NParks launches new model for managing parks and streetscapes

Scheme to start in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio, taps suite of digital tools and sensors

- Amelia Teng

Some people see landscaping work as pruning trees under the hot sun, but a new greenery management model rolled out by the National Parks Board (NParks) on Saturday aims to change this perception by bringing the entire sector up the value chain.

It will do this through a full suite of digital tools and sensors that will, for instance, allow basic visual inspection of trees to be carried out remotely, freeing up manpower for closer inspection of older trees with advanced diagnostic tools.

Data from these sensors and systems will be collated by a centralised system, called Maven 2, which landscape companies will be able to access for key information on greenery management, while also digitalising their work processes.

The new model will be implemented first at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio district, through a tender to be launched later this year, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Saturday at Changi Civil Service Club.

The plan is to eventually roll out similar contracts for other parts of Singapore, he said. "This will allow NParks to transfer digital and technological know-how to the rest of the industry over time."