Ng Kuo Pin (NCS)
NCS has unveiled plans to integrate DataSpark - a telco-centric data science and engineering subsidiary of Singtel Group - under its NEXT division to enhance big data and mobility intelligence offerings across Asia Pacific.
With the aim of expanding capabilities specific to end-to-end advanced analytics and big data solutions, the move is designed to help customers augment existing data platforms with geo-spatial data to enhance business insights and outcomes.
DataSpark will continue to run independently under NEXT - enhanced by the recent acquisition of Singapore-based 2359 Media - amid plans to “further accelerate and expand” product and service offerings. With a presence in Australia - known as DSpark - Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore, DataSpark offers solutions ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning to bespoke telecommunication data tools.
“We want to be a trusted digital transformation partner for governments and enterprises in the Asia Pacific region and are committed to helping our clients succeed by harnessing new technologies in big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence,” said Ng Kuo Pin, CEO of NCS.
“Adding DataSpark’s geo-spatial and mobility intelligence services to our already robust end-to-end data capabilities opens up new possibilities for our clients, by enabling them to draw an incredibly detailed understanding of how people and their customers move, identifying unmet needs and growth opportunities.”
According to Shaowei Ying - COO of DataSpark - the vendor’s presence in high-growth markets and deep specialisation in mobility data intelligence “naturally complement” NCS’ growth ambitions across Asia Pacific.
“By joining the NCS family, we can expand our digital footprint to reach new clients in a variety of sectors such as healthcare, out-of-home media, retail, tourism, transport, urban planning and more,” he said. “With the synergy of NCS’ resources and NCS NEXT teams, we are excited to explore the growth opportunities this integration will bring and will continue to innovate to help our clients make informed business decisions with mobility data and actionable insights.”
As outlined by Shaowei, a key capability of DataSpark is using mobility data intelligence to help organisations understand "how people move, where they go, and what they do". This is achieved by processing large amounts of anonymised mobile, Global Positioning System (GPS), public transport, road network, immigration and census data.
For example, in 2020, DataSpark gathered anonymised telco-sourced data on changes in unique daily worker volumes within Singapore and Australia’s central business districts (CBD), which provided insights and solutions into the future of workers in city-centre offices.
