Update on Lamppost-as-a-Platform Project

3 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Prime Minister (a) whether an update can be provided on the Lamppost-as-a-Platform (LaaP) project; (b) whether the involved public agencies have arrived at a unified consensus on privacy and data management to enable them to benefit from the shared data for the project; (c) if not, which agencies have reservations and what is being done to address them; (d) when will the project be rolled out on a large-scale basis; and (e) how will the public benefit from the project.

Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister): The Lamppost-as-a-Platform (LaaP) project was started in late 2017 to explore the technical and business feasibility of using lampposts to mount sensors. The project is organised into two trials to cover brownfield and greenfield site use cases in commercial, industrial and residential environments.

Later this month, GovTech will complete the first trial of LaaP, which covers commercial and industrial brownfield sites in Geylang and One-North. The second trial, in the residential greenfield site in Punggol Northshore estate, will start in April 2022.

With the near completion of the first trial, GovTech has assessed that the mounting of sensors on lampposts is technically feasible and has also established the various cost components and drivers. GovTech has developed a lamppost infrastructure design that converts a normal lamppost into a shareable LaaP that can accommodate multiple sensors. This is important as agencies deploying sensors in the same locations can share the same LaaP infrastructure and avoid duplicating the resources and time to set up their own infrastructure. However, we will start to retrofit all lampposts only when suitable large-scale use cases with cost-effective benefits can be identified. These use cases can then form the anchor demand to roll out LaaP more widely.

The second trial in Punggol Northshore, a greenfield site, will give GovTech more information on the business and technical feasibility of LaaP. Greenfield sites without any pre-existing lampposts, present the opportunity to design and build a new integrated LaaP that is more compact and durable by having the cables and equipment housed inside the lamppost casing, as opposed to being on the exterior under the retrofitted design. We are also testing other use cases in residential areas, such as monitoring playground activities within housing estates, so that residents may feel more assured of playground safety.

The approach for LaaP will be decided after GovTech completes the evaluation in 2023, together with the completion of the trial. Internationally, other cities are also still testing smart lampposts or deploying them on a very limited scale. We have not seen any city-wide implementation of smart lampposts that can mount multiple types of sensors yet.

Sensor data collected in public spaces under the LaaP project may be shared across public agencies. Such sharing of data is governed by the Public Sector (Governance) Act (PSGA) and the Government Instruction Manual on Infocomm Technology and Smart Systems Management. The PSGA sets out the purposes under which public agencies may share data with each other. The PSGA criminalises the unauthorised disclosure and improper use of information. Individuals who are found guilty of doing so are liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. The Instruction Manual sets out how public agencies and officers should manage and protect data, including personal data.