President Ma Ying-jeou attended the opening ceremonies of Computex Taipei 2011 on the morning of May 31 and took advantage of the opportunity to learn how WiMAX can be used to monitor earthflows .
The president first visited the Taipei International Convention Center to attend an exhibit on the use of WiMAX in monitoring and preventing earthflows. He listened to a briefing and saw a demonstration on how the wireless protocol can be used in disaster prevention and rescue efforts. The president then browsed the various exhibits at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 to get a better understanding of how WiMAX can provide mobile communications for disaster relief command operations. He also donated 1,000 tablet computers and 10,000 e-books to elementary schools in eastern Taiwan’s Taitung County. The gifts were accepted by Ms. Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊) on behalf of the schools. Ms. Chen was selected as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2010 for her “small, extraordinary acts of kindness.”
After watching a presentation on the function of WiMAX in monitoring earthflows, the president remarked that he attended a WiMAX exhibit for the first time four years ago. At that time, he said, WiMAX technology was still being developed. Today, however, WiMAX has opened up new horizons for Taiwan's information and communications technology (ICT) industry. Over the past four years, he commented, applications for WiMAX have increased, with the technology now used to provide bandwidth to public transportation vehicles in motion, emergent medical assistance, and now in earthflow prevention systems.
With regard to earthflow prevention work, President Ma stated that disaster preparedness experts from the Council of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau played a crucial role in reducing losses to life and property during the flooding and landslides unleashed by Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. And now, with the assistance of WiMAX, decision-makers will have even more accurate information. The technology will also aid in collecting data and issuing warnings. This can raise public awareness of latent dangers, and in the future will be a helpful part of earthflow early-warning and prevention systems, the president remarked.
President Ma noted that Computex Taipei has become one of the most important computer fairs in the world. Computex, he said, is characterized by its clearly defined themes and distinctive features, which fully play to the strengths of Taiwan's ICT industry. Secondly, the event is the result of coordination and integrated efforts of many parties, including the Taipei Computer Association (TCA) and many manufacturers. Thirdly, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council and the TCA work together in a very successful collaboration between the public and private sectors, he said.
President Ma stressed that applications are the crux to any technology. The more the applications, he said, the greater the likelihood that the technology will survive. He expressed his hope that continued progress in applications will enable Taiwan to remain as a global powerhouse in computers and information. Greater efforts must therefore be made in research and development, marketing, and applications, he said, pointing to the example of the smart handheld device industry, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs has targeted for development. The president added that the government has already formed a task force to promote this sector.
President Ma expressed his desire to see continued development of WiMAX and other technologies that will help to safeguard the lives and property of the public. This technology, he said, can be further promoted throughout the world, generating new business opportunities.