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TWTW Weekly Wrap Up: 8-13 August

BW Online Bureau Aug 13, 2022

Last Week’s Latest

The ability to introduce the first completely autonomous self-driving cabs into China's roads has been granted to Baidu Inc.
PreciTaste, a Vision AI platform has secured USD 24 million in a Series A round of funding to support its efforts to set the benchmark for digital food AI management.
The world's smallest IoT tracking device, the Micro-Tracker^TM Modem, has been released by SPYR, Inc.
IBM is concentrating on creating a "edge in" posture rather than a "cloud out" stance to expand hub and spoke deployments of edge applications.
In a unique move, the Indian government is implementing a Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM)
Dubai wants to become a global tech hub – and it’s betting on crypto to get it there
To improve the functional computer literacy Indian government employees, Microsoft has teamed up with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Capacity Building Commission (CBC).
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Nevada to soon receive Google Fiber's high-speed Internet service.
NVIDIA Announces New USD Connectors and Tools, Simulation Technologies, and Developer Frameworks for Omniverse
To expedite the development of drone technology, the Drone Federation of India (DFI) and the Indian Army, represented by the Army Design Bureau (ADB), inked an MoU.

Focused Story of the Week #1: Dubai’s Big Bet On Crypto

Dubai was one of the first cities to recover from the pandemic, owing to the strong resurgence of tourism in the middle of 2021. The emirate has now set its eyes on becoming a worldwide digital centre by attracting entrepreneurs, investors and it plans to do so, through Crypto. The city has become a global tech hub, with crypto being a major catalyst.

Dubai is slowly becoming a big blockchain centre. For example, in July 2020, the UAE KYC (Know-Your-Customer) blockchain technology was launched on a massive scale. Government agencies in the city are also jumping on the crypto bandwagon. Dubai Police recently revealed plans to roll out the second bunch of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) after the first collection attracted approximately 23 million people globally.

While there has been a negative sentiment around crypto, given the volatility of the market it is without a doubt that the technology powering crypto has a limitless potential to achieve amazing things. Key government and consumer services which require efficiency and anonymity can be carried out with speed. The only limit to the technology is our creativity.

“Cryptocurrency – a wise gamble to take for cities globally”

Focused Story of the Week #2: Smart Farming - Impact on Farmers & Economy

Smart farming is becoming critical for the Indian agriculture industry as the years. Farms can be monitored remotely thanks to smart farming. It can also aid in the integration of physical and digital infrastructures, which would be advantageous to farmers.

The Indian economy is greatly enriched by the agriculture industry. 17.8 per cent of India's Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019–20 came from agriculture. Mobile devices delivered 91.43 billion agri-advisories to farmers between 2014 and 21. 187 mobile apps on various agriculture and farmer-related services were created by ICAR between 2014 and 21.

AgriTech is revolutionizing farming methods. Agri-based entrepreneurs can now connect directly with farmers to provide practical and affordable interventions. They have also used climate-smart farming to combat climate change.

Innovation paired with right initiatives will contribute towards embracing smart farming on a nationwide scale. Implementation of Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) that includes the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Center (MNCFC), Farmers Database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding for the states on new technology (NeGPA), Soil Health, Fertility, and profile mapping will be crucial for the development of smart farming in India.

“Smart farming will serve as a link between increased farmer profitability and India's economic growth”