College of Science and Technology

Information Technology Department

Study Tour Report

DIS405 – Data Warehouse

Submitted by:
Srijana Pulami (02210225)

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Introduction and background of study tour
1. Purpose of study tour

The primary purpose of the industrial tour was to know about the different technology
companies and institutes, studying Bhutan's foremost IT industries alongside their
operational methods and technological practices and their role in national digital
advancement. And also, to gain the real-world exposure to various technologies these
companies use.

2. Objectives of visit

• To relate classroom learning to practical field of technologies

• To gain more understanding about latest technologies and processes
• To interact with different professionals and learn about the expectation of
various companies.
• To understand data centres and how it is handled

3. Overview of destinations and institutions visited

The tour covered multiple organizations in Thimphu with different sectors including
technology and services. The institutions included:
1. Thimphu Tech park, Babesa
2. NDI office, Babesa
3. Druk Smart, Motithang
4. Developer Tools Bhutan, Hongkong Market

4. Tour report

4.1. Thimphu Tech Park- NDI Office

The study tour started soon after we reached Thimphu which was on Tuesday, 8th April.
The Study Tour in Bhutan's National Digital Identity (NDI) platform which serves as a
ground-breaking digital identity solution to offer Bhutanese citizens safe and verifiable
identity related credentials to Bhutanese citizens. It was almost one-hour session with the
member of NDI team, where few employees were CST graduates. The session started with
an attractive quiz about the NDI App where we actively participated and won prizes thus
providing an informative and rewarding experience. NDI team members illustrated
application features to us by showing how easy the app process is for new users. The
participants got to use the app to register as part of their session activities. The presenter
(Kinley Penjor, CST graduate) conducted a live demonstration to show how users could
utilize the NDI App for bank account creation which illustrated both its usefulness and its
power as a developer of digital services in Bhutan. The session granted useful insights
regarding the digital progress of the country together with innovative technologies that will
determine Bhutan's future trajectory.

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We also got to know about their Team who are working under NDI, first we were
introduced with:

Anand Acharya, Project Manager

Pallavi Sharma, Lead in Marketing and Communication
Dev raj Dungana, DevOps Engineer
Hemanth Lepcha, fresh intake
Kinley Penjor, who was the presenter.

Finally, our meet with NDI ended with sweet coffee and creamy cookies and it was great
as we were able to interact with such team and know about their purpose to help Bhutanese
citizens to ease their processes while doing Government related office work more
efficiently.

Some of the few pictures which was clicked during the visit in NDI office

Last picture, Lotay Tempa Gyentshen who was awarded with NDI diary
and pen during quiz session.

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4.2. Thimphu Tech Park- New edge technologies Pvt.Ltd. Data centres
The second visit was on the same day at IT park, same location where NDI office was
located. It was the Data centre of GovTech which handles all the hosting of all government
related application on the server. We were also informed that there is other server which
are handled by private company like New Edge Technologies and another institute which
were not exclusively mentioned. Before entering the server room, we were briefed and
given some verbal presentation by Damchoe Zangmo. In presentation we also got to know
about the server properties like currently they have around 1300 virtual machines and 800
TB storage server. They have in total of 10 server solely for hosting government purpose.
We were lucky enough that we were given opportunity to get inside the server room and
see infrastructure, cooling system and backup server. They also have small server located
in Bumthang as a backup in case if main server gets shutdown.
As for Bhutan Data Services (DCS) which is owned by New edge technologies in
partnership with Burland Technology Solutions Limited of the United Kingdom. DCS is
2/3 Tier Internet Data Centre. They also look after the application hosting for GovTech and
for other client who are in need of the server for hosting an application.
Finally, our visit to Data server room was interesting as it was very cold and we were taken
to every server located inside along with presentation about their purpose and usage. It was
long walk around the server with loud noise which gave us thrill to know that all the
application that we were using and viewing was all hosted inside that small room.

Some of the pictures taken during the server explanation

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4.3. DrukSmart
On the second day of the tour which was on 9th April. We visited DrukSmart which is
foreign direct investment (FDI) company of Bhutan, Company was established on 2017
with two friends, Mr. Avinash Sanap (Chairman) and Mr. Pema Tshering (CEO). We were
warmly welcomed by DrukSmart team with their well-prepared presentation. Where they
presented about their mission, vision, their past projects and latest technological initiatives.
They took us through their entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), and the power
tech stacks they use to innovate in the Bhutanese IT field. The most interesting thing was
that their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through their 'Initiative
Cares and Talks' programme which made the visit particularly meaningful. This initiative
includes full sponsorship of a student to study for a Bachelor’s in Engineering in
Information Technology at the College of Science and Technology and also sponsoring one
class three student for education. The session with Mr. Ujwal Pradhan – Chief Software
Engineer was interesting one because we were able to ask him questions as many as we
wanted. It was enjoyable one as Mr. Ujwal Pradhan made sure we didn’t feel bored with
his humorous responses.
As ERP databases, which are the repository of the transactional data of an ERP system,
directly relate to how a data warehouse perceives data, it is of no surprise that data
warehouses choose to host their ERP systems on cloud platforms. Currently, the company
collects a lot of historical data through its systems and we can use them in the future for
trend analysis, the reporting and the predictive insights by fully optimizing them.

At the moment, the AI system used by the company for training is currently being deployed
once completed. English language requests are used to operate the supervised learning
system on its tasks. After completing the training process of the system, future data
collection will be able to process queries in Dzongkha.

DrukSmart was spacious with pantry inside the office where employees are provided with
freshly prepared lunch and snacks. We also got an opportunity to enjoy the refreshment
prepared by them.

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4.4. Developer Tools Bhutan
Our visit to Developer Tools Bhutan (DTB) which was initially named after Giant Bhutan.
The tour was scheduled on Wednesday, 9th April. DTB is an FDI company located in
Thimphu and they are specialized on .NET software development and works on product
like ComponentOne. The organization works with international teams to deliver services
for global clients which include Tesla, IBM, ESPN and Toshiba among other prominent
organizations as well as for local company in Bhutan. The company operates in conjunction
with DTB as an extension of the tech innovation company located in the Netherlands. DTB
is known for providing excellent digital services and still building local talent and expertise
in the tech field. In order to do so, the company gives training to the fresh tech students and
are also providing paid internship to gain more experiences. Moreover, the company is
focusing on building skill for our local people who are interested in such fields.
Firstly, we were welcomed by Karsel Dawa who works as software developer and also CST
graduates. Then were taken to the meeting rooms to present their life as developer in DTB
and it was great experience to know how they were doing and what they learnt from being
in that particular field especially Control Author and Technical writer. The next
presentation was by Aiko madam, she is Japanese and currently the director of training at
DTB. She presented the overview about the company and what are their expectation in
future.
From a data perspective, they work on developing APIs, integration of components, as well
as creating decent documentation; all for the consistent supply of data into more complex
systems. Their use of Jenkins for CI/CD which ensures automated Deployment, and JIRA
for Tasks, Defects and Performance metrics helps maintain a well deployed data pipeline.
Since Flex Chart is the component that is responsible for creating the visual data charts it
smoothly links our data output to the user experience.
We also had opportunity to meet their team member which include:
Aiko madam, director of training
Miss Tenzin, Technical writer

Finally, our day ended up with refreshments, snacks which included different kind of
pastries with coolberg soft drinks. And some talks with their team personally if we wanted
to ask questions. They take the quality commitment very seriously and their diversity and
high performing project portfolio speaks volumes to it. They underline Bhutan's status as a
player in offering services of the global calibre in this highly competitive industry. Thus,
they can make the tech talent that exists in Bhutan to prosper in the same field. So, it was
at once an educational and inspiring visit.

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5. Take away

1. Academic or Professional Knowledge Gained

The industrial tour provided useful information about data mining, warehousing and
infrastructure management from a practical point of view. Also, I know about cloud based
ERP systems (DrukSmart), decentralized identity verification (NDI), virtualization in data
centers (NewEdge), and etc. In Bhutan, I learned about automated deployment systems and
CI/CD pipelines as tools for developers that help us deliver scalable software and are
relevant to data platform engineering.

2. Practical Exposure and Experiences

I was able to gain the insight of the companies which was my real time experiences to see
data center and how they function. Also, the knowledge about different types of
technologies stack which are acquired by them from which we can apply in our learning for
future career.

3. Skills Developed or Improved

I was provided with improved understanding of data security practices, in decentralized

systems. I also got to know the enterprise level software workflows through tools like Jenkins
and JIRA which enhanced communication through team interactions and technical Q&A
sessions. I also learned how to write the clean, maintainable and well documented code.

6. Observation and Feedback

Infrastructure and Facilities
From the company we visited, each of them had setup that was compatible with each
company’s size as well as their purpose. The highlight of this data center was the new Edge.
The server room was well organized, with biometric access and climate control systems used,
obvious details and security. Bhutan NDI’s office was clean, modern, with a simple,
uncluttered design that did not deter me from being productive and focusing. It had a very
warm and welcoming atmosphere at Developer Tools Bhutan. The space was well lit, had great
seating, and yet had refreshments available, which made it feel both professional and
comfortable.
Work Culture and Environment
The workplaces gave off a feeling of professionalism of a sort, but they were open and
welcoming. The team at DrukSmart worked well, busy and clearly skilled at managing task
came and funny and happy to talk to us. The vibe was great, structured and disciplined but
relaxed and friendly at Developer Tools Bhutan. Also, they were very inclusive. Even the
people without a tech background were allowed to learn, to grow, to be part of the team with
professional training and support.

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Innovative and technologies
• At Bhutan NDI, we were genuinely impressed by their blockchain-based digital ID system.
However, every single company had a thing that was unique to present when it came to
technology and innovation. Each one seemed to approach problem solving in their own
time.
• NewEdge provided a very good view of what a strong, reliable tech stack looks like.
Keeping data safe and services running smoothly, their use of VMware virtualization and
backup network system was surely a great thought.
• DrukSmart is clearly embracing the future of tech. They’re working on training AI
chatbots and running their ERP systems on the cloud, they are preparing an AI chatbot to
train and running their ERP systems on the cloud, automation and data are only becoming
central to the business operations.

• Developer Tools Bhutan stood out with their technical excellence. With clean and healthy
working environment. Providing training and internship to new workers were what really
interested me.
Student Feedback
It was eye open, interesting, and educational tour. Although some of the trips were shorter
than I imagined, they were generally worthwhile since the technical exposure was great, and
the quality of professional, frankly, is so “crystal”, it is worth. It also helped students to select
a job option according to their interest in infrastructure, documentation, frontend and backend.
Ideas for Upcoming Tours
Continue to provide a pre-visit briefing to students for each company’s focus so students can
ask more pertinent or technical questions. So, at the very minimum, think about setting up short
hands on workshops or get some job shadowing done for stories, preferably at development-
based companies. Backup visits are worth arranging if booked firms cancel.

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7. Question Asked

Question 1:
To Druk Smart: “What are some of the current project that you are working on?”
Answer Summary: Currently they are working on two projects; Bhutan Qualifications and
Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA) System and BPC integrations for easy
process.

Question 2:
To Druk smart: “What are the major challenges for tech start-ups in Bhutan?”
Answer Summary: Funding, limited skilled workforce, and market reach were the primary
challenges.

Question 3:
To Developer Tools Bhutan: “As u have mentioned that company helps learner to learn what
they are interested on, so how does this process go by?”
Answer Summary: If there are people, includes employee as well are interest in learning the
specific field or are good at particular field, they are given the field related projects. And they
also organize programs and training for interested one. Addition to it, company also intake
internships to learn about their interest and prepare them for their journey.

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