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Innovation and Technology
To support re-industrialisation and promote smart production, the HKSTPC is developing two pilot projects at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, namely an Advanced Manufacturing Centre and a Data Technology Hub. Furthermore, to meet the long-term needs of the I&T industry, the government identified a 56-hectare site near the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point for the development of a science park and an industrial estate. A preliminary planning study by the HKSTPC is under way to examine the suitability of the site.
Use of I&T in Government, Business and Community
The government's data.gov.hk portal provides free public-sector information in machine- readable format to encourage use of the information to develop innovative applications that benefit the community and support the development of a knowledge-based economy. There are over 3,200 distinct data sets in 18 categories, including population, weather, environment, transport, housing, food, health and employment. In 2017, more than 1,000 application programming interfaces were provided on the portal to help software developers create applications and services.
Application forms for various government services are being digitised to allow for convenient online submissions. As at end-2017, more than 1,400 forms frequently used by the public could be completed and submitted electronically.
The government attaches great importance to information security and cyber security. The Government Computer Emergency Response Team Hong Kong, working with the police and the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre, monitors the overall cyber security situation in Hong Kong closely. It also helps operators of critical infrastructure, companies, schools and individuals handle information security, security threats and cyber incidents.
Data centres are important technology infrastructure. They support the development of various business sectors in adopting new technology areas such as cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence, thus promoting the growth of high value-added economic activities in finance, logistics and e-commerce. Many multinational corporations operate data centres in Hong Kong. The following measures aim to boost the development of data centres:
• Use of industrial buildings and industrial lots for data centres - Two concessionary measures allow the conversion of industrial buildings into data centres and the redevelopment of industrial lots for high-tier data centres. As at end-December, the government had approved 23 applications to use industrial building premises as data centres and one application to redevelop an industrial lot.
• Support services - The Data Centre Facilitation Unit under the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer provides support and inter-departmental coordination for enterprises interested in setting up data centres.
In April, the annual signature Internet Economy Summit was organised to discuss the future development and strategies of the internet-driven economy, while the Hong Kong ICT Awards was held jointly with the local industry to recognise outstanding inventions and applications.
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