Lundu is in Southwest Sarawak, a Malaysian state on Borneo. Lundu is declared as one of the smart community initiatives that were launched by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in February 2016. This chapter intended to understand and map with development index of a smart community in Lundu, and the involved stakeholders can be informed about the necessary criteria which enabled citizens to be deemed as smart. A quantitative research method has been employed whereby a self-administrated questionnaire was developed to gather information from the respondents which consisted of different sections with both open and close-ended questions. A total of 150 forms were distributed in different locations within the smart community site. Four key components in International Growth Centre (IGC) development index, Humanware, Technoware, Infoware, and Valueware, were used as a reference point in developing the smart community index (SCI), and recommendations on infrastructure and monitoring improvement are suggested at the end of the chapter.
TopIntroduction
In modern times, there is a great need to change and improve the community’s lifestyle through the use of ICT applications. The astonishing diffusion of digital technologies due to the expansion of the Internet is the main basis of the rollout of smart community facilities in Malaysia; supported by the integration of planning, new media and technologies. In the earlier days access to Internet was limited with very complicated information systems. This it has restricted the opportunity of exploring the potential use of new technologies and new media in giving shape to the new urban space.
However, now with the inception of mobile phones and the transition to other “smart” devices it has opened up new opportunities for creating a direct relationship between individuals and communities and between communities and decision-makers. Nonetheless, the digital revolution enabled cities and policymakers to realize the link between ICT and place in enhancing the local knowledge economy, where technology enables organizations to create responsible and sustainable solutions to problems faced by the community.
The idea of a smart community has been receiving increased attention worldwide in recent years. A smart community is regarded as a community where various next-generation technologies and advanced social systems are effectively integrated and utilized to improve and transform the everyday lives of the citizens in the designated area. The success of a smart community lies in how the technologies are adopted and used by the residents as well as how the lives of the residents are impacted as a result of the technology adoption particularly in smaller, less urban districts.
For instance, disaster management which is one of the flagship applications in the MCMC’s Smart Community initiative that made that the underserved and the unserved areas in Malaysia to have access to ICT. The challenge is to provide the rural population of Malaysia with ICT services and applications at an affordable rate in order to boost penetration levels and bridge the digital divide between the rural and urban areas. This is being done incrementally and Malaysians will reap the benefits as well as to enhance their lifestyle in terms of both social and economy.
For this reason, this study aimed to develop an index that captures the essence of a Smart Community so that the involved stakeholders can be informed about the necessary criteria which enables citizens to be deemed as smart. This can then assist the stakeholders to create synergetic collaboration and partnerships that can further enhance the adoption and level of satisfaction of ICT technologies and ultimately form more smart communities among Malaysian citizens.
The Smart Community project site which assessed in this study’s investigation was Lundu, Sarawak. Lundu is located in Southwest Sarawak, about 2 hours drive from Kuching with approximate 35,000 population. Smart Community Initiatives was launched in February 2016 and it was the second district chosen for the Smart Community Initiatives project site after Kemaman in March 2015.