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SAS Hackathon winner predicts and mitigates Jakarta flooding

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Pursuing smart city goals, Indonesian local government teams with SAS partner to win again

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SAS EXPLORE — AI and real-time Internet of Things (IoT) analytics can help smart cities harness a rising tide of data and transform it into better decisions, safer communities and vibrant economies. With climate change, these smart cities face a literal rising tide: Extreme weather has increased and intensified flooding events that threaten lives, property and commerce.

JaWaRA used SAS Viya to analyze data on rainfall, water levels and river flow to better predict and mitigate flooding.

Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital and home to 11 million people, has witnessed this new reality. While the city has a long history of flooding, the last few decades have been especially challenging.

Jakarta sits on wetlands laced by 13 major rivers and borders the Java Sea. More than 40% of its land is below sea level, and groundwater extraction has led to the ground sinking. Combine those conditions with stronger monsoons and higher tides caused by climate change, and the threat is very real.

The Jakarta Provincial Government turned to the annual SAS Hackathon for help. Team JaWaRA (Jakarta Water Resources Analytics) included government data scientists and engineers, along with technology pros from local SAS partner StarCore Analytics.

Using SAS® AI, machine learning and streaming analytics, the team analyzed real-time data on rainfall, water levels and river flow to better predict and mitigate flooding. Its Early Warning System is part of a larger, citywide Flood Control System.

“In cities and regions everywhere, climate change has increased the risk, frequency and severity of flooding. To meet this rising threat, governments like Jakarta’s are taking steps to better predict, manage and mitigate flooding,” said Amir Toha, Co-Founder of StarCore Analytics. “These efforts save lives, protect property and support business. In Indonesia and elsewhere, AI and IoT analytics are important tools for responding effectively to climate change.”

Team JaWaRA: SAS Hackathon overall winner
For their innovative approach to using AI, machine learning and IoT analytics, a panel of judges has named JaWaRA the overall winner of the 2023 SAS Hackathon. Team JaWaRA was selected from among more than 100 teams representing 140 organizations that participated in this year’s Hackathon.

The SAS Hackathon brings together hundreds of curious minds for a monthlong, all-digital hack. The competition – produced by SAS, the leader in AI and analytics, and sponsored this year by SAS partner Intel – challenges teams in a host of industries to apply technology to solve real-world business and humanitarian problems.

Working with a SAS mentor, JaWaRA deployed SAS® Viya® – SAS’ cloud-native, massively parallel AI and analytics platform – and SAS Analytics for IoT.

“Team JaWaRA and its Early Warning System are a wonderful example of creative people using AI and advanced analytics to address big challenges,” said Einar Halvorsen, Global Hackathon Program Lead at SAS. “That’s what the SAS Hackathon is all about. Teams transform data into better decisions that improve lives in their organizations, communities and the world at large. Congratulations to Team JaWaRA!”

Second consecutive Hackathon crown
The combination of local Jakarta government agencies and StarCore Analytics has been fruitful. At last year’s SAS Hackathon, a team of data scientists from the Special Capital Region of Jakarta and StarCore also won the overall crown.

That team used SAS Viya and its AI and machine learning capabilities to optimize the distribution of COVID-19 relief to more than 64 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These MSMEs employ 97% of Indonesia’s workforce and are the engine driving the local and national economy.

With technology, the team ensured that trillions of Indonesian rupiahs were spent wisely, supporting both businesses serving vulnerable areas and those with the highest potential to rebound after the pandemic.

Jakarta, a smart city
The efforts of the Jakarta Provincial Government in the SAS Hackathon are part of a broad smart city effort. Jakarta’s leaders leverage technologies like AI and IoT analytics to provide efficient and effective services to citizens; increase Jakarta’s resiliency to social, economic and environmental pressures; enhance citizen engagement; and address community needs.

Read the customer story, “Jakarta Smart City uses IoT analytics to better serve residents,” to learn more.

Today’s announcement was made at SAS Explore, the technology conference from SAS. Keep up with the latest news from SAS by following @SASsoftwareNews on X/Twitter.

About SAS
SAS is a global leader in AI and analytics software, including industry-specific solutions. SAS helps organizations transform data into trusted decisions faster by providing knowledge in the moments that matter. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2023 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:
Mike Nemecek
SAS
mike.nemecek@sas.com
919-531-5140
sas.com/news

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stc group unveils its vision for AI-native networks at Network X 2026

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — stc group, Saudi Arabia’s leading digital enabler, has released its AI Native Core Network White Paper during Network X 2026 outlining how it plans to evolve towards an AI-native telecom network by 2030. The paper explains how the group aims to embed AI directly into its network’s design and operations to support emerging digital services and improve reliability.

stc group continues to advance its network capabilities to support AI-driven applications and changing connectivity needs. The group is upgrading its core network, which manages user connections and delivers communications services. By integrating AI deeply into this infrastructure, stc group aims to help the network adapt to changing service requirements and resolve issues with less manual intervention.

The white paper highlights how advances in AI and 5G-Advanced, the next stage of 5G, are increasing network complexity. Services such as AI-enabled calling and immersive communications require faster, more responsive connectivity. AI agents, software systems that carry out tasks on users’ behalf, also need networks to coordinate communications and computing resources around each task.

To address these requirements, the paper sets out stc’s approach spanning AI-native infrastructure, network functions and autonomous operations. It details how the group plans to develop the infrastructure needed to run AI, embed intelligence within network functions and automate more operations. These capabilities would help the network allocate resources more efficiently and recover from faults faster, while allowing engineers to focus on service improvement and oversight.

The release of this whitepaper marks an important milestone in stc group’s network evolution, building a scalable foundation for future AI services, AI agents, intelligent interaction scenarios, and next-generation 5G-A and 6G applications. Building on its existing investments, the group aims to improve network reliability, support the next generation of digital services and accelerate the industry’s transition from Cloud Native to AI Native networks.

About stc group: 

stc group is a digital enabler, offering advanced solutions and driving a role in the digitalization process. The group provides a comprehensive suite of services encompassing digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), digital payments, digital media, and digital entertainment. The group comprises 13 subsidiaries across The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. 

To know more about stc group: Click here  

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Shoplazza Collaborates with TikTok to Bring Product Discovery Closer to Purchase

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The collaboration supports TikTok’s new agentic commerce experiences, with a focus on helping merchants turn customer interest into sales.

TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shoplazza, an AI-native commerce operating system, recently announced it is working with TikTok to support new agentic commerce shopping experiences. The collaboration reflects a shared focus on shortening the path from product discovery to purchase and helping merchants make more of the demand their content and advertising generate.

TikTok introduced Buy Direct and Shopping Assistant on October 5, naming Shoplazza among its commerce and payment partners. Buy Direct lets consumers buy directly from brands within TikTok, without being redirected to an external storefront. It uses Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to connect with merchant systems, while brands remain the Merchant of Record.

Shopping Assistant answers product questions using merchant-supplied information on product pages within TikTok’s in-app browser. Shoppers can get the details they need before proceeding to checkout on the merchant’s website within the same browser.

For merchants, a shorter purchase journey can help protect the value of their customer acquisition spending. Redirects and repeated forms add friction just as a shopper is ready to buy. Losing that purchase means losing potential revenue after already paying to attract the customer.

“As platforms automate more decisions, performance increasingly depends on how well data, creative and checkout work together,” said Chao Xu, Director at Shoplazza. “TikTok’s new shopping experiences make it easier to buy while interest is fresh, helping merchants turn that interest into revenue and use each transaction to inform smarter marketing decisions.”

Shoplazza sees these developments as part of a broader convergence between advertising platforms and commerce infrastructure. From transaction data sharing and Instant Pages to Buy Direct, the opportunity is to help algorithms understand completed purchases more accurately while making it easier for shoppers to follow through.

The collaboration builds on an established relationship. Shoplazza’s merchant admin already supports catalog syncing, TikTok Pixel and Events API setup. In May, it was the sole winner of the TikTok Partner Innovation Award for Innovation in Marketing Technology – Commerce. In July, it joined the first group of TikTok for Business Agentic Hub partners, introducing AI Skills that connect store data and business insights with TikTok’s advertising intelligence.

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a global AI-native commerce operating system that enables brands to build, launch, and scale their online businesses. Built on an AI agent-native framework, Shoplazza integrates storefronts, marketing, payments, and operational workflows into a unified system designed to support scalable, long-term growth across global markets. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

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Lexsoft Systems Partners With Clio to Bring Clio’s Legal AI Platform to Law Firms and Legal Departments Across EMEA

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Lexsoft will deliver Clio products, including Clio Work and Clio Manage, and integrate them into the systems its clients already use

LONDON and MADRID, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lexsoft Systems, a provider of IT and business process solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Clio, the global leader in legal AI. Through this EMEA-wide partnership, Lexsoft will deliver Clio’s platform to law firms and corporate legal departments, and integrate it with the other business-critical systems those clients run.

This agreement strengthens Lexsoft’s position as an independent legal solutions provider, and reinforces its growing presence in the UK and across Europe. It also supports the continued expansion of its carefully selected product portfolio of best-practice, global market-leading legal systems. 

Clio brings together the context of a firm’s work with trusted legal intelligence. Clio Work can draw on the matters, clients, documents, and other information already in Clio Manage, then ground that work in Clio’s global library of more than 1 billion legal documents to support research, analysis, and drafting. For Lexsoft’s global clients, that means AI designed for legal work that understands both the firm and the law.

“A practice management system is the originating point for most major legal processes — from document management and time recording through to security measures such as ethical walls,” says Carlos García-Egocheaga, CEO of Lexsoft Systems. “Until now, we’ve been reluctant to commit to a single partner, despite a wide choice of technologically robust and functionality-rich practice management systems on the market. But with the Clio platform, we’re offering customers more than practice management. Clio Manage takes practice management to a new level, from user experience to advanced functionality. Clio Work, Clio’s legal AI workspace, helps lawyers research, strategise and draft alongside Clio’s global library of legal documents. By integrating these capabilities into customers’ existing systems, we can deliver AI that works the way they do. We’re excited about the value this partnership enables us to deliver to our customers, large and small.”

The partnership lets Lexsoft build tailored environments around Clio, with deep integrations into the other systems its clients run. It helps firms across EMEA move beyond adoption of AI tools to deeper integration and a more fundamental transformation of how legal work gets done.

“Firms across Europe want AI in their daily work, and it only earns its place when it understands the context behind that work,” says Lisa Del Real, Vice President, Channel Partnerships at Clio. “Lexsoft has built its business on connecting the systems law firms and legal departments depend on. Through this partnership, Lexsoft’s clients can run Clio Manage and Clio Work on one shared foundation, so the context of each matter carries from the business of the firm into the legal work itself. They also get an implementation team that already knows how they work.”

Lexsoft is offering Clio’s products to law firms and corporate legal departments in EMEA immediately.

About Lexsoft Systems

Lexsoft provides IT and business process solutions to the legal sector across Europe, the United States, and Latin America. ISO 27017 and ISO 27001 certified, the company assists law firms and corporate legal departments (CLD) to improve their document management, knowledge management, practice management, and CRM processes, to facilitate business efficiency, improve productivity, and reduce risk. Lexsoft T3 is a proven knowledge management solution, offering one of the most comprehensive workflows for this business function. For more information, visit: www.lexsoft.com.

About Clio

Clio is the global leader in legal AI, empowering legal professionals and law firms of every size to work smarter, faster, and more securely. Purpose-built for the legal industry, Clio’s Intelligent Legal Work Platform streamlines workflows, improves decision-making, and combines powerful technology with industry-leading security. Trusted by hundreds of thousands of legal professionals in more than 130 countries, and approved by over 100 bar associations and law societies worldwide, Clio sets the standard for innovation and client success across the legal profession. Backed by world-class investors and a mission to transform the legal experience for all, Clio is defining the future of legal work through AI. Learn more at www.clio.com.

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