As part of the second ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition, the duo addressed trading issues that arise from the disparity in sea transport capacity among ASEAN countries.
Tung, a final-year Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance) student, enriched his experience and critical thinking skills through data analytics during the competition.
“We learned to break down complex information, distil it into concise arguments – with help from SAP Analytics Cloud – and come up with societal solutions that impact not only myself as a Vietnamese citizen, but also citizens from across ASEAN member states,” said Tung, who is currently on an exchange program in Australia.
“From our proposal, we found that a smart city vision can entail automating trade and customs processes at borders and ports of entry across ASEAN, an element that we found severely lacking in our region.”
Meanwhile, Thuan a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) student, shared his excitement over learning data analytics in the digital age.
“As the world speeds up its digital transformation, the amount of data created by organisations will increase exponentially, and by extension, so will demand for analytical minds who can interpret this information. By listening to presentations from my fellow peers, I became more aware of the many challenges facing ASEAN countries today, from social issues involving mental health and unemployment to problems of greater economic and political magnitude like eliminating corruption or facilitating entrepreneurial education for youth,” said Thuan, a second-year student who is on the same exchange program as his teammate.
Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation Ms Elaine Tan shared her thoughts on the competition as well.
“We are very encouraged by the creativity and innovation displayed in the entries, which is a strong testament to the passion of ASEAN youths to aimfully create a better future for their societies,” said Ms Tan.
“Education is one of the foundational cornerstones of ASEAN’s integration and socio-economic development blueprint. To this end, initiatives such as ASEAN Data Science Explorers promotes greater cross-border interaction and mobility across the region and equips our youth with critical skillsets needed to thrive in an increasingly challenging and disruptive future,” he added.
First introduced in 2017, the ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ADSE) organisation reached out to 5000 youth across 175 institutes of higher learning in ASEAN to increase their digital literacy and cultivate a greater sense of responsibility and ownership of the region’s future.
By using the SAP Analytics Cloud, participants are encouraged to deliver data-driven insights which highlight issues in ASEAN across six United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, namely good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation & infrastructure; and sustainable cities and communities.
