Article and photos by Dr Vimontha Khieovongphachanh, the 2018/19 ASEAN Science and Technology Fellow placed at the Department of Planning and Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lao PDR.
To further the success of scientific research in the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry wants to use technology in villages to make life there better and comfortable. Thus, in response to this, the Ministry plans on building the “SMART village” using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This is done to collect accurate statistics in villages, use technology to improve workflow for sustainable management and to strengthen the knowledge and skills of the community.
To provide a policy for the SMART village, I have surveyed and interview each potential village in urban areas. I interviewed and collected data in relevant departments in the Ministry, which have ICT components which could be assisted and supported to build the model of the SMART village. Based on the literature reviews I conducted, I found that “SMART village” as well as “SMART city” have many definitions; each community needs to define what is meant by SMART village themselves. According to research, in Lao PDR, the SMART village initiative consists of SMART Education, SMART agriculture, and SMART E-governance.
