Taipei City, Amazon team up on cloud-based dataset program

2018/03/08

Taipei City Government and Amazon Web Services launched March 6 a public dataset program and series of training sessions as part of efforts to promote the use of open government data and boost the cultivation of young talents.
 
 According to TCG, the project is part of AWS Public Datasets, a cloud-based system that allows people around the world to access and analyze large datasets without needing to download or store them. In partnership with Amazon, the city government has provided datasets that span 18 categories and include real-time information such as the number of available parking spaces as well as air and water quality.
 
 TCG is the first government entity in Asia to join the program, which utilizes information provided by leading agencies and institutions such as NASA and the U.S. Census Bureau.
 
 Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Chin-rong said the datasets, in combination with Amazon’s cloud-based analytical tools, will help further academic research and data education. The city government is also sponsoring seven Taiwan tertiary institutions’ participation in AWS Educate, a global initiative providing students and teachers with the resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning, he added.
 
 Participating institutions include National Taiwan University in Taipei, Feng Chia University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City and National Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City.
 
 Online training sessions provided by AWS will teach students how to utilize the 18 datasets and online tools to complete assignments, TCG said.
 
 The project marks the latest cooperative endeavor between a local municipality and AWS. In January, New Taipei City Government signed an agreement with the company to establish an internet innovation center, which will work to foster the adoption of cloud computing services and other emerging technologies among startups and small and medium enterprises.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=130518)