Onemap: enabling smart solutions with precise Singapore map data

Hear from two business leaders on how OneMap is helping them optimise their operations by harnessing the potential of geospatial technologies.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SBF and Singapore Land Authority (SLA), was signed on 4 October 2022 at the opening of the fourth Singapore Geospatial Festival held from 3 to 7 October. Together, SBF and SLA will work to accelerate innovation in geospatial technology while identifying and developing potential geospatial co-innovation projects to find solutions that can address current and future challenges that businesses face.

One such application, OneMap, is already in use. Launched in 2010 by SLA, it is the authoritative national map of Singapore with the most detailed and updated local information. It can be used to obtain street-level geospatial information or run search queries on information such as land ownership, nearest schools and other amenities. It has been supporting more than 100 public and private sector apps and services since its launch.

Here’s how One GIS Pte Ltd and the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) integrate OneMap into their daily operations.

Interview with Mr Peng Pei, Managing Director, One GIS Pte Ltd

We started integrating OneMap into our solutions about two years ago as it allowed us to address challenges we were facing when creating and providing local Geographic Information System solutions for clients.

Our clients come from various public sectors, including logistics, intelligent transportation, intelligent water management, geophysics, and intelligent construction. Hence, we needed a versatile product that would allow us to provide solutions effectively and efficiently.

As we did not have sufficient resources to collect, verify and update Points of Interest (POI) data at the scale our clients needed, it cost us a lot in terms of gathering the data and integrating government online services into our projects and products. OneMap’s accurate POI information on Singapore’s public spaces ranging from buildings to transport infrastructure and public facilities has been instrumental in helping us produce a solution for drivers which helps them identify the cheapest and closest carparks. At times, other commercial solutions we integrated lacked features such as carpark entrance locations or real-time information on carpark lot availability or had inaccurate data.

OneMap met all our requirements. It provided data on local amenities, traffic information, land lot, land ownership, and school zones. We also found the data provided to be accurate, allowing us to provide more relevant information to our clients. It gave us confidence that our solutions are up to date and saved a lot of time and resources in data processing, web map development, and POI data integration.

OneMap also has an important function that is unique in the market – pedestrian path navigation. Without this, some of our solutions simply would not meet our clients’ needs!

We are one of the pioneers in the drone business in Singapore. In the early days of our business, we had to approach different agencies just to get clearance for our drones. OneMap’s drone feature which shows no-fly-zones and allowed flying areas has been very useful and has become quite important to our clients.

The best thing about OneMap is that the POIs can be easily and directly linked to government eServices or digital information. It is a case model for a successful Location Based Service (LBS). Through this, we can trigger government services such as applying for a school or renting a house, directly from the map. You can do everything via OneMap and since these are official government links, there is added assurance that these links are secure.

In the future, we plan to extend our business to include the BIM (Building Information Modelling) application and Digital Twin industry. BIM is where we generate and manage digital representations of physical spaces and buildings, and the latter refers to the digital replica of physical assets, processes and systems. As the foundation of these businesses, an accurate base map and rich local POI information can make our products more competitive. This year, we plan to add Singapore as one of the operation regions, using OneMap web map services and Location Based Services to handle and solve the daily operation procedure in logistics and fleet management.

Additionally, we look forward to integrating OneMap 3D into our projects and products to provide a more immersive experience for our clients.

About Mr Peng Pei

Mr Peng Pei is the Managing Director of One GIS. He founded the company in 2014, out of passion for providing the best Geographic Information System (GIS) service for partners. The company provides one-stop and full stack GIS service, ranging from data collection, GIS processing, geo-analysis, GIS architecture design to geo-related applications, also extending its business into the Building Information Modelling (BIM) + GIS solution and the Digital Twins space.

Interview with Mr Ricky Loo, CEO of CWT Integrated Pte Ltd and Deputy President of the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) (CDAS)

Before using OneMap, the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) (CDAS) had to rely on major map providers or proprietary maps which are dependent on the whims of map providers for updates.

With the rapid changes to the roads and buildings in Singapore, there are times when the coordinates of our users’ vehicles are not accurately reflected on the map. In some extreme cases, these maps end up showing the vehicles as being in the sea. These maps are also not well-equipped for industry use, often lacking critical data such as information on industrial buildings and parking.

OneMap understands industry requirements and it reflects Singapore roads and building layouts best. Our users can better tap on the accuracy of geolocation of their vehicles and assets, allowing for accurate updates, ease of finding their trailer assets, and efficient and effective navigation.

Moreover, OneMap easily integrates with the various applications that the logistics industry uses. For example, it can be hooked up with PSA Singapore, which manages container transhipment, and depots via the smart booking application and is interoperable with payments systems, making it more convenient for users to track and manage their fleet and assets.

Looking at the bigger picture, this contributes greatly to reducing the industry’s overall carbon footprint. With accurate routing, we can eliminate unnecessary fuel burning that occurs when trucks are routed wrongly. For instance, one of the most common problems we face is the map showing a recommended route that commercial vehicles such as a 40-footer truck cannot access — they are either too narrow or do not have enough height clearance. As such, the truck will have to take an alternative route, and this results in fuel wastage or even getting stuck and causing a traffic jam on the road. As a map designed for industry use, OneMap helps solve this problem.

Currently, every map source in Singapore is limited to latitude and longitude only, which lacks the accuracy of showing which level your assets are located at. With the help of OneMap’s data, the CDAS’ Container Tracking System (CTR) is planning to include altitude data in the future, for vertical tracking of vehicles and assets within a building. This is in line with the government’s push for the container logistics industry to expand vertically due to land scarcity in Singapore. Not only can this help with routing, but it can also greatly help to manage traffic flow within large high-rise mega buildings, such as returning, or picking up of containers, or stuffing and unstuffing of containers at the warehouse within the same building.

Our vision is to continue working closely with the various authorities to gather enough geo location data to build up and support autonomous vehicles in the future.

About Mr Ricky Loo

Mr Ricky Loo is the current CEO of CWT Integrated Pte Ltd and Deputy President of the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) (CDAS). He has made significant contributions to the logistics and transportation industry in his active participations in various councils, leading government funded industry projects to digitalise the whole logistics industry and spearheading the first fully automated container depot within a building in the region.

To find out more about how geospatial technologies can help businesses, visit Geo Connect Asia 2023, an international geospatial industry event supported by the Singapore Land Authority. The event will be held from 15 to 16 March 2023 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. More information is available here.