TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has successfully launched two civic technology projects by matching civic teams with local governments, advancing public services through digital tools.

The “Taiwan Civic-tech Experimental Field” initiative, which encourages collaboration between local governments and citizens, has expanded this year with increased grant funding. It connected the Taoyuan City Government and the Taitung County Government with civic groups to promote Taiwan’s technological development and democratic values.

In collaboration with the Taoyuan City Government, Seeding Tech Squad developed the “Online Registration and Inquiry System for Joint Assessment of Child Development.” This system aims to reduce duplicate appointments for child development assessments and improve information transparency for the public, medical personnel, and administrative agencies.

The Department of Women and Children Development of Taoyuan City noted an increase in the number of children with developmental delays after the pandemic. With this platform, the city government aims to expand its functions to provide more convenient and transparent services.

Another achievement, the “Carbon Emission Calculation Tool for Low-Carbon Meals,” was jointly developed by the Taitung County Government and the “Low-Carbon Slow Food Lunch Box” team of faculty and students from Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU). The tool promotes Taitung’s local slow food concept, allowing restaurants and consumers to easily understand the carbon emissions of their meals through a digital calculator.

Professor Liao Hsiu-li (廖秀莉) from CYCU’s Information Management Department, who led the team, said the civic tech initiative provided students with practical experience and fostered cooperation between academia and government.

MODA said it employed “team leaders” (experienced civic technologists) to lead the participants in executing project development. Leaders guided the teams in the right direction and provided technical help. 

Furthermore, MODA collaborated with international civic technology communities, such as Code for Japan and Code for Korea, to promote the initiative and recruited US participants interested in Taiwan’s public-private collaboration model. Through this initiative, Taiwan is showcasing a democratic value that seamlessly integrates technological innovation with active civic participation."

Additionally, MODA stated that it adheres to the public code policy, making development results available on the Public Code Platform (code.gov.tw) for use by industries, communities, and government agencies.