To honor various sectors' efforts in promoting the development and application of geographic information and geospatial data integration, the Ministry of the Interior today (25th) held the "2024 TGOS Platform Outstanding Value-Added Application Unit Award Ceremony and Achievement Presentation" in Taipei. The Taichung City Government was honored with the Data Circulation Application Award for the 13th time, with Deputy Director Hui-Min Huang of the Digital Governance Bureau accepting the award on behalf of the city. Following Taichung Mayor Shiu-Yen Lu’s policy goal that "Digital Strength Is Urban Competitiveness," Taichung once again earned the honor of the TGOS Circulation Service Award. This achievement highlights the long-term leading performance of "Digital Taichung" in the field of geospatial information and further deepens the application of open data, earning widespread recognition for its transparent governance.

 Digital Bureau Director Gu-long Lin stated that transparent governance is a core governing philosophy of Mayor Shiu-Yen Lu. The Digital Bureau is dedicated to making city government data and geographic information openly accessible. Taichung has won various awards, accumulating 20 honors to date, including the Circulation Service Award, Supply System Award, Value-Added Application Award, and Contribution Award. Notably, it is the only local government to receive the "Contribution Award”. Recently, it also won the Service Promotion Award at the 20th Golden Geographic Information Awards. This TGOS Award is another recognition of Taichung's achievements in geographic data, motivating the Taichung City Digital Bureau to continue its dedication to improving the quality and application of geographic data services.

Director Lin stated that Taichung is actively developing into a smart city, and the application of geographic information and geospatial data is a core aspect of the city government's development strategy. This year, the Digital Bureau has made significant efforts in promoting open geographic information, including establishing a dedicated geographic information section modeled after US and EU systems, greatly improving public access convenience. The Bureau also actively participated in the 2024 Smart City Expo with a dedicated promotional area, while also innovatively applied geographic data to major city events, such as launching a promotional map website featuring special offers from local businesses during Taiwan's first Red Bull Showrun International Motorsport Exhibition in September, further promoting the practical use of mapping data.

 Deputy Director Hui-Min Huang of the Digital Bureau, representing the Taichung City Government in receiving the award, explained that 13 datasets from Taichung's open geographic data have been selected for their high application value, surpassing the total number from the other five municipalities. She emphasized that openness is the most effective strategy for government integrity and transparency, as it creates equal access to information, promotes transparent governance, and enables public participation, thereby realizing the ideals of transparent politics and open government. The Digital Bureau will continue to promote openness and facilitate data utilization, enhancing the quality of data applications and services to create greater public value. This will allow citizens to experience tangible progress and convenience through digitalization, laying a solid foundation for the promotion of "Digital Taichung" as a smart city.