This event was presented by PIKKC (City and Smart Community Innovation Center) ITB and was supported by BAKTI (Information and Telecommunication Accessibility Agency) and Kominfo. Some important figures were present during the closing event, such as the Vice Minister of Internal Affairs RI, Vice-Rector of ITB, delegations from the National Research and Innovation Agency, and several Mayors from various cities in Indonesia.

An opening remark was delivered by the Head of PIKKC ITB, Prof. Suhono Harso Supangkat. In his remark, Prof Suhono delivered a report of this year's RKCI and RTDI implementation. Different from the previous years, this year we saw the introduction of RTDI to the RKCI Program. The reason behind this is that digital transformation itself is a catalyst for the city to change.

The 2021 RKCI and RTDI, which was opened by the Vice President back on 2 August 2021, has carried out research through both digital surveys and on-site visits to various cities in Indonesia. An example of the activities that they carried out was a community interview to gather the digital perception of the residents of their city.

He explained the importance of data for a city because the availability of data has been the main challenge when conducting research. In addition to data, cultural transformation and good coordination are required to design and construct an organized city. As a closing statement, Suhono hopes that this program can also be implemented at the regency level.

"Data can portray the development of a city so that its leaders can make the correct decisions and policies that are in line with his vision and mission," said Suhono.

The Vice-Rector of Research and Innovation, Prof. I Gede Wenten, stated that as a form implementation of the Tridharma of University, ITB will continue to carry out initiatives and research to contribute in assisting the city government in solving various problems, effectively and efficiently, which then can help increase the standard of living of the resident. One of which is through the development of a smart city.

Moreover, this event is also an implementation of ITB's vision to be an excellent, dignified, independent, and world-renowned university and also which can lead to changes and increase the prosperity of Indonesia and the world. RKCI, which is now in its fourth year, is evaluation-based research of the cities in Indonesia. RTDI is research that was conducted to measure the digital readiness of a city. The results of both research are expected to act as evaluation material for the city officials in increasing the prosperity of their residents.

"The 2021 RKCI and RTDI are a form of ITB's endeavor in keeping the sustainability of smart city development and in improving the welfare of the community," he concluded.

The event was continued by a presentation from PIKKC ITB researcher, Dr. Ir. Arry Akhmad Arman S.T., M.T. He explained the objective of the 2021 RKCI and RTDI, which is to measure the readiness of cities and their digital infrastructure to adopt a smart city model. Complementing Prof. Suhono statement, Dr. Arry stated that the main challenges that were found when conducting the RKCI and RTDI research are the availability of data, sustainability from various city initiatives, and law enforcement.

The explanation of the assessment method then was followed by the announcement of the winner. The winner was chosen from its rating score compared to 70 other participating cities. The winner was selected from the best 5 at each scale, big city, medium city, and small city which then divided into 10 categories, including near-smart city, sophisticated economy city, city with smart population, city with smart environment, city with smart mobility, city with smart medical infrastructure, resilience city, climate change-friendly city, city with smart energy, and digital-ready city. From the assessment, the cities were then further classified, 12 cities were categorized as integrative cities, 30 cities as scattered cities, 18 cities as initiative cities, and 10 cities as ad hoc cities.

The event then was continued with the awarding ceremony. Prof. Suhono Harso Supangkat, as the Head of Smart Indonesia Initiative Association (APIC), delivered the Apresiasi Insan Cerdas award. The Apresiasi Insan Cerdas itself is an award that is directed to a person that contributes to the digital transformation and education in Indonesia.

The 2021 RKCI and RTDI were officially closed by the delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affair, the Directorate General of Region Administration, Safrizal ZA, M.Si. The closing ceremony was followed by presentations from various PIKCC ITB who had previously worked on RKCI and RTDI.

Reporter: Laurahoney Azzahra (Food Enginering, 2019)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)