Four government agencies have come together to realise new innovations that stand to benefit business, health care, financial and emergency services and ultimately every Barbadian here and abroad or those who live in and visit Barbados.

The Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, the Lands and Surveys Department, the Barbados Postal Service, and the Electoral and Boundaries Commission – Electoral Department are launching an effort to make life easier for Barbadians, especially when called on to provide multiple pieces of documentation as proof of their address, in order to do business.

The Barbados Building Identifier (BBID) initiative, developed by the Barbados Lands and Surveys Department and awarded the prestigious 2023 Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award, provides a unique identification of all building structures on the island using modern technological location tools and a digital map of buildings.

The Lands and Survey Department received the Public Service Excellence Award on Independence Day, 2024, for its work with the BBID. 

The BBID is a tool for delivering precise and reliable directions to various buildings. With a six-character identification code assigned to each building, the BBID simplifies the process of locating any structure in Barbados.

By adopting the BBID, critical agencies, such as ambulance, fire, and police services, can quickly pinpoint properties, ensuring timely assistance in emergencies. And businesses involved in delivery services and transportation can benefit from the simplicity and efficiency offered by the BBID.

But perhaps the most anticipated innovation relates to removing the need for multiple proofs of address through the integration of the BBID into the postal code by the Barbados Postal Service, and the verification of those addresses as part of the standard practice of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission – Electoral Department.

Once a person’s address has been confirmed/verified, he or she will no longer require utility bills or confirmation letters from a landlord, parent, or spouse. The service provider will be able to read the chip on the ID card and have an individual enter their secure PIN to receive proof of their verified address. The mobile ID, when launched, will provide even more options for secure proof of address.

The updated postal code meets International Addressing Standards, eliminating the use of lot numbers and less accurate descriptions, such as “corner of”, that are commonly used today. For your updated postal code, the parish identifier is dropped and the remaining BBID is added to the old postal code to derive the updated postal code, for example, BB23020-24OK5. 

Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Marsha Caddle, lauds the inter-agency effort being coordinated by the Ministry, and the steps each department’s effort represents in adding value to the effectiveness of the digital ID.

By adopting the BBID, critical agencies, such as ambulance, fire, and police services, can quickly pinpoint properties, ensuring timely assistance in emergencies. And businesses involved in delivery services and transportation can benefit from the simplicity and efficiency offered by the BBID.

She said: “Ultimately, innovation and technology are meant to help remove the nuisances that drain our time and focus and make us less productive. The Lands and Surveys Department, the Barbados Postal Service, and the Electoral and Boundaries Commission – Electoral Department are giving us the precision in addressing what banks and other service providers can rely on to facilitate people’s business. I’m proud of their work and pleased with their partnership.”

Manager of Information Systems at the Lands and Surveys Department, Paul Collymore, stated: “Our system stands out because it’s simple and efficient. Unlike Google Maps’ lengthy coordinates, the BBID offers a concise and memorable code, streamlining location services for both locals and tourists. Using the BBID means that you will accurately reach your destination, unlike other mapping systems, which can place you a house or even a road away from where you want to be.”

Postmaster General, Joann Busby, has welcomed the BBID and its integration with the Barbados Postal Code, stating that “people will now have a postal code that is unique to their address and not simply allocated to the area they live in”.

But perhaps the most anticipated innovation relates to removing the need for multiple proofs of address through the integration of the BBID into the postal code by the Barbados Postal Service, and the verification of those addresses as part of the standard practice of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission – Electoral Department.

Chief Electoral Officer, Sherland Turton, emphasised the importance of address verification to the integrity and accuracy of information and the electoral process, and thanked the public for having participated for decades in this regular process with willingness and patience.

Residents should look out for their postal workers and staff of the Electoral Department. They will visit their homes to provide them with their BBID and updated postal code and verify their address. (PR/GIS)

Promoters and individuals preparing to host or participate in events where alcohol will be sold are reminded that they must apply online for liquor licences at  https://liquorlicence.gov.bb.

A Special Occasion Liquor Licence may be requested if alcohol is being sold for 24 hours or less, or a Seasonal Liquor Licence, which covers a 90-day period, may be obtained and used for various events.

Payments may be made online through EZpay+ via the person’s liquor licence account, or at post offices islandwide. For timely approval, applicants are encouraged to apply for their licences at least four working days before the event. 

Individuals requiring assistance in applying for a licence should call the Liquor Licence Authority of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs at 535-7019, 535-7011, 535-7015, or 535-7042. They may also visit the Authority, located at the Energy Division, Country Road, St. Michael, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (PR/GIS)

Barbados and Cuba have signed a new agreement for cooperation in physical culture and sports.

The signing took place on Wednesday, December 4, in Havana, Cuba. It was the highlight of a five-day official visit to that country by a Barbadian delegation headed by Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith.

Minister Griffith signed on behalf of Barbados, while his counterpart, President of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), Osvaldo Vento Montiller, did so on behalf of the Republic of Cuba.

This accord aims to raise the sporting level in both countries in the following areas: programme organisation, sports facilities and equipment, training and improvement of trainers and specialists, academic exchange, sports medicine, anti-doping control, sports administration, sports specialist contracts, computing applied to sports, and Sport for All, as well as other areas that are mutually agreed upon.

The Sports Minister noted the success of the visit, which he viewed as a further step in building bridges between the two countries. “The significance of this agreement will redound to the benefit of young people in Barbados for years to come,” he said.

Mr. Griffith also discussed the possibility of introducing Barbados’ indigenous sport, road tennis, to Cuba and presented a road tennis kit to INDER.

Mr. Vento described the many similarities between Barbados and Cuba in sports development, including the focus on community work, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Some of Cuba’s outstanding Olympic and Paralympic athletes also witnessed the signing. During the visit, the Barbados delegation, including Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Joy Adamson; Director of the National Sports Council, Neil Murrell; and Sports Development Officer, Stephen Rowe, toured various sports-related institutions, such as Cubadeportes, the Training School for High-Performance Athletes, and the Cuban Sports Research Center, as well as national youth organisations and schools of dance and music. (PR/GIS)