MIRI: The Smart City Command Centre initiative will be expanded across Sarawak as part of its long-term strategy to develop low-carbon and technology-driven urban centres, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the expansion is aimed at strengthening safety, efficiency and sustainability in urban management, supported by real-time data systems and artificial intelligence.
“God-willing, this will be expanded throughout the whole state of Sarawak because our objective is to establish low-carbon smart cities across the state,” he added.
He said this in his speech during the officiating of Miri Smart City Command Centre (MSCCC) at Imperial Hotel hete today.
He highlighted that the MSCCC currently covers an area of about 77 kilometres and is equipped with advanced data analytics and facial recognition capabilities to enhance public safety and service responsiveness.
He stressed that the system is intended for public benefit, particularly in monitoring traffic movement, including motorcycles and vehicle registration plates, to support law enforcement and emergency response.
“This is for public use. It does not mean that we are breaching privacy. If a motorcycle passes by, we can capture the image and the license plate. It is for safety purposes, and also to provide more responsive services to the people,” he said.
Abang Johari also proposed the development of a weekly activity summary application, noting that the Command Centre operates 24 hours a day and continuously records urban activity.
He said such a tool would improve monitoring and allow authorities to enhance service delivery.
Meanwhile, when met by reporters, Abang Johari said similar systems already exist in Kuching, but the next phase will focus on unifying applications under Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS) to ensure consistency across all locations.
“Actually, we already have something similar in Kuching as well. But what we need under SAINS is for the application to be uniform so that the software is easier for us to maintain,” he said.
He added that a standardised system would also improve cybersecurity and allow for seamless upgrades across all command centres, which can be centrally monitored through the Sarawak Integrated Operation Centre (SIOC).
“And also for safety. If we want to upgrade the software, we can upgrade it across all locations with monitoring from the SIOC,” he said.
When asked about the timeline for application development, Abang Johari said work could begin immediately, noting that Sarawak’s current technological readiness allows for swift implementation.
“It can already start. I think our technology, based on the feedback we are receiving, is quite advanced. In Sarawak, it is quite advanced,” he added.
