempt to enhance native financial potential by way of the Chiang Mai Artistic Metropolis marketing campaign.
IT coaching and creativity will likely be fostered by way of a proposed Software program park programme.
Nat Voravos, chairman of the native inventive metropolis growth committee, stated enhancing IT functionality was one of many facets of selling a inventive economic system, with the aim of creating Chiang Mai a gorgeous metropolis for overseas funding, residing, travelling, learning and dealing,
Mr Nat stated know-how and innovation may add worth to services and products, create extra job alternatives and improve productiveness.
The committee is working with IBM to assist develop a roadmap for a Smarter Metropolis. It envisions utilizing sensible IT structure to develop the standard tourism {industry} with a powerful concentrate on medical tourism. A “Smarter Meals” mission, in the meantime, will concentrate on growing yields and managing manufacturing plans for farmers.
Within the healthcare discipline, private and non-private service suppliers can use real-time location monitoring of sufferers and hospital property to extend effectivity and construct an internationally recognised service identification, stated David Hathaway, a mission adviser with IBM Corp.
Digital medical file (EMR) know-how also needs to be adopted to standardise info exchanges to hyperlink all medical service suppliers together with conventional medication and spas.
Niwate Nuntajit, dean of drugs at Chiangmai College, stated town already had some experience in serving longstay guests, particularly Japanese. High quality providers at low costs are additionally a serious promoting level in mainstream healthcare, dental and ophthalmological care and Thai conventional medication.
The college had been awarded 500 million baht to construct a centre of medical excellence together with robotic surgical procedure and geriatric medication to accommodate the ageing society of the long run.
Many international locations are selling medical providers to drive their economies. Singapore is working to shift from a healthcare hub to a medical coaching hub for Asia, Malaysia is encouraging medical tourism to make a custom-made medical tourism community, India is specializing in different healthcare, and Qatar is trying to steer Thai companies to open hospitals within the nation.
“All these strikes sign that the medical {industry} in Chiang Mai is below strain and desires to extend its comparative benefit,” Mr Niwate stated.
For the Sensible Meals mission, realizing what to supply and when, utilizing technology-aided forecasting and planning system, would be the key, stated Nathalie Gutel, an adviser with IBM France.
The federal government may create an e-Farmer portal to collect knowledge on all agricultural product classes for every season. It may then use these info to create pricing fashions below a supply-demand calculation system.
The data may in the end scale back the danger of each shortages and surpluses of key crops.
As effectively, stated Ms Gutel, sensible irrigation may schedule water utilisation based mostly on particular land use sorts and seasonal wants to cut back waste.
Chiang Mai will select a district and a fruit for a pilot mission to check the brand new functions. An IMB survey recognized longan as essentially the most promising candidate since 1000’s of northern households develop the fruit.
Ms Gutel additionally stated that since cellphones are actually ubiquitous, authorities agriculture authorities ought to benefit from their potential for delivering climate info and catastrophe alerts.
Additionally rising in significance from a client security standpoint is traceability of meals merchandise from farm to desk. Expertise may also help enhance traceability, construct model popularity and enhance export potential.
IBM opened a regional workplace within the metropolis final 12 months, she stated.
The town, in the meantime, is decided to capitalise on native strengths in software program and digital content material growth to create new clusters and widen employment alternatives.
Martin Venzky-Stalling, an adviser to the inventive metropolis growth committee, stated town had as many as 150 software program and digital content material companies, a lot of them freelance operators specialising in graphic design. A few of them will be discovered figuring out of espresso retailers alongside Nimanhaemin Street.
“The town has a gorgeous way of life with a decrease value of residing. It additionally produces lots of graduate college students attracting new high-tech entrepreneurs,” he stated.
The committee plans to work on public-private partnership to determine a Software program Park with 2,000 sq. metres area to offer coaching amenities and dealing area for IT and design expertise.
The Board of Funding can also be being requested to declare Chiang Mai a particular financial zone with incentives for revolutionary companies.
Mr Venzky-Stalling stated the committee anticipated to suggest not less than 10 tasks with an funding finances of 200 million baht this 12 months.
Chiang Mai has been chosen as one of many 10 inventive economic system cities by the Commerce Ministry.
“We’re making use of to have Chiang Mai be a part of the Unesco Artistic Cities Community, aiming to construct consciousness and appeal to funding,” he added.