The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) plans to officially announce the first batch of four smart cities designated under its development scheme at Thailand Smart City Week scheduled for next week.
These four smart cities have met five categories for smart city transformation. They are given two years for development to become smart cities.
Depa president and chief executive Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said if these four designated cities fail to meet the smart city requirements within two years, they would have their smart city certificates revoked.
There are five categories for smart city consideration.
First, they must have a clear geographical boundary.
Second, they need to have infrastructure investment and development plans. Third, they have to design an open and secure city data platform.
Fourth, they must have a sustainable management model.
Finally, they need to come up with smart city solutions in any or all of seven dimensions: economy, mobility, energy, living, people, governance; and environment.
Mr Nuttapon said the smart city development project is part of the government's 20-year national development strategy to create liveable cities with an eco-friendly landscape.
"The government wants to see 100 smart cities by 2024," he said.
The Depa will collaborate with partners to hold Thailand Smart City Week 2020 showcasing digital technologies to steer people-centric smart city development from Oct 16-22, said Mr Nuttapon.
The event, which will be held in both online and offline formats, aims to attract 50,000 participants for the virtual event and 200,000 for offline showcases.
Attending the event virtually can be done at www.scw.smartcitythailand.or.th or visit www.smartcitythailand.or.th or facebook.com/smartcitythailand for more information.
The physical event will be held at True Digital Park, Samyan Mitrtown and the Depa office.
Online content from the event will be kept on the websites for a year.
The event also offers space for business negotiation, while activities include Smart City Plays, which demonstrate digital technology and innovation adoption. Smart City Learns is where experts share knowledge and ideas about smart cities.
The Smart City Week is also hosting a hackathon for people seeking the right digital solutions.
Another activity is Smart City Meets, which exhibits advanced digital technologies and innovations created to accelerate smart city development.
Several cities in seven provinces have been committed to pursuing smart city development. They are in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri, Rayong, Bangkok and Chachoengsao.