At the IT Month 2024 opening ceremony, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) unveiled two innovative tools developed in collaboration with civic tech teams: the Online Appointment and Query System for Children’s Early Intervention Assessment and the Low-Carbon Meal Carbon Emission Calculation Platform developed by the Taoyuan City Government and the Taitung County Government. This marks the first time foreign nationals have participated in the civic tech projects of Taiwan, and the outcomes will be provided as public code for use by local governments.

Minister Yennun Huang noted that since launching the civic tech experimental field last year (2023), the MODA has connected local governments with civic tech hackers to expand digital civic participation, accelerate the adoption of smart government, and encourage innovative digital public services. This year, the model has been replicated in Tainan City and expanded internationally, with U.S. participants joining the development process. This achievement aligns with the MODA’s vision of transforming Taiwan into a net exporter of digital democracy.

Early intervention system team representative Fang-Chieh Lee explained that building a unified platform accessible to parents, healthcare providers, and government officials is challenging due to inconsistent processes across medical institutions. The collaboration with the Taoyuan City Government addressed issues of information transparency and accessibility for parents, making the project highly meaningful. Katie Lam, a U.S. participant, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with the Taiwanese government and her hopes that more individuals from different countries can engage in similar initiatives.

The Department of Information Management team at Chung Yuan Christian University worked with the Taitung County Government to develop a platform for calculating restaurant meal carbon emissions and promoting low-carbon slow food. Director Hsiu-Li Liao from the department noted that while the project involved significant challenges, such as data collection and formula setting for carbon emissions, provided students with valuable public affairs participation experience and knowledge application.

Du Tzu-Jung, Director-General of the Taoyuan City Government’s Department of Women and Children Development, and Lin Wan-Ching, Section Chief of Taitung County’s International Development and The Planning Department praised the teams for their impressive capabilities in developing platforms quickly. They commended the MODA for its efforts in fostering local governments’ digital development and nurturing young digital talent. They welcomed the public code model for broader adoption, facilitating system integration and data interoperability.

Eric Juang, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of MODA added that from today until November 17th, the IT Month Digital Public Infrastructure Vision Pavilion will showcase achievements from the civic tech experimental fields, the public code concept, and key initiatives such as the Digital Wallet with advanced digital signature technology, which ensures document authenticity and security. The MODA invites the public to visit and explore these initiatives, witnessing the blueprint for Taiwan’s future digital society.