ISE24/20-21

• In smart city development, effective integration and sharing of spatial data can bring enormous benefits and convenience to the public, as manifested in 2.3 million downloads of HKeMobility (i.e. a one-stop route planning mobile application ("app") developed by the Transport Department) by end-February 2021, less than three years since its launch.^{1Legend symbol denoting Innovation and Technology Bureau (2021).} However, Hong Kong seems to be still far from fully tapping the vast potential of spatial data in a digital economy. One major obstacle is that such spatial data are currently collected by bureaux/departments ("B/Ds") in different formats and under different systems, creating barriers to data sharing and creative development of more new applications.^{2Legend symbol denoting Development Bureau (2019).}
• In the 2017 Policy Address, the Chief Executive pledged to develop a Common Spatial Data Infrastructure ("CSDI") to help overcome such barriers, earmarking HK$360 million for a CSDI that would be due for completion by 2023. While CSDI is generally supported by a wide range of stakeholders, there are concerns how far (a) individual B/Ds can address technical gaps and collaborate effectively; (b) the Government can provide timely datasets and applications meeting the needs of private sector initiatives; and (c) potential data security issues can be addressed. The subject of CSDI has been discussed at the Legislative Council ("LegCo") on at least six occasions over the past four years.^{3Legend symbol denoting During 2018-2021, about the subject of CSDI has been discussed three times on Panel on Development, once on Establishment Committee and twice at Council meetings.}
• Globally, some governments of advanced places (e.g. Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom) have taken an active role in developing CSDIs, given that they are the major holders of authoritative spatial data. More specifically for Singapore, its decade-long history of CSDI development is acclaimed by the World Bank as one of the "international benchmark cases", while its smart city development is also top-ranked across the globe.^{4Legend symbol denoting IMD (2020) and World Bank (2021).} This issue of Essentials gives a concise account of CSDI development in Singapore, after a quick review of recent policy developments in Hong Kong.

Recent policy developments on spatial data in Hong Kong

• Existing situation: In spite of early adoption of Geographic Information Systems ("GIS") by B/Ds in the early 1990s and subsequent efforts spearheaded by the Lands Department since the 2000s to share spatial data (ranging from Geospatial Information Hub launched in 2004 for users within the government to Hong Kong GeoData Store introduced in 2018 for public users), spatial data in Hong Kong are still largely managed in different formats and in silos.^{5Legend symbol denoting Tang et al. (2010) and Yiu et al. (2021).} While this is in part attributable to lower priorities accorded to collection and sharing of spatial data in the policy agenda of B/Ds, inadequate support both financially and technically are also key challenges. The absence of a common sharing platform created by the public sector in turn hampers creative geospatial initiatives in the private sector.
• Lagging behind in smart city development: As 80% of global data have spatial dimensions, good and innovative usage of spatial data can transform citizens' daily lives and generate huge economic potentials. As a matter of fact, effective usage of spatial data is also an integral indicator of digital economy and smart city development. In a ranking of 109 global cities in smart city development conducted in 2020, Hong Kong took the 32^nd position, far behind international peers like Singapore (1^st), New York (10^th) and London (15^th).
• Recent policy initiatives: After the 2017 Policy Address and a consultancy study completed in 2018, the Development Bureau ("DEVB") formulated an implementation plan of CSDI in 2018.^{6Legend symbol denoting PwC (2018).} LegCo has granted funding approval of HK$360 million in May 2020 for spending on various initiatives over the next four years till 2024. In short, CSDI comprises the following major features:
  
  

  (a)	Open portal and 3D map for government and public use: Most of the approved fund (i.e. HK$300 million) is for development of two key components for use by B/Ds and the public. They include (i) a one-stop public portal coming into full operation by end-2022, with some 320 spatial datasets from over 30 B/Ds for free download and usage; and (ii) a full-fledged 3-dimensional ("3D") digital map of Hong Kong available by end-2023;7Legend symbol denoting Components of CSDI have been gradually made available to the public since December 2018. See Development Bureau (2019).
  (b)	Measures for interdepartmental collaboration: In May 2019, DEVB set up the Spatial Data Office ("SDO") as the executive arm to support data sharing amongst B/Ds based on common standards.8Legend symbol denoting On top of SDO, a Common Spatial Data Steering Committee ("CSDSC") co-chaired by DEVB and the Innovation and Technology Bureau has been set up to steer inter-bureaux coordination. CSDSC in turn reports to the Steering Committee on Innovation and Technology chaired by the Chief Executive to resolve issues at a higher level when necessary. See Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (2021). Furthermore, HK$30 million has been set aside for B/Ds to convert their data to meet the standards. A policy directive has also been given to require B/Ds to formulate annual plans to open up spatial data unless there are confidentiality, privacy and other reasonable justifications;9Legend symbol denoting GovHK (2020), Legislative Council Secretariat (2021a and 2021b) and Yiu et al. (2021).
  (c)	Promote CSDI usage in wider community: In October 2020, the Common Spatial Data Advisory Committee comprising experts in the private sector convened its first meeting, advising the Government how best to promote sharing and applications of spatial data in society. In May 2021, DEVB set up the Geospatial Lab with HK$60 million, with a view to encouraging start-ups and youngsters to develop applications related to the use of spatial data. The facility is a well-equipped working space with an area of 3 000 ft2 in Kwun Tong managed by a non-governmental organization; and
  (d)	Four showcase applications: Four "quick-win projects" are launched to demonstrate the importance and potentials of CSDI to the public. They include (i) the Map Application Programming Interface ("API") for embedding of maps in apps; (ii) the District-based Spatial Information Dashboard showing availability of various kinds of social services in 18 districts; (iii) the Geo-tagging tool allowing users to convert data into spatial data displayable in digital maps; and (iv) the Address Standard Infrastructure for converting addresses in different formats held by B/Ds into standardized 19-digit codes.10Legend symbol denoting The Map Application Programming Interface, the Geotagging Tool and the District-based Spatial Information Dashboard have already been launched by June 2021, while the Address Data Infrastructure will be launched by the fourth quarter of 2021. See GovHK (2021).

• Issues of concerns: While CSDI implementation is in progress, there are a few major concerns being raised by the public.^{11Legend symbol denoting See endnote 3.} First, despite the above interdepartmental measures, there are no mandatory targets for B/Ds to provide spatial data. There are doubts about how far they will actively provide timely and updated spatial data as this is not one of their core duties and there might be "sensitivity and confidentiality concerns".^{12Legend symbol denoting Planning Department (2020).} Most recently, some B/Ds acknowledged challenges to maintaining data timeliness. For example, updates of the 3D map would be subject to the latest technological development and the manpower and financial resources available.^{13Legend symbol denoting To address the issue of timeliness, data are supplemented by "metadata" including the data owner and time of the last update. See Legislative Council Secretariat (2020 and 2021b), Planning Department (2020) and Chu et al. (2021).} Secondly, there are concerns on how the Government could convince more private enterprises to open up their data and take part in the development of the CSDI. Thirdly, LegCo Members have expressed concerns over data privacy and cybersecurity of the CSDI portal in view of vulnerabilities of open-source components, whereas limiting data release out of security concerns may compromise potential benefits of CSDI.^{14Legend symbol denoting Legislative Council Secretariat (2020 and 2021b).}

Recent policy developments on spatial data in Singapore

• The Singaporean government made a noticeable head start to consolidate spatial data, setting up a dedicated agency (i.e. Land Systems Support Unit or "LSSU") as early as in 1989. Notwithstanding a pilot test of online sharing of spatial data in 1998, only 40% of spatial data were available for sharing across government agencies. A lack of common standards and technological constraints appear to have held back further CSDI development after almost a decade of implementation.^{15Legend symbol denoting Singapore Land Authority (2009 and 2011).}
• In 2001, Singapore Land Authority ("SLA") was formed, merging LSSU with other land-related agencies. In the light of emerging GIS technologies at the time, SLA launched a government-wide CSDI for data sharing among agencies and the public in 2008, with its GeoSpatial and Data Division as the implementation agency.^{16Legend symbol denoting An inter-agency committee co-led by Singapore Land Authority and Government Technology Agency of Singapore has been set up to steer the development of CSDI. See Balakrishnan (2018), GovTech Singapore (2018) and Singapore Land Authority (2018).} As from 2014, further measures have been introduced to promote CSDI as part of the Smart Nation initiatives, forming the basis for the new Singapore Geospatial Master Plan announced in 2018. Here are the key measures for promoting CSDI in Singapore:
  
  

  (a)	Performance pledges for government agencies: In the Digital Government Blueprint published in 2018, Singapore has set specific performance pledges for all government agencies in terms of sharing of spatial data. For example, by 2023, (i) 90%-100% of core data fields should be in machine readable formats; and (ii) time required to fuse data for cross-agency projects should be less than seven working days;17Legend symbol denoting The indicator was originally set at 10 days and revised to 7 working days in 2020. See Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (2020).
  (b)	Mobilizing private initiatives: The Singaporean government has actively engaged the private sector as both providers and users of spatial data. First, the Singaporean CSDI incorporates a wide range of data provided by private partners, including drone-captured images and shop information.18Legend symbol denoting Singapore Land Authority (2019) and Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (2021). Secondly, in 2018, SLA established a 15 000-ft2 incubator hosting 20 geospatial start-ups with support of some 20 leading industry partners.19Legend symbol denoting GeoWorks (2021). Thirdly, the Singaporean government has cooperated with the private sector to offer new applications or services. For example, it has developed an app that alerts trained first-aiders to nearby cardiac arrests, while engaging drones and delivery companies in delivering Automated External Defibrillators to the scenes;20Legend symbol denoting Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (2021).
  (c)	Legal framework addressing privacy concerns: To alleviate privacy concerns, the Public Sector Governance Act was enacted in 2018 following the promulgation of the Smart Nation initiatives to (i) clarify circumstances under which government agencies can share confidential data amongst themselves (e.g. for improvement of service efficiency) and (ii) penalize improper use of such data (e.g. re-identifying anonymized data without authorization). Reportedly, the law has eased concerns of possible infringement of privacy in data sharing within the government.21Legend symbol denoting GovInsider (2020). That said, a recent incident of passing user data obtained from a government tracking app amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to the police has rekindled such privacy concerns in 2021;22Legend symbol denoting The Singaporean government revealed in January 2021 that the police had used data from the contact tracking app for a murder investigation. Apart from the Public Sector Governance Act, the Criminal Procedure Code also empowers the police to obtain any government data for criminal investigations. See BBC (2021) and Singapore Policy Journal (2021).
  (d)	Two separate portals for data security: Two spatial data portals independent to each other are put in place to ensure data security on one hand and easy usage by the public on the other. For GeoSpace, it is a secured intranet platform hosting all spatial data and decision-making tools for government's internal usage. To uphold data security, agencies can adjust access rights to datasets according to standard security classifications. For OneMap, it is an open-source portal with APIs for the public, and capturing non-confidential data only;23Legend symbol denoting Similarly, for security reasons, full-version 3D maps of Singapore are restricted to government computers while a less-detailed version is open to the public. See Balakrishnan (2018) and Reuters (2018).
  (e)	Frequent updates through sensors and crowdsourcing: The 3D digital model of Singapore was developed during 2014-2020, at a cost of S$73 million (HK$411 million). It is connected to real-time data through the country-wide network of devices and sensors (i.e. Internet of Things), unlike periodic updating in many other places. The Singaporean system also includes up-to-date data collected by the private sector during drone flight operations;24Legend symbol denoting Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (2021). and
  (f)	Clear responsible authority for data quality: Since 2019, the Singaporean government has designated certain agencies as Single Sources of Truth ("SSOTs"), vesting them the single authority to maintain specific core government data fields (e.g. data of trees from diverse sources) to avoid duplications and inconsistencies. On top of this, four Trusted Centres (including one for spatial data under SLA) have been established to aggregate data shared by SSOTs and ensure that they are accurate, updated and properly anonymized.25Legend symbol denoting The other three Trusted Centres are responsible for business, individual and sensor data respectively. See Public Sector Data Security Review Committee (2019).

• Policy effectiveness: The centralized approach in Singapore seems to have mobilized interdepartmental efforts in CSDI promotion, with over 70 agencies joining CSDI by 2011 (compared with 16 agencies in 2008 before its launch).^{26Legend symbol denoting Singapore Land Authority (2011).} On private sector involvement, apart from the abovementioned cooperation with the government, the vibrancy of the geospatial industry in Singapore is manifested in its near tripling to S$500 million (HK$2.8 billion) during 2009-2020.^{27Legend symbol denoting Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (2021).} On data security, the establishment of the relevant legal framework and the setting up of two independent portals seem to have eased public concerns over data sharing, but there are still occasional outbreak of incidents relating to privacy infringement. On timeliness of data, most spatial data on public facilities are updated daily, with some (e.g. transports data) on a real-time basis to satisfy the ever-rising demand in the community.^{28Legend symbol denoting OneMap (2021).}

Prepared by Germaine LAU
Research Office
Information Services Division
Legislative Council Secretariat
26 August 2021