Johor Bahru Smart City's JBIOCC Catches Attention Of China, USA

By Nur Fatin Mohmad Kadenen

JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 14 -- The establishment of the Johor Bahru Integrated Operations and Control Centre (JBIOCC) has not only strengthened the management of the city, but has also attracted delegations from world economic powers such as China and the United States to see its operation for themselves.

JBIOCC Urban Transport and Commander assistant director Dr Choo Kok Wah said the integrated urban governance model using artificial intelligence (AI) technology in improving the efficiency of city services had also captured the attention of delegations from Indonesia and Singapore.

He said the ability of JBIOCC to attract the attention of these countries through their visits to the Johor Bahru City Council Tower (MBJB) previously has opened up opportunities for strategic cooperation in the aspect of universal smart city technology as well as sharing expertise with each other.

According to him, the control centre developed by MBJB which has been operating since December 2023, functions as 'eyes and ears' in monitoring the city in terms of security, crime, disasters, traffic congestion, infrastructure management, environmental cleanliness and road damage.

“..with the existence of JBIOCC, investors confidence in the development of Johor Bahru city in terms of its smart city planning and security levels will also be enhanced,” he told Bernama.

JBIOCC, based at MBJB Tower through a 12-metre display screen, will monitor all activities in the city through 500 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with 15 smart AI features.

He said JBIOCC is capable of detecting about 10,000 incidents every month including road accidents, crimes, illegal dumping of waste, flash floods, road damage and operation of illegal traders.

JBIOCC will coordinate all incidents by sharing information with the departments and agencies responsible, to ensure that swift action can be taken within 24 hours.

“The CCTV has facial recognition and vehicle registration number recognition features, thus helping enforcement to be carried out more effectively,” he said, explaining that people’s public privacy has always been a priority for MBJB and is not misused.

The operation of JBIOCC is supported by 10 LED information display systems (VMS) on main roads, which function to provide any latest information such as traffic congestion and flash floods to road users.

In addition, JBIOCC is also integrated with four panic buttons placed at public locations, namely at Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Tunku Mahkota Ismail Youth Centre (TMIYC) Johor Bahru, Dataran Bandaraya and Taman Tasik Merdeka.

The panic button, which is connected to CCTV cameras at these strategic locations, will speed up the response of the authorities or relevant departments in the field.

"For example, if someone has a heart attack, anyone at the location can press the panic button to contact JBIOCC staff directly before it is channeled to the relevant parties," he said.

At the same time, he said the existence of JBIOCC has also boosted MBJB's success in achieving Level 3: Leading Smart City in the Malaysian Smart City Ranking last year, making it the first Local Authority (LA) in Malaysia to achieve this level.

The prestigious recognition recognises MBJB as a key leader in the country's smart city transformation, as a result of the implementation of various high-impact initiatives that focus on governance effectiveness, community well-being and urban sustainability.

--BERNAMA