NIA winners on stage with the PM Lee

The ICA team won the Most Innovative Use of Infocomm Technology (Public Sector) for an Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System

Four companies walked away as big winners in the biannual National Infocomm Awards (NIA) at a gala dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lee Hsien Loong held in Singapore in recently.

Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore said that the winners were chosen based on the level of innovation shown in the development of the Infocomm products and services and that awards like the NIA help showcase the potential and talent that Singapore has to offer to the world.

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) who won the Most Innovative Use of Infocomm Technology (Public Sector) for its 'Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System' (eICACS) says that it grew out of their original Immigration Automated Clearance System in an attempt to speed up the original process and free up manpower. For example, officers, who used to man the immigration counters are now free to conduct other checks on immigration arrivals. According to the ICA, eICACS will be deployed at all immigration and checkpoints in Singapore by the end of the year.

The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) was the winner of the Most Innovative Use of Infocomm Technology (Private) category is looking forward to seeing its Collaborative Port Community Solution provide more efficient tracking of goods and work flow management with ultimate cost savings of more than $100m for the shipping industry over three years.

PSA hopes to see its Collaborative Port Community Solution provide more efficient tracking of goods and work flow management

Mr Eddie Teh, Group CEO, PSA International, said, "The Collaborative Port Community Solution developed by PSA is helping to transform the Port of Singapore into an iHub. By providing a collaborative suite of solutions, we hope to enable the entire port, shipping and logistics community to optimise their resources by providing them with interactive access to real-time information."

Notable about this year's awards was the fact that winners of the Most Innovative Product/Service category were not from large companies with hefty IT resources and budgets but rather from smaller companies that came up with innovative and winning technology in-house. This year also saw some impressive nominations, especially from the Digital Media and Entertainment space where companies such as Actiavte Interactive and XiD Technologies showed innovation at its finest. The award marks the culmination of an exciting period for Activate Interactive Pte Ltd and XID Technologies Pte Ltd.

Activate Interactive's Activate XGame cross-platform allows gamers to interact and play together over different platforms like mobile phones and a PC

Homegrown company Activate Interactive's Activate XGame cross-platform is the world's first multiplayer game system which allows gamers to interact and play together over different platforms like mobile phones and a PC. It currently supports five games with three new ones to be launched next year and CEO Mr Leslie Wou says that the company has plans to launch the games in eight countries in Asia. Mr Wou also said that for a company like Activate, the win is symbolic and encouraging,

"Activate is thrilled to win the award and are grateful forthe encouragement given us by the government and industry veterans. This award will help us in gaining recognition among global industry players, and will assist us in gaining market share exponentially. We are confident that our innovations will help to plant a flag for the Singapore gaming industry in the international market."

XID's VideoPersonalizer allows users to animate an uploaded image of themselves or insert their picture into a movie trailer

XID's VideoPersonalizer is seeing interest from a number of companies interested in providing Internet users access to technology that allows users to animate an uploaded image of themselves or insert their picture into a movie trailer. CEO and founder Dr Roberto Mariani says the one of the most important things for NIA aspirants is to fully understand the market that their products or services address. Without this knowledge, they will have no starting point and will be unable to address their market well. "Clearly presenting your products/services in a manner that demonstrates their innovative nature, their uniqueness and the impact and benefits they bring to the market is key. Highlighting a business model that enables scalability and ease of adoption of your offerings is also very important. Additionally, presenting with passion, enthusiasm and confidence always reflects well on you and your company," Dr Mariani added.

The National Infocomm Awards (NIA) is a biennial event which started in 2002

The NIA is into its third year and is the Infocomm industry's highest accolade for Infocomm innovation in Singapore. It is jointly organised by the IDA and the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF). Winners from previous years have seen interest in their innovative technology increasing after their wins.

For example Security solutions specialist e-COP was contacted by Sri Lankan company Keells Business Systems Limited after the 2004 Awards was aired on television. "The very next day they got in touch with us and we formed a successful partnership that has lasted to this day," says Mr Eddie Chau, President and Group CEO.

As for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solutions provider Savi Technology, their winning 2004 NIA nomination, the Transport Security System (TSS), has allowed the company to forge a $US 50 million dollar partnership with Hutchison Port Holdings called Savi Networks - a RFID enabled supply chain asset tracking network.