Reinforcing Digital culture to promote Digital Public Infrastructure.
The future of public sector will be digital. Looking ahead, one objective for the coming year is to focus further on strengthening the institutional culture to create a better world of work for Public Sector and Citizens to enable them with digital convenience. While India's unified payment interface (UPI) is an example of Digital Public Infrastructure, as the design, financing, and operation are based on the principles of interoperability, modular design, and common protocols. It is interesting to observe that along with private sector, even public sector possesses and provides ubiquitous communication, financial services, academic and civic services, these services are getting redefine as necessary infrastructure services. The OECD has reported that governments and citizens who use Digital Public Infrastructure are now convinced of the benefits they offer, and efforts are underway to deepen the use of Digital Public Infrastructure across several domains. Recently, there is a task force on Digital public Infrastructure being set up in India including key Government officials and Ministries to achieve G20 presidency through;
- 1. Promoting digital identity for economic transformation
- 2. Improved and innovative technology-based services such as UPI for financial inclusion
- 3. Foster Governance framework for sustainable development
India’s Digital Public Infrastructure has revolutionized 1.3 billion individuals access to socio-economic services in finance, health, education, e-governance, taxation and skills. This holistic new digital infrastructure is enabled through a strong public-private partnership to address the size and scale of diversified population of India. During the last decade, the regulatory framework, convergence of Governance services under one digital platform and deployment of optic fibre connectivity across the country has created disruption as individuals, businesses and Government are migrating their vital data, application services on cloud using the underlying Data center services for Managed security services. Granting Infrastructure status to Indian Data Centre have transformed the growth in Cloud services spending too as the cloud services is expected to grow at a CAGR of 29%, from INR 384 Bn. in 2020 to INR 1,103.4 Bn. in 2025.This is based on market research and personal interviews of leaders of the global Data Centre service providers.
It is important to be mindful about the design, development, and operation of Digital Public Infrastructure. The public sector operates at scale and has the experience, institutional capacity, and resources to implement large infrastructure projects. Accordingly, the public sector should implement the capital-intensive elements of Digital Public Infrastructure and help scale the overall solution like a Technology Incubation Hub or a Data Observatory (Government of India is also looking to invest INR 3660 crore in establishing an Emerging Technology Innovation Hub).They could also be responsible for operating those elements that require the sort of neutrality that only government entities can provide.
The following section examines and proposes following institutional building by Government to achieve the desired results on the success of Digital Public Infrastructure for the forthcoming G20 summit.
The need for Multi-Access Edge Data Centre
One of the main challenges that Service Providers (for instance, service provider under Public-private partnership) face is how to monetize their assets. One way for them to do that is to move computing of traffic closer to the edge of the network. Moving computing for services closer to the edge is called multi-access edge computing (MEC). Multi-Access Edge Data Centre helps in migrating the data traffic and IT services from a centralized cloud to the edge of the network and closer to the customer. Instead of sending all data to a cloud for processing, the network edge analyzes, processes, and stores the data. Collecting and processing data closer to the customer reduces latency and brings real-time performance to high-bandwidth applications.
Snapshot of Edge Data Centre Design
Following are the advantages of mutli-access Edge Data Centre compute
- 1. Proximity- Smarter Internet of Things (IoT) systems have exposed fault lines in cloud-based computing
- 2. Ultra-low latency - The inevitable rise of intelligence and automation has led to unpredicted latency in applications where performance and safety issues hold prominence.
- 3. High bandwidth - Communication roadblocks in end devices surface when equipment funnels data using wireless technologies.
- 4. Virtualization - two key challenges threaten the exponential growth of connected devices: the capability of edge devices for long-range communication, and battery life catering to off-grid IoT applications.
Promoting LoRaWAN and Edge Compute Internet of Things (IoT)
LoRa is a wireless modulation technique derived from Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) technology. It encodes information on radio waves using chirp pulses - similar to the way dolphins and bats communicate…… LoRa is ideal for applications that transmit small chunks of data with low bit rates. LoRa can be operated on the license free sub-gigahertz bands, for example, 915 MHz, 868 MHz, and 433 MHz. It also can be operated on 2.4 GHz to achieve higher data rates compared to sub-gigahertz bands, at the cost of range. These frequencies fall into ISM bands that are reserved internationally for industrial, scientific, and medical purposes.
The Internet of Things (IoT), and LoRaWAN technology, is able to capture data using a satellite network for data collection for a variety of challenging activities such as utilities and metering, disaster management, agriculture, supply chain, fishing and other environmental challenges.
Raw data transmissions are power gluttons for any device. Conventional cellular wide area networks (WAN) consume power in massive amounts and thus incompatible with battery-run IoT devices. The IoT application LoRaWAN (low range, wide area network) is one of the preferred communication protocols in IoT applications capable of addressing proliferation in smart devices and core network domains.
Advantages of LoRaWAN
- Ultra low power, long range, deep indoor penetration and license free spectrum
- Geolocation- A LoRaWAN network can determine the location of end devices using triangulation without the need for GPS. A LoRa end device can be located if at least three gateways pick up its signal.
- Public and private deployments - It is easy to deploy public and private LoRaWAN networks using the same hardware (gateways, end devices, antennas) and software (UDP packet forwarders, Basic Station software, LoRaWAN stacks for end devices).
- Ecosystem- LoRaWAN has a very large ecosystem of device makers, gateway makers, antenna makers, network service providers, and application developers.
Establishment of State Level Centre of Excellence
The Smart Centre of Excellence will essentially collate all Block level, District level and urban centre level data across different initiatives related to Industry 4.0, Smart City, Accessibility and social inclusion. It will provide ready reckoner on different Departmental initiatives related to smart technology initiatives, accessibility and undertake data integration of all the smart and accessibility schemes and programs applicable in a State. The CoE will be a nodal point for coordination across various departments.
The Smart Centre of Excellence shall ensure compatibility of data and last mile services with existing Central, State and Multilateral agencies funded programs or stand-alone programs.
Core functions of the Centre of Excellence:
- Set up an online project incubator for implementation of Industry 4.0, Smart engineering Technologies and Accessibility services related to Urban development, Mobility, Disaster Risk Management, Education & Health or mainstreaming employment for a District, Block or village.
- Undertake continuous research, appathon sessions, investment opportunities and venture financing sessions with various stakeholders. Document Best Practices and Intervention in designs, policies, audit and execution of on ground projects.
- Update the different last mile services information that is derived by the CoE from SME’s, Start-ups, different govt departments, community groups and village panchayats and Municipal Corporations gathered on a regular interval.
Forest, Climate Change and Resilience Hub
Forests and trees are a cornerstone of addressing climate change. The impacts of climate change—such as rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable precipitation-- also means forests are more vulnerable to threats such as diseases or fires.
Vulnerabilities and Disaster Risks
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Local impacts of Intramural shocks |
Challenges of Disaster Risks |
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Economic From 1998 to 2017, world’s direct losses from all disasters totalled USD 2.9 trillion 1 . These estimates do not reflect the whole scenario, as these figures have been derived from data available for less than 60 per cent. The economic loss to India in the last 20 years due to natural disasters is estimated to be 80 billion USD 2. |
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• Economic losses due to stranded export and/or imports caused by shocks in raw material procurement markets or product consumer markets. |
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Social The records of the internal displacement monitoring centre (IDMC) pronounces that in India displacements due to disasters were:
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Environmental Annual Resource utilisation by human population is outgrowing earths replenishing capacity since the past decade. With Population estimated to grow more than double; the earth overshoot day is shrinking if business as usual continues |
Loss and degradation of:
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The role of technology in Forestry, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience for decision making is much established and growing. IT contributes significantly in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to enforce climate change with speed and precision, Geospatial technology, Early Warning Systems for safeguarding vital assets and estimating risks. The Forestry, Climate Change and Resilience Hub at State Level shall enable digital public infrastructure, comprising four aspects.
Monitoring Disaster/ Hazards |
Seismographs, satellites, and drones offer ever-improving remote sensing capabilities. Advanced Technologies like Digital twins - are digital representations of physical objects. For instance, Engines, Turbines, heavy duty Mining and Construction equipment’s shall require Digital Twin to accurately diagnose, predict and optimize the REDD and CDM process through Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Creation of Resilient Infrastructure Assets Register using GIS and Earth observation data |
Assessing exposure and vulnerabilities |
Assessing exposure and vulnerabilitieswith predictive data analytics by applying scientific methods to massive volumes of data to mine information about properties and communities, fraud, claims, catastrophes and weather, consumer behaviour, insurance premiums and losses, societal and environmental risks, and natural resources. Setting up a Digital Exchange for carbon marketplace. Using Geospatial Technology, the Marketplace portal verifies the benchmark for carbon credit (One carbon credit is equal to one metric ton of CO2 or an equivalent amount of other gases.) |
Proactive Response |
Social media monitors helping to disseminate early warning on threats ranging from disease outbreaks to food insecurity. Remote sensing or use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to provide early assessment of surface runoff damage caused by floods and forest fires. Mobile phone dataprovide information on population movements and behavioral response after a catastrophic event. Voluntary Engagement of individual or Private Sector organizations to opt for Rent-a-foreston a short lease basis or regenerate the existing land parcels into forest where the organizations shall be paying rent fee-per-hectare |
Assessing the resilience of natural systems |
Data Centre with Cloud Service to hosting of support Satellite images revealing changes in, for example, soil quality or water availability for agricultural interventions. Citizen science reportingvia social media and other platforms help to explore ecological system changes. |
Data Centers including Edge Data Centers, Statewide Centre of Excellence incubating new avenues for Information Technology and setting up Forestry, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience Hub across the State will strengthen the Digital Public Infrastructure. These institutions should be built using a combination of public, private, and philanthropic capital. Distribution of funding across stakeholders may also lead to greater cost efficiencies, reduce delays, and increase innovation and ideation. In deciding which component is the responsibility of which type of entity, care should be taken to align responsibilities and incentives to maximize the contributions of the stakeholders towards achieving a comprehensive Digital Public Infrastructure Goal.