Phuket Yachties To Get 'Data Center'

[webfact]

Phuket yachties to get 'Data Center'

The Boat Lagoon in Koh Kaew, Phuket's first western-style marina complex. File photo.

A screenshot of the new website: yacht.coe.psu.ac.th

PHUKET: -- As part of a project to set up a 'data center' for the local yachting industry, Prince of Songkla University researchers have set up a website intended to serve as a central database and information hub.

The new website was unveiled yesterday at a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town.

The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure and Data Center 2010” event was organized jointly by the Ministry of Industry’s Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) and PSU-Phuket’s Faculty of Engineering.

Still in the early development stages, the site was created by PSU staff and students with funding from the OIE.

The OIE has earmarked a total of 2.99 million baht in funding for the Data Center project study phase, work on which began August 31 and ends in February 2011.

Yesterday’s gathering was held to brainstorm ideas with the operators of some 60 local yachting and marine tourism businesses invited to hash out the best way to establish the Data Center.

As the project is still in the development stages, it has still not been decided whether the center will exist solely in cyberspace or whether it will take the form of an actual office with staff.

Dr Charun Boonyakarn, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at PSU’s campus in Songkhla, told the seminar that there is still great growth potential in the local and regional yachting industry.

Phuket currently has marina facilities to service about 1,300 vessels in the 30- to 100-foot range, he said.

The establishment of the Data Center would help attract more marine tourists and raise the number of visiting vessels to Phuket and the Andaman region at any given time to at least 5,000, he said.

The 5,000-vessel figure is a modest goal as it represents just 1% of the number of yachts and pleasure craft owned worldwide, he said.

Expansion of the local boat-building and yacht repair service industries has now reached a point where tourists need an information hub to help them conveniently find the goods and services they need, the seminar was told.

In its “beta format”, the website has pages entitled: “Phuket, Thailand Weather Forecast”, “General Information”, “Maintenance & Marinas”, “Document Information”, “Tide Tables” and “Directory of Services”, as well as contact information.

Suthinee Poopaka, director of the OIE, said the Thai government did not do enough in the past to promote and direct development of the yachting and marine leisure industries.

Information obtained from established players in Phuket would help the government develop better policies to reach the industry’s full potential, she told the seminar.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-10-12

[SGhawker]

Positive. But errr what is the name of website... yacht.coe.psu.ac.th something bit easier could be better for starters?

[steelepulse]

I'll run and register phuket-yacht-data-center.com

[Lannatyne]

I was feeling quite positive about it, until I saw the dreaded word, 'hub'.

[angiud]

yachties or yachts?

[stuandchris]

Oh God don't get me started on this crap, build two marinas that boats of mediocre length can actually get into not very often, then put another in a location that can be wiped out in an on season storm, and pray it never happens.

There is 1 marina here that comes any near a proper marina.

If this place ever wants to be considered as a hub for anything you have to give the service not the bullshit.

You want the dosh deliver the service.

[Jimi007]

The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure and Data Center 2010” event was organized jointly by the Ministry of Industry’s Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) and PSU-Phuket’s Faculty of Engineering.

Still in the early development stages, the site was created by PSU staff and students with funding from the OIE.

The OIE has earmarked a total of 2.99 million baht in funding for the Data Center project study phase, work on which began August 31 and ends in February 2011.

Yesterday’s gathering was held to brainstorm ideas with the operators of some 60 local yachting and marine tourism businesses invited to hash out the best way to establish the Data Center.

As the project is still in the development stages, it has still not been decided whether the center will exist solely in cyberspace or whether it will take the form of an actual office with staff.

Nice! More than a million US dollars for a six month study! What a joke! For what? What a brainstorm! More greed and corruption in the guise of doing nothing as usual. Who needs a data center, if they know how to sail a boat? What data will they provide?

[newtronbom]

They need to take a very serious look, at the unbelievably high charges for work, parts and maintenance, that most boat owners are forced to pay in Phuket. Having said that, I must say that in general, the work done is usually of quite high quality. I have seen first hand what the Thais can do with wood and they are masters at their trade. All of us that own a yacht, know that they are a "hole in the water" for money by nature anyway, but that does not excuse the exorbitant costs charged in Phuket by Thai businesses - mostly with no comeback for any faults, that most yachtsman have no option but to pay. The people who own superyachts that can afford these charges, only represent 10 or 15% of the boats there. I own and have moored my 50 footer down there for 5 years, so I know what it's like. Maintaining it would have been impossible for me, had I not been charged "Thai prices" and had help from a few good friends down there. Another thing that really needs to be solved and sorted out, which I feel would help the industry along, is the law that prevents any foreign owned boat not Thai registered(taxes paid) from being sold in Thailand. Have to sail to Malaysia or elsewhere to make a legal sale. All of us who own boats down there, know that the industry is very depressed and has been for a couple of years. Hope this new data center can help boost things along.

[newtronbom]

The "Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure and Data Center 2010" event was organized jointly by the Ministry of Industry's Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) and PSU-Phuket's Faculty of Engineering.

Still in the early development stages, the site was created by PSU staff and students with funding from the OIE.

The OIE has earmarked a total of 2.99 million baht in funding for the Data Center project study phase, work on which began August 31 and ends in February 2011.

Yesterday's gathering was held to brainstorm ideas with the operators of some 60 local yachting and marine tourism businesses invited to hash out the best way to establish the Data Center.

As the project is still in the development stages, it has still not been decided whether the center will exist solely in cyberspace or whether it will take the form of an actual office with staff.

Nice! More than a million US dollars for a six month study! What a joke! For what? What a brainstorm! More greed and corruption in the guise of doing nothing as usual. Who needs a data center, if they know how to sail a boat? What data will they provide?

Try using a calculator more, but I also can't see how this is going to help much and could have been better spent. Still. What can you do with only just under a 100 thou US$ and the website could be useful.

Edited October 13, 2010 by newtronbom

[Jimi007]

Try using a calculator more, but I also can't see how this is going to help much and could have been better spent. Still. What can you do with only just under a 100 thou US$ and the website could be useful.

Those decimal points, they just keep getting lost somewhere...