Discovering Heartland Gems @ South West

The South West Community Development Council (CDC), in collaboration with Corporate Alliance for Good Ltd (CAforGood), LDR Technology Pte Ltd, SG Digital Office (SDO), and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), will be launching the first of its kind, Heartland Gems @ South West Augmented Reality (AR) Trail on 2 July 2022. This initiative aims to encourage residents to appreciate the rich history, culture and heritage of the heartlands and learn new digital skills in support of the Digital for Life (DfL) movement. 

2        The inaugural trail at Bukit Gombak comprises 15 interesting scenic spots such as the Little Guilin and local food delicacies at the Neighbourhood Food Centre. Through the use of augmented reality on the Locomole app and QR code placed strategically along the trails, residents can discover interesting facts and history about the places and stories of the hawkers and merchants, enjoy little games at the various spots and take fun photos with 3D AR objects. 

3        The team behind the design of the heart-shape logo integrating street icons and abstract of the community and embedded with a QR code is a group of students from SIT.    These students were also involved in the creation of some content for the AR trails on the Locomole app.  In addition, the SDO activated its network of Digital Ambassadors and youth volunteers from ITE College West and Boys’ Brigade to assist the less digitally-savvy seniors and citizens on how to use AR and QR code required for the activity. On 2 July, around 25 seniors from social service agencies will be among the first to experience the trail.

4        About the unique augmented reality heritage trails created by the collective effort of South West CDC and its partners, Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry and Mayor of South West District said, “By marrying the old with the new, we have created an engaging and novel way to experience and enjoy local history, culture and heritage through smart technology. Families from the young to the old can have fun together exploring the sights and sounds of our Bukit Gombak gems – turning what used to be familiar before, into interesting discoveries! This is also an opportune platform to introduce technology to the digitally less savvy. As a community, we can create safe and fun spaces for digital learning and promote greater digital inclusion, where everyone can benefit from technology. This way, our communities are drawn closer as we appreciate, participate and co-create the augmented reality heritage trails together.”

5        Mr Douglas Goh, Director SG Digital Office and DfL Secretariat said, “This collaboration is another testimony of a successful 3Ps (Private, Public and People) in action. We would like to encourage like-minded partners to step forward and Play-a-Part to co-create meaningful initiatives like this to encourage more Singaporeans to embrace digital as a lifelong pursuit, and to enrich their lives through digital technologies. This is part of our on-going efforts to entrench DfL deeper into the community following successful launch of the inaugural DfL Festival in May 2022.”   

6        “SIT is pleased to be part of this initiative to pioneer a Smart Heritage model in Singapore by leveraging augmented and virtual reality to curate and present heritage experiences and historical narratives. By blending digital experiences with physical ones, we hope to bring history embedded in the locality to life,” said Associate Professor Susanna Leong, Vice President (Applied Research), SIT.

7        Seven students from SIT were involved in the development of the User Experience (UX) concept and digital content for the trail, as well as the design of a heritage logo embedded with a QR code. “We hope that through the logo, the public will be enticed to step into the digital realm of our vibrant and cherished heritage gems found in our midst,” said Kua Hui Ming, year one student from SIT’s Digital Communications and Integrated Media degree programme.