Technology – Page 13 – PPI News Agency

September 12, 2018

All set for Plan9’s 12th Launchpad for Promotion of Entrepreneurial Landscape Tomorrow

Lahore, September 12, 2018 (PPI-OT): Plan9, a project of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is all set to hold 12th Launchpad mega event for the promotion of entrepreneurial landscape of Pakistan on September 13, 2018, Thursday at Arfa Software Technology Park, Lahore, an open event for Startups from across the Pakistan. In a message the Chairman PITB Dr. Umar Saif expressed that the eco-system has grown tremendously, with many large incubators being setup all across Pakistan and its proud moment at PITB for laying the seed of incubation with Plan9 in 2012.

The Expo Day will be participated by more than 100 Startups, which will help to flourish the Startup ecosystem of Pakistan. It will be an opportunity to promote and celebrate this entrepreneurial spirit of Pakistan. It is a mission to create a budding entrepreneurial ecosystem in Pakistan and foster the spirit of the same in the long run. The participant’s registration will start at 10 am at ground floor while the other features of the event include Panel Talk, Plan9 Story (Alumni), Startup Exhibition, networking and instrumental performances.

Expo Day promises a celebration of innovation, technology and the enterprising spirit. The Expo Day activities include 50+ tech startups showcasing their innovation, along with interesting panel talks from industry experts. The panel talks will focus on ‘the role of Incubators’ to ‘the Incubation Story’, ‘Role of Incubators in the Evolving Entrepreneurial Space’ and other multiple discussions.

Plan9 has designed multiple activities to bring the startups up to speed with entrepreneurship including motivational talks, scavenger hunt, pitch and presentation workshops, business plan and market validation workshop, fire side chat, tips on launching, team building, speed networking and much more.

Students and youngster can also have an opportunity to work with the startups, it can be fruitful to understand varying tech domains operational in Pakistan along with networking opportunities. To attend the Expo Day and witness the startup landscape of Pakistan and the work that is being done in the tech space, participants may register at the following link: http://plan9.pitb.gov.pk/expoday/.

For more information, contact:
Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB)
11th Floor, Arfa Software Technology Park,
346-B, Ferozepur Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35880062
Fax: +92-42-99232123
Email: info@pitb.gov.pk
Website: www.pitb.gov.pk

September 10, 2018

IPO-Pakistan and Punjab Information Technology Board sign MoU for promotion and commercialization of inventions and innovations

Lahore, September 10, 2018 (PPI-OT): The Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) and Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) joined hands by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate and promote cooperation for promotion and commercialization of inventions and innovations here today. Mr. Mujeeb Ahmed Khan Chairman IPO-Pakistan and Dr. Umar Saif Chairman PITB signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations. Through this collaboration both parties will conduct joint awareness raising sessions regarding intellectual property issues and topics by holding seminars, conferences, and workshops on intellectual property issues and topics.

Both parties will also engage in research programs/projects regarding intellectual property issues and topics, allowing reciprocal access to research facilities, like libraries, electronic resources, etc. On this occasion Dr. Umar Saif said that this collaboration would create synergistic effect to hoist innovation culture in Pakistan to promote and commercialized our inventions and it would add value creation in national products. This MoU would also give assistance on all intellectual property matters to the incubating units being supported by PITB under Plan9 Project, he added.

He further stated that one of the important missing pieces of the startup ecosystem in Pakistan was protection of Intellectual Property in Pakistan while MoU with the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan would facilitate registration of patents, trademarks and copyrights, including a one-window at Plan9 and an automated platform to streamline the process for everyone applying for patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Mr. Mujeeb Ahmed Khan Chairman IPO-Pakistan explained that the MoU enabled both organizations to collaboratively work on a plan for building out a successful long term relationship with the intent of creating impact both in Pakistan and in the world. Mr. Mujeeb Ahmed Khan Chairman IPO-Pakistan further said that that the biggest challenge IPO faced was the access to data of patents all across Pakistan. WIPO has provided them the access of more than 9000 patents all across the country while it was difficult to get that information in Pakistan.

PITB would be given access to the portal having the access to the information of 9000 patents all across the country as we were working for the promotion of knowledge based economy by establishing strong liaison between public intuitions, academia and the industry, he said. IPO was looking for technical help from PITB to initiate an incubator to train their officials for using the technology by generating one window solution for registration of patents, trademarks and copyrights including one window at Plan9 and an automated platform to streamline the process for everyone applying to patents, copyrights and trademarks, he added.

IPO sought assistance from PITB to provide expertise in automation of their data and turn the data into verifiable digital form. PITB will further provide assistance in developing the system where data of registered trademark can be scanned and digitized to future convenience. Dr. Rizwan Basharat Regional Director IPO, Sajid Latif Director General governance and senior officials were present during the meeting.

IPO-Pakistan is an autonomous institution of the Government of Pakistan, concerned with copyright, trademarks, patents and other general types of intellectual property regulation. The Punjab Information Technology Board PITB is also an autonomous body established by Government of the Punjab to digitize the governance and promote entrepreneurship in Punjab. Both parties will share information and guide each other on IP right protection, commercialization and licensing arrangements with third parties.

September 4, 2018

PMIS reports vaccination of 3.5 million children in Punjab

Lahore, September 04, 2018 (PPI-OT): The Polio Monitoring Information System (PMIS) developed by Punjab Information Technology board (PITB) has reported vaccination of 3.5 million children in all districts across the Province of Punjab during the past two years. It was informed during a progress review meeting presided over by the Chairman PITB Dr. Umar Saif here today. PITB devised PMIS in September 2016, is at the verge of its excellence by reaching to every district of Punjab.

The fourth nationwide National Immunization Day campaign for children up to five years’ age will be conducted from 24th to 26th September, 2018. The joint efforts by Health Information Management System (HIMS) and PMIS a visible decrease noticed in the number of children dispensed with polio vaccination. The Stats were verified by WHO and UNICEF. These numbers are monitored through the smart phones installed with the application developed by PITB to monitor the polio campaigns in the province to accelerate and wide spread the steady and ineffectively designed campaign.

The application enables the local administration as well as partner organizations like WHO and UNICEF to access real time field data. The current system is active in seven high risk districts of the province reporting the number of children vaccinated, refusal cases, zero dose children and children not available during and after the campaign.

The meeting was informed that above 9000 handsets have been distributed in High Risk districts of Punjab province. In Lahore and Rawalpindi district 7000 smart phones distributed to Polio Supervisory tier and Mobile Teams. In Districts of Muzaffargarh, Multan, D.G Khan, Rajanpur, R.Y Khan 2000 smart phones distributed to Polio Supervisory tier only.

September 3, 2018

Fall of Mughal Empire exhibit narrates conduct of Britain in 1857: Dr. Umar Saif

Lahore, September 03, 2018 (PPI-OT): The Mutiny Papers held at the Archives narrates the conduct of British Government of the Punjab during 1857 when troops from the Punjab were instrumental in the capture of Delhi, the surrender of the last Mughal King, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and his ultimate trial and exile to Rangoon. Dr. Umar Saif, Chairman, PITB said in an exhibition on, “Fall of Mughal Empire” held at Anarkali Tomb, Punjab Archives, which is a part of Punjab Archives Digitization Project undertaken by Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to digitize catalogue and make accessible the documents held by the Punjab Archives.

Dr. Saif further stated that the major issues with social science research in Pakistan was the availability of sources. This project opened up great repository to the world to engage and learn from it using the medium of visuals, text, music and poetry while this exhibit sketched a unique picture of the end of the famed Mughal Empire in South Asia,’ he added. An exhibition on the Fall of the Mughal Empire was opened at Anarkali’s Tomb, Punjab Archives on the weekend.

Opening the exhibition, Mr Ahmed Raza Sarwar, Secretary Services, appreciated the work of the Archives and PITB teams in putting up this exhibition. ‘The decline of Delhi and its fabled culture was a central feature of our history and the pictures and poetry from leading poets of that time, portrayed the scenario in a special way, he noted. Secretary Archives, Mr Tahir Yousaf while emphasising the multidimensional nature of the archive said that the archives was not just a repository of documents as it was a museum, a living object, where one engaged with the past, while looking towards our present and the future,’ he said.

The exhibition displays prints from the original collection of Charles Ball’s The History of the Indian Mutiny which was etched in the year following the great Rebellion. It also showcases original documents from the siege of Delhi, the storming of Kashmiri gate, the surrender of Bahadur Shah Zafar and his trial, and the treatment of the royal family.

Coupled with the prints are couplet from the major poets of the era, including Dagh, Mirza Sauda, Momin, Zauq, Ghalib and indeed deposed King Zafar himself. The visual is then combined with the aural through rendering of Zafar’s poems in the voice of Mohammad Rafi and Mehdi Hassan as background music. The exhibition will remain open till September 8, 2018.

August 31, 2018

Pakistan becomes first country to use multi spectral imagery for crop mapping: Dr. Umar Saif

Lahore, August 31, 2018 (PPI-OT): Pakistan has become first country in the world to use multi spectral imagery for various crops mapping with 10-meter resolution with remote sensing through UK Satellite Sentinel 2 A to determine the kind, health of crops, moisture in soil and to predict the quantum of production. Dr. Umar Saif founding Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University (ITU) the Punjab, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) said during an interview with a private TV channel on project “Food@Home” here today.

Dr. Saif further said that for crop mapping now there was no dependency on anyone as being done in the past to use android phones to report with GPS location as the google gave threemeter resolution in black and while Satellite Sentinel 2 A, which passes over Pakistan space once in a week. It gave 13 color imagery to help identify various crops data including seed quality, growth, disease, area of cultivation, yield, impact on economy and to determine export potential of excess crop, he stated.

He said the after two years of research and development, we were launching Punjab’s agriculture crop maps, generated automatically using machine learning on multi-spectral satellite imagery. The system gives weekly data about the yield of 26 crops across Punjab. We were making our maps freely available, which could be accessed by installing the machine-learning algorithms on your computer, he stated.

He added that the digitalized data would help in market facilitation, stability in the market, cost price, direct issuance of interest free loans to the small farmers by banks and subsidy without involving middle man while the other users such as government to formulate agriculture policy, insurance companies, agriculture departments and industry could benefit from the data gathered in real time.

August 28, 2018

Pitb’s e-Ticketing System Collects Rs.8.2 Billion

Islamabad, August 28, 2018 (PPI-OT): A number of 18 million (18,726,279) e-Challans have been issued through Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB)’s e-Ticketing system developed for National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) collecting a sum of Rs. 8.2 billion, which has improved the efficiency of the challan process and facilitated the commuters by paying their fines at the spot without wasting their time to deposit the fine at banks or to visit traffic office to get their documents.

Dr. Umar Saif founding Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University (ITU) the Punjab and Chairman PITB was briefed during a progress review meeting here today. The meeting was informed that National Highways and Motorways Police Ticketing System has reported 573 devices registered while officers registered as users are 2,584 and helps extended by NHMP to 1,134,340 persons. The approximate daily average challans are 31,000.

Dr. Umar Saif said that the result oriented system developed through technology by the PITB has shown acceptance by the public at large and it has established transparency in the traffic ticketing process as well as it has eliminated the chances of bribe and corruption. The e-Ticketing system was now operational across Pakistan and being implemented by the NHMP after necessary training of the respective officials at PITB, which has also reduced the number of traffic violations and a reduction of 44 % has been noticed in traffic accidents in 2017, he added.

The e-Ticketing App has been improved and additional features have been Incorporated in the System, which include Officers helping with Pictures Module, Accident tagging with Pictures Module and Fine Reconciliation. NHMP with the help of PITB has already made 63 out of 64 beats completely paperless. PITB is also developing App PASBAN, a public application for NHMP and assisting in automation of HR System of the organization.

The technology oriented device was developed in June 2015 and its first trial was conducted in August 2015 and after further necessary improvements in the system now it is operative all over the country. The system data also collects details of the vehicles, accidents, date of the incident, habitual violators, real time location of time stamp, accident analysis, causes and the person involved, which is a big leap ahead through technology

August 28, 2018

ITU announces third merit list for BS-MS 2018

Lahore, August 28, 2018 (PPI-OT): The Information Technology University (ITU) the Punjab has announced third merit list for BS and MS admissions 2018, which is accessible of ITU’s website www.itu.edu.pk Those who are included in the merit list can deposit their dues latest by tomorrow i.e. August 29, 2018 till 5 p.m. The classes will commence from September 3, 2018. The successful students have been advised to deposit three passport size photographs, three sets of attested photocopies of academic degrees and transcripts, copy of CNIC and copy of the paid fee challan receipt. For any further information and queries ITU’s admission office should be contacted during working hours.