The Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP) earned first place in the "Sustainable Growth/Circular Economy Award" in the Public Sector category at the 2024 WITSA ICT Excellence Award. Competing with their innovative "Urban Environmental Governance: AI Environmental Pollution Recognition System," the first of its kind globally, TYDEP represented Taoyuan in the prestigious international competition. After a rigorous evaluation process, the award was announced at a ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 6, followed by an international press conference on October 7, where awardees shared their accomplishments. This recognition highlights Taoyuan’s "Smart City" achievements on the global stage.
TYDEP Director-General Chen Shih-wei explained that the World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), founded in 1978 and based in the United States, is a leading global organization for the information technology services industry, with members from the ICT sectors in 85 countries across five continents. The WITSA ICT Excellence Award, held annually, feature nine awards in the Public Sector and eleven in the Private/NGO sector. Competing on behalf of the Taoyuan City Government, TYDEP's AI initiative was recognized in the Public Sector's Sustainable Growth/Circular Economy category, underscoring the city's leadership in sustainable and smart urban governance.
The World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) in Armenia offered a prime platform for Taoyuan City to present its "Smart Taoyuan" accomplishments to the world. Representing the city at the award ceremony, TYDEP Senior Specialist Yao Tun-ming expressed gratitude to Mayor Chang San-cheng, TYDEP Director-General Chen San-cheng, TYDEP Director-General Chen Shih-wei, and the Taoyuan City Council for their steadfast support in introducing AI monitoring technology. Their backing has significantly elevated Taoyuan's international visibility in smart city innovations. TYDEP highlighted that Taiwan's technological entries, nominated by the Information Service Industry Association of R.O.C. -CISA-,were selected from a competitive pool of 127 global submissions. In total, 22 proposals from 10 countries emerged as winners. Taiwan's delegation achieved historic success, with three public sector representatives -Taoyuan City, New Taipei City, and Kaohsiung City-and three private sector entities -the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Institute for Information Industry, and Quanta Computer-winning six major awards at the WCIT in Armenia, demonstrating Taiwan's ICT innovation on a world-class level.
TYDEP also noted that Taoyuan’s groundbreaking "AI Environmental Pollution Recognition System," the first of its kind globally, was recognized after intense competition among nearly 100 submissions from the Asia-Pacific region. On September 25 -Eastern Standard Time-, the system was announced as the Asia-Pacific winner of the 2024 Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government, affirming its excellence in digital innovation for government services.
The TYDEP noted that under the "Smart Taoyuan" policy initiative, its innovative AI image recognition system has received multiple international awards. This achievement not only attests to Taoyuan's strength in environmental technology but also showcases the impressive accomplishments of "Smart Taoyuan" to a global audience.