Opening Address by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Law & Ministry of Social and Family Development, Eric Chua at Geo Connect Asia 2026

Introduction

1.             A very good morning, distinguished guests, partners, and friends from across the region and beyond.

2.             It is indeed a pleasure to join all of you this morning at the Geo Connect Asia – a platform that has, over the years, grown into a vibrant meeting point for ideas, innovation, and collaboration.

3.             Let me begin by congratulating Rupert and the Geo Connect Asia team on bringing us together once again for this important exchange.

4.             What makes this gathering special is not just the technology being highlighted, but the coming together of perspectives from government, industry, academia, and the community. This diversity and the collective solutions that it engenders is exactly what we need to tackle the challenges of our time – and to make a real difference on issues ranging from climate resilience to ageing, and from urban liveability to social cohesion.

5.             This morning, I want to share with you Singapore’s journey in deepening our geospatial capabilities, and more importantly, how we are moving beyond just building technical infrastructure to using geospatial intelligence to address some of the most pressing challenges of our generation.

The Power of Location-Based Solutions

6.             Many issues that we face today are inherently location-based.

7.             Let me cite an example.. Different parts of Singapore are affected by heat quite differently. Urban areas with structures made of cement and metal tend to be much warmer than our green spaces. This isn’t just an academic observation. There are actually very real implications for how we plan our cities and care for our residents. These varying heat signatures require location-specific cooling strategies, whether that’s targeted tree planting in the hottest areas, building design modifications that account for local conditions, or establishing community cooling centres where they are needed the most.

8.             Now this example demonstrates a fundamental truth, and that is, location matters.

9.             Where people live, where they gather, and where their needs are most acute – all of these shape outcomes in profound ways. So understanding this helps us  plan better, target our interventions more effectively, and allocate our resources more optimally to address hyperlocal needs.

10.          And this is why strengthening our geospatial foundations has become so important to Singapore’s development strategy. It is also why we launched the Singapore Geospatial Master Plan two years ago in 2024 – to guide how we strengthen our national geospatial capabilities, deepen partnerships across sectors, and mainstream geospatial adoption in support of Singapore’s ambition to be a Leading Global Geospatial Hub.

Building Singapore’s Geospatial Foundation

11.          As Singapore’s national geospatial and mapping agency, the Singapore Land Authority, or SLA, plays a pivotal role in building a robust geospatial ecosystem, not just within Singapore but also, beyond our borders. SLA strives to ensure that trusted and advanced geospatial information and intelligence informs key national decisions and enables coordinated action across critical areas such as developmental planning, policy formulation, and risk management. Now, this capability is fundamental to enabling Singapore’s development as both a sustainable as well as  smart nation.

12.          To this end, SLA provides essential underlying geospatial services and information for use by agencies in a variety of ways to serve the diverse needs of our communities.

13.          One example is our refreshed Singapore Digital Twin through the National 3D Mapping Programme, or N3DMP. This initiative provides high-precision geospatial data products that enable granular planning and operations across government. These common baselines are invaluable because they help agencies understand flood risk patterns, conduct detailed urban heat assessments, and support Singapore’s broader national agenda on sustainable development.

Extending Our Reach Beyond Borders

14.          SLA’s work on geospatial services extends well beyond our shores.

15.          For instance, SLA is partnering the Office for Space Technology and Industry, or OSTIn in short, to collaborate on the Earth Observation Initiative and support both local as well as regional geospatial needs. By combining SLA’s deep geospatial expertise with OSTIn’s strengths in space technology, this partnership helps catalyse the use of earth observation data and strengthen the Global Navigation Satellite Systems, or GNSS, and remote sensing industry.

16.          This collaboration enhances our capabilities in monitoring changes to coastlines, vegetation, and streetscapes over time, while strengthening our predictive analysis and forecasting of climate impact. In turn, this supports better decision-making and more effective solutions for sustainability and humanitarian efforts, not just in Singapore but also across the Asia-Pacific.

Nurturing the Next Generation

17.          But a word of caution, however, technology alone does not transform lives. The power of the human touch cannot be underestimated.

18.          That is why building geospatial expertise and nurturing the next generation of practitioners has been equally important in our strategy.

19.          Singapore is actively preparing future geospatial minds to carry this vital work forward. The ASEAN Geospatial Challenge has played an important role in this effort since its launch in 2021. Now in its 6th edition, it helps cultivate geospatial awareness, interests, and competencies among ASEAN youth.

20.          Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate this year’s winners, who have creatively applied geospatial technology to address various Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Your innovative approaches give us great confidence in the future of this field.

The Next Frontier: Addressing Generational Challenges

21.          These capabilities matter because they must ultimately translate into real-world value for people and communities around the world.

22.          This brings us to the next phase of the Singapore Geospatial Master Plan: that is to mainstream geospatial adoption across society. In this next phase, SLA will play an increasingly enabling role, with a growing focus on the socio-healthcare space, where geospatial technology can help embed spatial intelligence into planning, service delivery, and community engagement. This will help agencies better understand needs, coordinate support more effectively, and improve outcomes across the intersections of health, social, and community care.

23.          As a super-aged society, one of Singapore’s most important priorities nationally is to unlock our ‘silver dividend’. During the Committee of Supply debates earlier this month, I spoke about the need for us to see our seniors through the lens of not just limitation, but through the lens of possibility. We need to build a culture where ageing is not feared but celebrated, where every senior feels valued, empowered, and connected to their communities. This is where geospatial technology and information can make a truly transformative difference, helping agencies connect people more effectively to nearby services, support networks as well as community assets.

Real-World Impact: The Living Asset Map

24.          Let me share an example of this in action.

25.          The SingHealth Community Hospitals, or SCH in short, and SLA have jointly developed the Living Asset Map, or LAMP. LAMP has been instrumental in supporting social prescribing by helping SingHealth’s well-being coordinators and the wider community from the Singapore Community of Practice in Social Prescribing connect senior residents to relevant community activities in their respective neighbourhoods.

26.          Social prescribing links people to community-based activities and support that can improve their health and wellbeing, much like how medicine is prescribed for physical conditions. For instance, if well-being coordinators identify loneliness as a socio-health risk, LAMP allows them to quickly match patients to nearby activities and support suited to their interests. This helps patients stay engaged, supports recovery after discharge, and promotes longer-term wellbeing.

27.          Let me share another story that brings home the point about the human impact of this piece of work. Madam Tan is a 69-year-old widow. She lives alone and was admitted to hospital after developing pneumonia and suffering a fall at home. While her medical condition improved, her deeper challenge soon became  clear. She was anxious, she was withdrawn, and she was worried about how she would cope on her own after her discharge.

28.          What made a real difference was not another medical procedure, but rather a social connection. Through social prescribing, a well-being coordinator invited Mdm Tanto join a simple flower-making activity and later linked her to a befriending service in her neighbourhood. That small little step helped restore her confidence, gave her something to look forward to, and changed how she saw life after discharge. Madam Tan’s story reminds us that health is not shaped by medicine alone. It is shaped also by connection, purpose and the assurance that no one has to walk the journey of life alone.

29.          Well-being coordinators have also found LAMP to be useful, convenient, and efficient because it provides them with all the information they need at a glance, instead of having to navigate multiple websites and sources.

30.          This streamlined approach has empowered community-based models of care.

31.          SCH’s designation as the world’s first World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Social Prescribing, together with SLA’s geospatial expertise, allows this community-led, dynamic geospatial platform to develop further in this space.

Building Inclusive Communities Through Partnership

32.          But to  create deep, lasting impact, we need strong people-public-private partnerships that bring together agencies, service providers, communities, and industry.

33.          One powerful example of this is our work on inclusive mobility through Barrier-Free Access, or BFA routing. SLA is working with multiple partners to improve last-mile accessibility through BFA routing.

34.          This initiative supports the  MSF’s Enabling Masterplan 2030 and helps persons with disabilities and their caregivers move around Singapore with greater ease and confidence.

35.          Let me share another story that illustrates the human impact of this work. Alister is a wheelchair user, but he is also a BFA user. He shared with us that as a person with cerebral palsy, he has seen how OneMap BFA is transforming the landscape by systematically removing the navigational barriers that once obstructed and limited his journey.

36.          To Alister, this is not just about finding a ramp – it is about finding his place in the community and the society. It is not just about gaining access to a building – it is about being included in our schools, our workplaces, and our society at large. It is about having the empowerment and access to volunteer in the community, to give back, and also, to truly belong.

37.          Today, over 2,800 kilometres of barrier-free routes have been mapped, with 6,800 kilometres more to be completed by 2027.

38.          We thank REDAS as well as SG Enable for their continued support under the tripartite MOU that was signed two years ago, in 2024.

Deepening Cross-Sector Collaboration

39.          MSF and SLA are also deepening our collaboration through the joint Social Innovation Lab. This Lab serves as a platform to test geospatial data products and tools that can strengthen planning, operations, and outreach for the social service sector.

40.          Over time, it can surface intersection points and identify common data needs across the social, healthcare, and community domains.

41.          Geospatial technology can provide a shared language by integrating people, places, services, and community assets into a common operating picture. This integrated approach is essential for addressing complex social challenges that don’t quite fit neatly into traditional organisational boundaries.

42.          In this context, the inaugural Socio-Healthcare Roundtable at Geo Connect Asia represents yet another important platform to deepen this work. Jointly organised by SLA and MSF, this forum will explore practical intersection points across the healthcare, social, and community sectors.

43.          This forum will bring together senior leaders from government agencies, social service agencies, and regional healthcare clusters to explore how geospatial data and technology can enable more upstream and preventive approaches in the socio-healthcare sector. More importantly, it will strengthen shared understanding, surface common geospatial opportunities, and deepen collaboration across the entire ecosystem.

Closing

44.          To conclude, I leave all of you with this one thought, and that is: geospatial technologies and services are not just tools – ultimately they are enablers of better decisions, better policies and ultimately, better lives for everyone.

45.          The next frontier for Singapore is to harness geospatial intelligence to understand our world better, and to shape it more intentionally to support ageing, inclusion, as well as community wellbeing.

46.          We have made significant progress in building our technical capabilities under our Geospatial Master Plan. Now, we are moving into an exciting next phase where these capabilities can be applied more transformatively to address our generational challenges through strong partnerships and innovative applications.

47.          So I call upon everyone, let us work together, through Geo Connect Asia and platforms like this, with partners across government, industry, and the community to translate these capabilities into better social and economic outcomes for everyone in Singapore and beyond..

48.          On that note, I thank everyone, and I wish everyone a fruitful and productive Geo Connect Asia 2026.