正如澳門的一些鄰近地區所展現，成爲一個「智慧城市」不僅僅只意味著科技進步。
亞太地區的經濟體（日本除外）在2019年至2023年期間將貢獻全球智慧城市舉措支出的三分之一，其中中國佔該地區大部分的相關技術投資。
隨著這麼多鄰近地區展示智慧城市規劃的成功案例，澳門在自身發展方面有很多經驗可以從中借鑑。我們探討成為智慧城市的定義，以及澳門應該採取哪些措施來實現其智慧城市發展目標。
什麽是智慧城市？
目前，對於什麼因素構成「智慧 」城市，社會仍沒有明確的定義，但有一點是肯定的——它不僅僅是關乎科技進步。雖然「智慧城市」是一個不斷演變的概念，但這個術語主要是指利用數字創新改善市民福祉的舉措。
世界各地最佳的實踐表明，這是由政府智慧管治、數位素養（digital literacy）的提升、多方利益相關方的夥伴關係、對前瞻性措施的投資以及社會對善用數據的需求增加所驅動的。
正如聯合國開發計劃署旗下的科技中心（United Nations Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development）所指出，智慧城市是具包容性、可持續性和適應性的。
這意味著這些城市必須為市民提供平等和安全的公共服務，同時實現可持續的經濟、社會和環境發展。
智慧城市還應該具有抵禦氣候變化和大流行病等全球挑戰的能力。為了實現這些目標，不同的利益相關者（如民眾以及公共、私營和非牟利部門）需要善用數據。善用數據的數字化社會是由以下三個關鍵因素構成：
- 價值：數據的使用和再利用是否能提供價值？例如，克羅地亞將其人口普查數據與行政和住戶調查數據相結合，創建了詳細的貧困地圖，使當地政府能夠更好地分配扶貧資金。
- 信任：在政府和企業的支持下，社會裏是否有一個充滿信任的環境來保障用戶的權利和利益？例如，網絡安全和數據隱私為用戶加强網絡防衛，並創造信任的氛圍。
- 公平：每個人和所有利益相關者都能從數據中得益嗎？還是較貧困或農村地區較少有機會接觸和獲取數字服務？對新科技的投資是否只優先考慮某些利益相關者（如大型企業和政府），而忽視了如非牟利組織等的其他利益相關者？所有公民都應能夠獲取數據並從中受益，包括少數群體和居住在服務不足地區的群體。
澳門有多「智慧化」?
從其2016-2020年和2021-2025年期間的五年規劃到最近的《施政報告》，澳門特區政府已把時間、資源和精力傾注到面向未來的舉措中。
在2018年發佈的《澳門智慧城市發展策略及重點領域建設》諮詢文本中，特區政府提出智慧城市發展需要圍繞兩個根本原則——分別是以人為本的方法和基於聯合國17個可持續發展目標（Sustainable Development Goals）促進城市的可持續發展。
在區域層面，《粵港澳大灣區發展規劃綱要》為建設以「廣州–深圳–香港–澳門」科技創新走廊為主軸的國際科技創新中心提供了藍圖。
在2021年發佈的《橫琴粵澳深度合作區建設總體方案》也指出，將加大對科技創新走廊中的高端製造業和科研的支持。
因爲這些自上而下的努力，澳門正經歷著數字基建的轉型。從提供電子政務服務的 「澳門公共服務一戶通」（簡稱「一戶通」）到為市民和遊客提供一站式資訊服務的「袋中澳」手機應用程式，市民現在可以使用越來越多便民的移動應用程式。
澳門居民也從本地與阿里巴巴（Alibaba Group）和商湯科技（SenseTime）等創新者蓬勃發展的夥伴關係中獲益良多。例如，阿里巴巴同意在人工智能（AI）和大數據驅動的數字化措施方面進行合作，以解決社會常見的民生問題，其中一個例子便是這家科技巨頭已經與交通事務局合作，開發了一項交通事故智慧感知服務。
另外，該公司還與特區政府旅遊局合作，創建了一個「旅遊資訊交換平台」，收集和分享旅客的喜好、行為、熱門地標的實時人流和交通狀況的數據。這些數據同時改善遊客的旅行體驗，並幫助政府制定更明智的旅遊發展計劃。
然而，在日常生活中，這些舉措仍然與市民的需要脫節。儘管我們的生活逐漸得到改善，但澳門的智慧城市發展措施在其覆蓋範圍和影響方面仍然有限。因為本地缺乏有效的領導和執行能力，許多智慧城市相關舉措也被延遲了，變成無法實現的想法。
為了在智慧城市發展中邁向下一步，澳門政府需要制定明確的評估標準和執行計劃，促進除公眾諮詢之外基層市民有意義的參與，並確保其智慧城市舉措真正惠及城市中的每個人。
施政透明度和時間表是關鍵
在某些方面，政府的政策和法規正在沿著智慧城市發展方向取得進展。例如，2019年正式生效的《澳門網絡安全法》有助於加強關鍵基礎設施營運者（例如公共部門、銀行、公用事業機構和互聯網服務提供商）的網絡、數據和運營，而2020年正式生效的第2/2020號《電子政務》法律則把一些需要大量文件處理的流程轉移到網上進行。
但澳門政府仍然缺乏落實其更為廣泛的計劃所需的評估和實施程序。例如，上述在2018年發佈的《澳門智慧城市發展策略及重點領域建設》諮詢文本並沒有為許多其所提議的目標提供明確的時間表。更重要的是，該文本的最終版本在提交給政府後，至今還沒有呈現在公眾面前。
政府與阿里巴巴在2016年簽署為期四年的《構建智慧城市戰略合作框架協議》（下稱《協議》）也欠缺第二階段合作（由2019年7月至2021年6月）的具體時間表。在這兩年内，這家領先的雲計算公司計劃開展與環境保護、海關通關和本地經濟預測模型有關的項目。
然而，由於新冠肺炎疫情的原因，許多第二階段的項目遭受延誤。同樣地，公眾不但無法得知《協議》下所有項目的最終評估，也無法參閲評估這些項目投資的《協議》，更不用說項目的執行和影響。
澳門政府在2019年推出了「特區政府數據開放平台」，該平台目前提供來自34個部門或實體的534個數據集。然而，這些數據大多是不頻繁更新的統計數據以及一些社會數據（例如人口普查數據和住房價格），但並沒有提供很多可以支持或記錄智慧城市舉措的資料。
當居民無法評估政府的表現時，讓官員和他們的合作夥伴承擔責任便變成是不可能的事情。同時，要政府改善他們的服務和程序也成爲一種挑戰。
來自亞太地區的最佳案例為澳門提供了寶貴的學習機會。以新加坡的榜鵝數碼園區（Punggol Digital District）的開放數字平台（Open Digital Platform）為例，當這個開放數字平台在2023年啟動時，這個安全的平台將提供從數碼園區的傳感器和系統網絡中收集的實時數據，讓企業和學生能夠為不同的智慧城市措施進行模擬。
隨著新加坡的加速發展，澳門的行政程序需要變得更加精簡，以有效地領導智慧城市發展措施。由前行政長官崔世安在就任期間（任期於2019年結束）擔任主席的「智慧城市發展專責小組」有來自不同政府部門的代表參與組成。
政府成立這個專責小組的目的是為協調在五年規劃中所提出的智慧城市發展措施（如與阿里巴巴的合作）的行動。但自從現任行政長官賀一誠上任以來，該專責小組除了對2018年的《澳門智慧城市發展策略及重點領域建設》諮詢文本提供諮詢意見外，就再也沒有公開的活動。
如果沒有一個有效的方法來管理其智慧城市的舉措，澳門會在數字化轉型（digital transformation）方面落後於其他地區。
例如，訂明向電信運營商發放匯流牌照的《電信法》在2019年已完成公開諮詢工作，但它將在2023年下半年才生效——這意味著匯流牌照在預計發放第一批5G牌照的一年後才會推行。匯流牌照意指電信運營商只需要申請一個單一的牌照來運行多種服務，例如固定電話服務和流動電話服務。如果沒有法律訂明基本規則，主要的電信運營商有可能會壟斷5G服務，因而提高價格和降低服務效率。
在這種情況下，南韓的智慧城市法律改革為澳門提供了一個發展藍圖。2019年，該國將其 「U-City Act」修訂為「Smart City Creation and Industrial Promotion Act」（簡稱「智慧城市法」），創建了一個更廣泛的法律框架，以授權多方利益相關者合作，並將智慧城市概念擴大到改善地下基礎設施以外的的範圍。
南韓最近再一度修訂的「智慧城市法」也旨在支持使用新科技的創新產業（例如無人駕駛汽車和智慧電網）以及提供私人企業機會提出創意想法的私人提案制度（private proposal system）。
提高數位素養和多方參與
一個智慧城市的成功最終取決於其公民對它的看法，因此他們的參與是至關重要的。但為了社會各界能有意義地參與智慧城市發展，社會必須提高市民的數位素養。
近年來，澳門在提高數位素養方面做出了值得讚揚的努力，尤其是針對本地年輕人的能力培養。例如，資訊與通訊科技（Information and Communication Technology）競賽將學生的想法變成了現實，而在區域科技巨頭的實習機會則增強了年輕人的數位技能。
然而，在提高各群體的數位素養方面，社會還需要下很多功夫。
《澳門居民互聯網使用趨勢報告2020》顯示，24%的受訪用戶表示他們曾遭受個人網絡隱私侵害，而33%的使用者表示他們在意識到自己的錯誤之前曾轉發過假新聞。
在加强智慧城市解決方案和建立市民對科技使用的信任方面，相對較低的數位素養會構成一個嚴重的障礙。澳門政府和教育機構將需要在數位素養方面投入資源，尤其是支持弱勢群體和老年市民。
那麼，澳門可以怎樣提高數位素養？讓我們考慮一下泰國孔敬市在2018年「IDC亞太區智慧城市大獎（SCAPA）」中獲得了一等獎的智慧醫療模式。當地政府對泰國東北部城市的醫療系統進行了全面改革，通過智慧救護車的運行、數位化的健康資訊交換平台以及智慧手錶的遠距監測來加強服務。為了確保老年人和弱勢群體能夠從該醫療系統中受益，當局舉辦了培訓課程，教導他們如何利用智慧手錶和線上平台。
包容性的城市服務
目前，澳門的智慧城市合作主要圍繞著企業、政府和學術研究機構之間的合作。但是，要確保市民和民間社會組織（civil society organisations）也積極參與智慧城市舉措的發展，本地社會還需要做出更大的努力。
聯合國大學澳門研究所（United Nations University Institute in Macau）最近發表的一份報告指出，近70%澳門的受訪民間社會組織依靠數字技術（digital technology）提供服務，尤其是向服務不足的人民提供服務。然而，只有不到10%的民間社會組織採取了涵蓋網路安全威脅的安全評估。更值得注意的是，這些中心通常配備服務了約十年的系統和硬件配套，因而更容易受到網路安全風險和電腦當機的影響。
由於服務不足的社群往往依賴澳門的非牟利組織和非政府組織提供基本服務，因此社會必須增加對本地民間社會組織的投資，以加强其工作人員和志願者的數位技能，並使他們能夠在安全的網路上獲得智慧城市措施的服務。
智慧城市不僅僅是提供先進的科技。智慧城市最終需要通過善用數據為所有人提供可持續的經濟、社會和環境發展，把公民的福祉放在首位。我們需要開始跨越各社會界別進行合作，以創造一個價值、信任和公平驅動的體系，使智慧城市的舉措能夠蓬勃發展並惠及所有澳門市民。
袁斯陶 – 21/04/2022
(文章選自Macao News平台, 連結: https://macaonews.org/deepdives/heres-what-macao-can-learn-from-neighbouring-smart-cities-to-forge-a-path-forward/?fbclid=IwAR3t-oHaoSSmXqCT4oxPEbZA8NzPEtd83b4xQ1Cn-g426iuFbcajhtr_rpU)
Here’s what Macao can learn from neighbouring ‘smart cities’ to forge a path forward
As some of Macao’s neighbours show, becoming a ‘smart city’ means more than just improving technology.
Economies in the Asia-Pacific region – excluding Japan – will collectively contribute up to one-third of global spending on smart city initiatives between 2019 and 2023, with China accounting for the majority of the region’s investment in related technologies.
With so many neighbours demonstrating successful examples of smart city planning, Macao has plenty of lessons to draw on for its own development. We explore what it means to be a smart city, and what steps Macao should take to achieve its goals.
What is a smart city?
At the moment, there is no clear definition of what makes a city ‘smart’, but one thing is certain: it is not just about technological advancement. Although the term is an evolving concept, ‘smart city’ mostly refers to initiatives that harness digital innovations for the wellbeing of its citizens.
Best practices worldwide show that this is driven by smart governance, enhanced digital literacy, multi-stakeholder partnerships, investment in forward-looking measures and societal demand for harnessing data in beneficial ways.
As the United Nations Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development notes, smart cities are inclusive, sustainable and adaptable.
This means that they must provide citizens with equal and secure access to public services, while simultaneously achieving sustainable economic, social and environmental development.
Smart cities should also be resilient against global challenges like climate change and pandemics. To achieve this, different stakeholders (such as civilians, and the public, private and non-profit sectors) need to put data to good use. It boils down to three key elements:
- Value: Does the use and reuse of data provide value? For example, Croatia combined its population census data with administrative and household survey data to create detailed maps of poverty, allowing the government to better allocate anti-poverty funds.
- Trust: Is there a trust-filled environment, bolstered by both governments and businesses, that safeguards user rights and interests? For example, cybersecurity and data privacy provide enhanced protection and create an atmosphere of trust.
- Equity: Do all individuals and stakeholders benefit from the data? Or are poorer or rural regions less likely to have access to and receive digital services? Are investments in new technology only prioritising certain stakeholders (such as large businesses and the government) while neglecting other stakeholders like non-profit organisations? All citizens, including minority groups and underserved communities, should be able to access and benefit from the data.
How ‘smart’ is Macao?
From its Five-Year Development Plans (2016-2020 and 2021-2025) to recent policy addresses, the government has poured time, resources and energy into future-oriented initiatives.
In its “Strategies for Developing Macau into a Smart City and Construction in Its Key Areas” report, published in 2018, the government called for development to revolve around two core principles: human-centric approaches and sustainable practices based on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the regional level, the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” provided a blueprint for building an international innovation and technology hub, with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao science and technology innovation corridor serving as the main axis.
The 2021 Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin also called for greater support for high-end manufacturing, and research and development (R&D) in this science and technology innovation corridor.
Thanks to these top-down efforts, Macao is undergoing a transformation in its digital infrastructure. Citizens now have access to a growing number of beneficial mobile applications, ranging from the “Common Access to Public Services of the Macao SAR” app to access e-government services to the “Macau-in-Pocket” all-in-one information app for citizens and tourists.
Residents in Macao have also benefited from burgeoning partnerships with innovators like Alibaba and SenseTime. For instance, Alibaba agreed to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data-driven digital solutions to common problems. For example, the tech giant has worked with the Transport Bureau to develop a vehicle accident detection service.
The company also teamed up with the Macao Government Tourism Office to create a “tourism information interchange platform”, which collects and shares data on travellers’ preferences, behaviours, real-time footfall at popular landmarks and traffic conditions. This data simultaneously improves the travel experience for visitors and helps the government develop smarter tourism plans.
However, a disconnect remains between everyday people and such initiatives. Despite gradual improvement to our lives, Macao’s smart city initiatives remain limited in their reach and impact. Many have been delayed, too, lacking effective leadership and implementation to bring these ideas to life.
To take the next step in its smart city development, the Macao government needs to put in place clear evaluation criteria and execution plans, boost meaningful grassroots participation beyond public consultation sessions and ensure that its initiatives truly benefit everyone in the city.
Transparency and timelines are crucial
In some ways, government policies and regulations are making progress. For example, the 2019 Macau Cybersecurity Law has helped to fortify the networks, data and operations of critical infrastructure providers (such as the public sector, banks, utility companies and internet service providers), while the 2020 e-government law (Law No. 2/2020), moved some document-heavy processes online.
But the Macao government still lacks the evaluation and implementation procedures needed to realise its broader plans. The 2018 smart city consultation document, for one, does not provide clear timelines for many of the proposed targets. What’s more, the final proposal has yet to surface in the public domain after it was submitted to the government.
The four-year Framework Agreement of Strategic Cooperation on Smart City Development, signed in 2016 between the government and Alibaba, also lacked concrete timelines for its second phase of cooperation, which ran from July 2019 to June 2021. During these two years, the leading cloud-computing company planned to embark on projects related to environmental protection, customs clearance procedures, and forecasting models for Macao’s economy.
However, many of the Phase II projects were delayed due to Covid-19. And similarly, the general public does not have access to final evaluations of the projects, nor the framework agreement that assesses the investment that has gone into them, let alone their execution and impact.
The Macao government launched the Open Data Platform in 2019, which currently provides 534 data sets from 34 departments or institutions. However, the data mostly features infrequently updated operational statistics alongside some societal figures, such as census data and housing prices, but does not provide much information that can support or track smart city initiatives.
When residents cannot evaluate the government’s performance, it is impossible to hold officials and their partners accountable. At the same time, it’s also challenging for the government to improve their services and procedures.
Useful case studies from across the region provide valuable learning opportunities. Take Singapore’s Punggol Digital District Open Digital Platform (ODP) for example. When it launches in 2023, the secured platform will provide real-time data collected from a network of sensors and systems in the district, enabling businesses and students to perform simulations for smart city initiatives.
As Singapore speeds ahead, in Macao, bureaucratic procedures need to be streamlined to effectively lead smart city initiatives. The so-called Smart City Development Group (智慧城市發展專責小組), which was chaired by former chief executive Chui Sai On until his term ended in 2019, comprises representatives from different governmental departments.
The government created this group to coordinate actions on smart city initiatives (such as the Alibaba partnership) under the Five-Year Development Plan. But since the current chief executive, Ho Iat Seng, assumed office, the group has not been active publicly since providing advisory opinions on a 2018 consultation document.
Without an effective way to manage its smart city initiatives, Macao risks falling behind when it comes to digital transformation.
For example, the new Telecommunications Law granting convergence licences to telecommunications operators (meaning, they would only need to apply for one single licence to run multiple services like landline phone services and mobile services) passed public consultation reviews in 2019, but it will not take effect until the second half of 2023 – as much as a year after the first 5G licences are expected to be issued. Without laws outlining the ground rules, major telecommunications operators could monopolise 5G services, potentially increasing prices and reducing efficiency.
In this case, South Korea’s smart city reform offers a blueprint for Macao. In 2019, the country revised its “U-City Act” into its “Smart City Creation and Industrial Promotion Act”, creating a broader framework to empower multi-stakeholder collaboration and expand the scope of smart city concepts beyond improving underground infrastructure.
The country’s recently amended “Smart City Creation and Industrial Promotion Act” also aims to support innovative industries using new technologies – such as driverless cars and smart grids – and a “private proposal system”, where private companies have more opportunities to introduce creative ideas.
Improving digital literacy and participation
A smart city’s success ultimately hinges on the perception of its citizens, and so their participation is crucial. But in order to obtain meaningful input from all sectors of society, it’s essential to improve digital literacy.
Macao has made commendable efforts to increase digital literacy in recent years, particularly among youth. For instance, information and communications technology (ICT) competitions have turned student ideas into reality, while internships with regional tech giants have empowered young minds.
However, there is a lot of work left to do to boost digital literacy across all groups.
In the 2020 Internet Usage Trends in Macao report, 24 per cent of users said they had experienced internet privacy violations, and 33 per cent said they had reposted fake news before realising the mistake.
Relatively low digital literacy presents a serious obstacle when it comes to scaling up smart city solutions and building trust in the use of technologies. The Macao government and educational institutes will need to invest in digital literacy, especially to support marginalised groups and senior citizens.
So what can Macao do? Let’s consider Thailand’s Khon Kaen municipal smart healthcare model, which won first prize at the 2018 IDC Smart City Asia Pacific Awards. The government overhauled the healthcare system in the northeastern Thai city, enhancing services with smart ambulance operations, a digitised Health Information Exchange platform, and monitoring via a smart wristband. To ensure elderly and vulnerable groups could benefit from the system, authorities held training sessions to teach them how to navigate the smartwatch and online platform.
Inclusive urban services
Currently, Macao’s smart city collaboration revolves around partnerships between businesses, the government and academic research institutes. But more needs to be done to ensure that citizens and civil society organisations (CSOs) actively participate in smart city initiatives, too.
A recent report published by the United Nations University Institute in Macau states that nearly 70 per cent of local CSOs depend on digital technologies to provide services, especially to the underserved. Yet less than 10 per cent have undertaken risk assessments covering cybersecurity threats. What’s more, their centres are often equipped with decade-old systems and hardware, which are more vulnerable to cybersecurity risks and computer crashes.
As underserved communities tend to rely on Macao’s non-profit and NGO sector for essential services, it is important to boost investment in local CSOs to develop technical know-how among their workers and volunteers, and enable greater access to smart city initiatives on secure, safe networks.
A smart city is not just about delivering technological advancements, however. It ultimately requires putting citizens’ well-being first by harnessing data to provide sustainable economic, social and environmental development for all. We need to start working together across all sectors to create a value, trust and equity-driven system where smart city initiatives can flourish and benefit all Macao citizens.
Christy Un– 21/04/2022
(This article is extracted from the Macao New platform, link: https://macaonews.org/deepdives/heres-what-macao-can-learn-from-neighbouring-smart-cities-to-forge-a-path-forward/?fbclid=IwAR3t-oHaoSSmXqCT4oxPEbZA8NzPEtd83b4xQ1Cn-g426iuFbcajhtr_rpU)
