2023 Vol 02 Taitung Times

In Aesop’s famed fable of the hare and the tortoise, the slow and steady tortoise emerges victorious over the speedy but overconfident hare.

This classic tale serves as a powerful metaphor for Taitung County Magistrate April Yao’s “Slow Economy”. The guiding principle here is that achieving tasks in the smartest and least wasteful fashion is the key to long-term success.

The “super-app” TTPush (TT standing fr Taitung) is the embodiment of this 後發先至, or “more speed, less haste” philosophy. This all-in-one app allows users to access an ever-expanding range of services and provides incentives for county residents to share feedback through a unique "TTCoins" reward system.

It is important to differentiate TTCoins from a blockchain-based cryptocurrency, they are more akin to a “point” system. As of now, there is no way of directly buying TTCoins with NTD, or any other currency for that matter. How then, do users “earn” TTCoins? Simply put, by interacting with the app. For instance, just downloading and regisetring on the platform will earn you 20 Coins, sharing the APP with a friend will earn you that sum again, and so on.

On the next level, you can participate in one of the many “TTCoin campaigns” on the APP. These present themselves most often as a small article on a certain topic, followed by a multiple choice question testing if you understood it correctly. Answering the question correctly (you can try as many times you want) will reward you with “TT Coins”.

For the many of us who are allergic to anything resembling a high school exam, there are of course other ways to put your hands on the coveted TTCoins. You can, for example, find one of the many Taitung Battery Recycling Machines, scan your TTPush QR code, and then be rewarded with 5 coins for every AA or AAA battery recycled and 10 coins for any larger ones.

Each year, TTPush also sponsors the “Taitung Pushup Festival”, the ultimate destination for foodies and fun-lovers alike, offering up the chance to indulge in delicious snacks and revel in the excitement of a cutting-edge digital experience. In the 2022 edition, the first 2000 people who signed up for the festival received 200 TTCoins, and if you followed and shared the “TTPush” fan page, brought your own tableware or connected to the WIFI TTFree onsite, you would respectively earn an additional 500, 300 and 100 points. This small TTCoin fortune could then be splurged on treats offered at the festival’s many stalls.

Of course, there are many other ways of using your TTCoins other than indulging yourself at the Pushup Festival. One of TTPush’s centerpieces is the “Discount Map”. As its name suggests, the Discount Map is a map of Taitung, adorned with countless pink banners scattered on it like candles on the birthday cake of a centenarian.

Each banner represents a local store or business in partnership with the app. Clicking on any of them unleashes a pop-up, introducing the business and highlighting the in-store discounts that are available in exchange of 10 or so TTCoins.

With over 50% of Taitung County's residents already using TTPush, local businesses are eager to hop on board the Discount Map train. The app has become the ultimate matchmaker, connecting consumers with partner businesses and boosting the local economy in the process. The Discount Map is the ultimate tool for savvy shoppers looking to snag a bargain while exploring the beauty of Taitung. For businesses, it's the perfect way to attract new customers and boost sales.

You can also use TTCoins to purchase souvenirs and other local produce online, and even have them delivered to your hotel or a train station if you are a visitor. You can thus spend your precious vacation time on a pristine beach or in a steaming hot spring, without having to worry about running around buying gifts for your friends and relatives.

For those of you who plan to drive around in Taitung, here is a handy life-hack: register your license plate on TTPush and pay your parking fees directly in TTCoins! You can even have your parking fees be deducted automatically from your TTCoin wallet. To do so, simply go to "member services", "look up and pay parking tickets", and apply for automatic transfer of parking fees. Given its convenience, it is no surprise that this is one of TTPush’s most popular features, with a value of over 1 million NTD of parking fees being paid in TTCoins so far.

TTPush is not only useful to the user, the app plays a central role in the County Government’s vision for a “Slow Economy” as well. By streamlining a plethora of services on the same platform, and by attracting over half the County Population on the app with the golden lure of TTCoins, TTPush saves the county coffers a small fortune every single day.

Indeed, upwards of 400 million NTD have been economized so far, mostly by cutting marketing, communications, as well as disposal costs. This figure, of course, does not take into account other hidden costs that have been reduced, as well as positive “externalities”. For the unacquainted, an “externality” is the indirect effect of any economic activity on the society and/or environment at large.

A great example of a “positive externality” in the case of “TTPush” is the Health Prevention Campaign that was launched on it. County residents registered on the app were prompted to do a preventive screening, especially those at risk of breast cancer. Of the over 5,000 citizens who did the screening, over 500 cases led to early detection, saving lives, time, money and unnecessary suffering.

And the app's features just keep on coming! Each year, new additions, ranging from the fun and snazzy to the useful, are made to TTPush, keeping users on their toes and excited for what's to come. A particularly high profile one is the pan-Taiwanese “Coinex” system that is being set in place. So far, only Yunlin has a comparable, workable project to TTPush, so if you’re planning to visit Yunlin, you can convert your TTCoins into Yunlin Coins to enjoy all kinds of services over there. As the rest of Taiwan catches up with Taitung, you will one day be able to convert TTCoins into any regional coin nationwide.

As the reader hopefully agrees by now, TTPush is not only smart and trendy, it is also eco- and socio-friendly; a concrete, sustainable example of the Slow Economy in action. It would be a mistake, however, to believe that the Taitung County Government is but a “one-trick pony”. The county government is fighting the battle for digitalization and efficiency on many fronts. Apart from TTPush, another important one is the creation of a “digital twin” for the entire county.

Doppelgangers, meaning a biologically unrelated look-alike or twin, have long been a staple in horror and crime films. In practical life however, “digital doppelgangers” or “twins” are much-less-threateningly seen to be essential ingredients in the creation of “smart cities”. In a bid to further accelerate digital adoption and streamline governance and administration, the Taitung County Government has been working tirelessly to integrate basic geographical data into a comprehensive digital database.

In fall 2022, a high-res, 3D model, i.e. digital twin of “Green Island” was announced at a launch event. The launch event showcased the fruits of the government’s labor, including high-resolution digital terrain models and 3D visualizations of the island. The county has already started digitizing basic data and maps of Orchid Island and Green Island, and hopes to continue this process to create a “smart county”. Also included at the event, was the unveiling of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squad, which will play a significant role in collecting data from remote and inaccessible locations.

This launch event therefore was a significant milestone for the county, which is looking to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas, especially in the outlying islands, the development of which has long been hampered by geographical barriers, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of basic public services.

Taitung County's Digital Twinning Initiative aims to use cutting-edge technology, such as aerial photography and laser scanning, to create high-resolution, high-quality digital maps that can be used by government agencies, businesses and the public. By having a precise and exhaustive overview of the county’s geo- data, better regional and urban planning, more sustainable and sensible land usage, protection of the commons, conservation and upkeep of the landscape, as well as a considerable reduction in expenses and working-hours can be achieved. This project is therefore a crucial step towards creating a smart city that is both functional and beautiful.

All in all, be it with super-apps like TTPush or incredibly precise virtual renderings of the land, the Taitung County Government is well on its way to becoming a national and even international leader in digitalization. With the advent of LLM’s and the recent breakthroughs in AI, this trend is bound to accelerate – exponentially even, if many of the top Tech Gurus are to be trusted.

Rather than splurging precious resources on the latest fad, however, the County Government stays committed to its motto of the “Slow Economy”. One must not innovate for innovation’s sake alone, but for a particular purpose. As we have seen, super-apps like TTPush can literally save lives, reduce costs, and improve communication between government and populace. As for digital twinning, it is not only useful for planning and surveying, but also for disaster prevention and even, with the spread of VR, for e-tourism.

The government of Taitung tirelessly innovates and explores new solutions with one goal in mind: improving the lives of its residents as well as making Taitung a greener, more prosperous and accessible place for people both in Taiwan and beyond. Be sure to fasten your seatbelts, for the county government, under the leadership of Magistrate April Yao, is going to race ahead in its digital drive, tortoise-style.