IOCC pilot to be implemented in Montego Bay
By: , January 25, 2014The Key Point:
Photo: Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott right), greets Charge d’Affairs, Korean Embassy, Mr. Kimo Lim second left), while Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, and Senior Specialist, IDB, Mr. Mauricio Bouskela left), look on. Occasion was a workshop on the Montego Bay Integrated Operation and Control Centre IOCC), hosted the St. James Parish Council, on January 24.
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott (right), greets Charge d’Affairs, Korean Embassy, Mr. Kimo Lim (second left), while Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, and Senior Specialist, IDB, Mr. Mauricio Bouskela (left), look on.The Facts
- The pilot will be implemented in three phases, with phase one concentrating on downtown Montego Bay
- The Minister pointed out that the IDB has sought and is receiving support from the Republic of Korea
The Full Story
An Integrated Operation and Control Centre (IOCC) pilot project is to be implemented in the city of Montego Bay, St. James.
The centre will comprise a monitoring room, complete with the latest in computer technology, to be manned by Government experts in the areas of traffic, crime and disaster management.
“This is expected to enable local authorities to make more effective planning decisions and to enable effective and greater utilization of limited resources,” Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, has explained.
He was addressing a workshop of the St. James Parish Council, held on January 24 in Montego bay.
The pilot will be implemented in three phases, with phase one concentrating on downtown Montego Bay, phase two on the Greater Montego Bay area, and phase three will entail expansion of the system.
The IOCC project is a component of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI), launched by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in 2011, for cities with population between 100,000 and two million people.
Mr. Arscott pointed out that the pilot project will be the first of its kind in the Caribbean, and expressed the hope that it will provide a catalyst for the transformation of Montego Bay, and Western Jamaica as a whole.
“Today’s workshop is to provide feedback for the final report for the design of the IOCC to be submitted in February, and after that we expect to move to the implementation stage. We are going to lean heavily on the IDB to assist at that stage,” he said.
“As Minister of Local Government and Community Development, I will give my full support to the successful implementation of this project,” Mr. Arscott added.
The Minister pointed out that the IDB has sought and is receiving support from the Republic of Korea, with the Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements being engaged to design the IOCC.
Also bringing greetings at the workshop were Charge d’Affairs, Korean Embassy, Mr. Kimo Lim; Senior Specialist, IDB, Mr. Mauricio Bouskela; and Senior Loan Officer/Korean Exim Bank, Ms Hyeon Jeong Lee.
Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, extended the welcome to the officials.