"The southernmost city of Siam, a beautiful border town" has long been the charm of Yala province. However, today, this southernmost city is transforming into a modern world under the management of various entities, aiming to develop Yala into a “Smart City” with the goal of making “Yala City a sustainable and livable place.” This transformation seeks to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors, ensuring comfort and safety.

The development of Yala province has begun from the center, namely the “Yala City Municipality,” which has been working towards becoming a Smart City since 2021. This initiative followed the government's announcement designating Yala City Municipality as one of Thailand's initial Smart Cities, recognizing its readiness and suitability to become a digital technology hub in the southern border provinces. The aim is to improve the quality of life and ensure sustainable happiness for the city's residents.

“Pongsak Yingchanmchareon,” the Mayor of Yala City, revealed that the development towards becoming a Smart City has been ongoing. Currently, the Yala City Municipality oversees over 43 communities, serving a population of 60,291 (as of November 2023). The upgrade of Yala into a modern livable city has incorporated various technologies to enhance data management for the benefit of local residents, particularly in public services, healthcare, and welfare.

In recent efforts, Yala City Municipality has initiated the enhancement of urban development across four main areas: 1. Smart Living, which aims to elevate living standards by providing public internet access (Free WiFi) throughout the city, implementing a CCTV system, and utilizing artificial intelligence technology to improve urban safety. Smart poles based on IoT (Internet of Things) innovations connect various electronic devices and facilitate efficient data communication.

2. Smart Governance focuses on using innovative technology to develop a digital platform for managing Yala City Municipality, providing a connection channel for citizens for complaints, communication, public consultations, and preparedness for potential disasters or infectious diseases. It also aims to ensure inclusive participation from all age groups.

3. Smart Environment aims to enhance Yala's reputation as a green city with beautiful urban planning and international standards, focusing on cleanliness. This includes monitoring and reporting environmental quality, such as water and air quality, establishing waste-to-energy power plants to reduce waste and generate electricity, and utilizing effective, eco-friendly technologies.

4. Smart Economy aims to leverage local identity and innovation to develop new economic areas that support the growth of digital businesses, enhancing the value of trade, investment, and labor markets. This includes developing E-commerce systems for online buying and selling, facilitating operations, reducing management costs, increasing sales opportunities, and creating equal job opportunities for residents while fostering an ecosystem to attract new startups to the city.

“Pongsak” acknowledged that beyond the development of these four areas related to smart cities, Yala City Municipality is preparing to advance the creation of a Digital Data Platform to consolidate all vital city data in one place, including population data, welfare information, housing data, and mapping data. This includes using drone technology to survey areas for accurate data management.

“Once the data stored in the Digital Data Platform is ready, it will facilitate asset management in the future, ensuring accurate budget allocation and asset utilization. Similarly, data related to public services and welfare will be integrated into the system, which will eventually connect with disaster management systems. In case of a disaster, it will help track the movement of people in the area to identify those needing relocation, such as the elderly, disabled, infants, or bedridden patients. This is what the municipality is currently working on,” the Mayor of Yala City stated.

The Mayor of Yala City also mentioned that in the future, utilizing technology for urban management will be crucial as it will simplify the administration of various matters for local residents and deliver services directly to them. The Yala City Municipality has had the opportunity to participate in the Thailand Smart City event organized by NCC Management and Development Co., Ltd. (NCC), supported by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), bringing knowledge and various technologies and innovations to apply in the city. In 2023, Yala City Municipality will send officials to observe and implement these practices locally, as part of urban development involves competition among cities to attract tourists, businesses, and investors. Yala province is now ready to welcome new lifestyles following the resolution of unrest.

For those interested, you can join the “Thailand Smart City 2023” international exhibition of smart city technology, taking place from November 22-24, 2023, at Hall 3-4, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. For more information, visit www.thailandsmartcityexpo.com or follow updates on Facebook: ThailandSmartCityExpo.