A chance to make an impact with artificial intelligence
31 Oct 2023 Written by JTC

Digital Technology 

Ong Sheng Siong, Manager, Data Science Division

I’m interested in the economic development of Singapore and was drawn to working in an organisation that directly impacts companies.

I was intrigued by how JTC’s role in Singapore’s industrial development has constantly evolved over the years to keep up with the changing global landscape.

The work we do at JTC is dynamic and covers a wide range of domains.

Industrial development at JTC is a multi-year journey involving industrial land planning, engineering, architecture and construction, facility management, and customer management. As everyone is from different backgrounds, there is often an vibrant exchange of ideas. These add to the culture of innovation at JTC.

As a data scientist, I work on analytical and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) projects across a wide range of domains.

A typical workday can look like this: One moment I’m meeting various stakeholders to understand their needs, the next I’m analysing data and developing the AI/ML models for our ongoing projects.

I’ve been involved in several projects, but one stands out.

We tapped the potential of computer vision to estimate water level readings at construction sites using inspection photos. We had to collect and label our own data, then train our own models using a wide variety of AI and computer vision techniques. We even managed to deploy the model as part of a Telegram app! While this was a small project, the experience taught me a lot about the development lifecycle of a computer vision project. It also allowed me to better understand the possibilities of AI/ML to enhance the construction industry.