Bandar Seri Begawan, 20th November 2024 – The Caffeinated Cats, a team from Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), claimed first place in the Brunei Darussalam Geospatial Challenge (BDGC) 2024 during an award ceremony held at Setia Point yesterday.
The team’s winning project, “Fire Fighting: Emergency Response”, featured an innovative application designed to assist the Fire and Rescue Department in monitoring and managing fire hydrant statuses across the Sultanate.
The BDGC 2024 was organized by the Survey Department of the Ministry of Development in collaboration with Network Integrity Assurance Technologies (NIAT) Sdn. Bhd. for the first time ever with aim of increasing awareness and knowledge as well as encourage the use of geospatial technology in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Brunei Darussalam.
Present as the guest of honour for the ‘Brunei Darussalam Geospatial Challenge (BDGC) 2024’ Award Ceremony was Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid, Minister of Development. Also present at the ceremony were Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment), Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate & Law), Director General of the Public Works Department, Head of Departments, Head of Geomatics & Metocean (TSM) of Brunei Shell Petroleum, senior officers and staff of the Prime Minister’s Department and Departments under the Ministry of Development, lecturers and students from various institutions of higher learning as well as representatives from invited private agencies.
The ceremony then witnessed a video that recalled the journey of the competition and introduced the participants and the panel of judges and followed by the announcement of the winners of the BDGC 2024 competition.
A total of five (05) teams representing the Institutes of Higher Learning, namely UBD, UTB, UNISSA and IBTE participated in the BDGC 2024. The project presentation was held on 29 and 30 October 2024 at the Brunei Innovation Lab.
Five (05) judges from the Survey Department, Pejabat Wawasan Brunei, Geomatics & Metocean (TSM) Brunei Shell Petroleum, former Deputy Chairperson of the Municipal Board and former Assistant Surveyor General; and Network Integrity Assurance Technologies (NIAT) Sdn. Bhd were appointed based on their academic background in the fields of Geomatics, GIS and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in evaluating the effectiveness of projects that relate to the geospatial technology and information in supporting the nation’s SDGs.
The token of appreciation to the judges and participants of the BDGC 2024 were later presented by the guest of honour. The event ended with a group photo session with the guest of honour and followed by a visit to the BDGC 2024 poster exhibition and product exhibition by the Survey Department, the Prime Minister’s Department, and Network Integrity Assurance Technologies (NIAT) Sdn. Bhd.
