What is HTX S&S CoE?
Hey, we are glad that you clicked onto this page. So you want to know more about us? Thanks for being curious!
We are the Sense-making & Surveillance Centre of Expertise (S&S CoE), specialising in AI for Computer Vision and Audio Analytics, and Sensors and IoT solutions and technology. S&S CoE is part of HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), a government statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs. You can find out more about HTX here.
What do we do?
We build cool stuff for the Home Team agencies. 2 kinds of stuff, to be specific.
First, we build AI solutions. We train AI models, develop their fullstack layers, and productise them on the Cloud. We have a product mindset such that if any of the AI solutions we build can be used by different user groups, we pivot that solution into a product and manage the development using the Agile Scrum process.
Second, we also develop Sensors and IoT solutions. Here, the sensors’ hardware are typically procured and we integrate them into end-to-end solution prototypes for technical trials by the users. We do not just focus on the technicalities of the solutions, but also consider the total cost of ownership and the inherent commercial models that can take the solutions forward into full-scale deployment.
All the things we do are to address Home Team agencies’ use cases. So whatever we do, it must be properly validated by the users and must improve their operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Oh, if you are interested, we also do many other fun activities like frisbee, cycling, Karaoke, running, hiking, Counterstrike death matches, and much more. We don’t just work hard, we play quite hard too.
How we do what we do?
First, we adopt open-source solutions where possible. Many of our AI models start from open-source repositories. We modify the network architecture and train them using our datasets.
Second, we buy commercial solutions and build upon them. We procure sensor hardware and integrate them to develop prototype solutions. We also buy AI products that are comparatively more mature like people counting, license plate recognition and so on.
Finally, we collaborate. We work with partners from industry, research institutes and tertiary institutions. We learn their best practices and their perspectives of technological development. We also co-develop solutions that are of mutual interest. Within HTX, we work with other CoEs where we learn about their different domains like crime scene forensics, robotics, digital forensics, and CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives). Together, we develop compelling and practical solutions for our Home Team users.
What you can expect from this channel?
A lot of our work is sensitive in nature and we do not normally talk about them in public. However, we can share the non-sensitive aspects of what we do so that the public can understand us better.
We will only touch on technical content that revolves around AI engineering, software development, sensors and IoT technologies, product development concepts, and so on. Ideally, we would like you as our readers to offer us your ‘likes’, opinions and suggestions so that we can do better.
Interested in what you have read so far? Follow us and stay updated with our new publications. You can also reach out to us at this email if you’d like to discuss our articles.
Most importantly, if what we have said so far interests you and you’d also like to contribute, apply for an internship or a position with us! We are pushing the technological boundaries for our Home Team agencies and we would certainly want to have you onboard this journey with us.
