Civil Service Newsletter Issue 111

Explanation of WCAG 2.0 Level Double-A Conformance

Fifteen Years of “Science in the Public Service” Campaign

Hong Kong Observatory

THE “Science in the Public Service” (SIPS) Campaign (the Campaign) was launched in 2006. With the joint effort of numerous government bureaux and departments as well as collaborating organisations, the Campaign showcases the application of science and technology in the provision of public services. 2021 marks the 15^th Anniversary of the Campaign, and over that period, the number of collaborating partners has increased to 60. Unfettered by the COVID-19 epidemic, the partners have continued to make full use of this platform to exert the collaborative spirit, introduce the scientific and technological work of the departments concerned and join hands to promote public education.

Partners spare no effort in promoting science education

Under the coordination of the Hong Kong Observatory, the Campaign’s collaborating partners organise a wide variety of public education activities every year. Besides the annual forums and lectures on popular science at the Hong Kong Science Museum, activities including funfair, school talks and student project competitions, were also held in the past. In recent years, the partners also organised science exploration activities, workshops and visits, all of which were very well received by the public. Furthermore, given the epidemic situation, public talks have been enhanced with online live broadcasts since 2020 to enable the participation of more members of the public.

Roving exhibition promotes climate change awareness

In 2016, the Campaign entered its 10^th Anniversary and concurrently, countries around the world signed the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Campaign held the “Climate Change—Our Response” roving exhibition at over 10 venues in Hong Kong to enhance public understanding of climate change and ways to combat it.

“Science in the Public Service” Documentary

To mark the 15^th Anniversary of the Campaign, fifteen government departments (including the Architectural Services Department, Buildings Department, Civil Aviation Department, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Drainage Services Department, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Environmental Protection Department, Fire Services Department, Highways Department, Hong Kong Observatory, Innovation and Technology Commission, Lands Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Transport Department and Water Supplies Department) and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) jointly produced a “Science in the Public Service” TV documentary. The documentary consists of three episodes broadcast on three consecutive Sundays, and colleagues from these departments introduced how application of the latest technology and research outcome further enhanced government work efficiency and service quality. The first episode was broadcast on both RTHK TV: Channel 31 and the RTHK website on 26 December 2021: https://www.rthk.hk/tv/dtt31/programme/scienceinthepublicservice.