Sofia the chatbot helps locate halal food for Muslim travellers, 24x7

Source: Microsoft. Built upon Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and LUIS, HHWT’s chatbot Sofia can automatically provide quick answers to questions posed by users.

Have Halal, Will Travel (HHWT) was started because founder Mikhail Goh had trouble finding halal food in South Korea five years ago. 

“If there were websites out there that discussed halal food in South Korea, they were either hard to find, or any information that I came across wasn’t of much help,” recalled Goh, who is now based in Singapore. “Many times, you have to make decisions based on limited information as a Muslim traveller.

“Do I take the trip down? It’s a 40 to 45-minute ride, based on a single grainy picture, and with very little information to rely on.”

The content platform helps Muslims travel with confidence in countries where locating halal food can be a challenge. HHWT currently hosts hundreds of articles and guides online, and also has a mobile app and social media channels. It now reaches over 9 million Muslims from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia each month. 

As readership and site traffic on HHWT continued to grow, it became clear that the platform needed to grow its backend infrastructure in tandem. Fielding 8,000 users looking for halal food options in Tokyo over platforms like Facebook, e-mail or website comments would be best served by a chatbot, the company behind HHWT decided.

Combining Microsoft’s Azure cloud and its Language Understanding Intelligence Services (LUIS), HHWT’s chatbot now answers most of the questions that travellers ask through the platform every day. Called Sofia - chosen after users voted for the name in a public poll - the chatbot is online 24x7, allowing the HHWT team to significantly increase their engagement level with users daily.

“We created Sofia simply because people have been asking us questions which we found could be answered largely through automation,” said Goh.

At the same time, through the responses and feedback received from users interacting with Sofia, HHWT can now analyse and contextualise all that input to help provide more personalised content for each individual user, thus serving customers’ needs better.

Sofia was set up in a surprisingly short amount of time. Instead of creating a chatbot from scratch, the HHWT team relied on existing tools that Microsoft provides on the cloud to create Sofia, with the help of technology partner PleoData.

The Azure cloud platform comes with an application programming interface (API) for a QnA Maker. The feature creates a FAQ from existing content. This was the first building block the team tapped on to form answers to commonly-asked questions. Microsoft’s LUIS, a machine learning-based service to build natural language into apps, bots, and devices then enabled chatbot designers to draw on datasets already in existence. This allowed the team to match users' questions, which can come in many forms, with the right answers. 

“I think one of the really big benefits of Microsoft Azure is the QnA Maker,” said Rachel Tan, MD, PleoData. “It allows any company to be able to release a working chatbot in less than seven working days, which is quite an amazing feat.”

It helped that HHWT already had an existing FAQ, which was input into the QnA maker. Though that was sufficient to launch a chatbot as-is, the team went one step further to customise the chatbot so that it could offer more intelligent content to users.

Currently, Sofia uses what is known as a decision tree that lets users narrow down the answers they are looking for. In future, this process will be simpler and more intuitive—the system will automatically answer questions with a deeper understanding, without having to seek clarification.

This next step for HHWT involves sinking its teeth more deeply into machine learning. With larger datasets to draw on after running the chatbot over time, HHWT would be able to develop contextual and personalised content.

Today, HHWT works with tourism boards from countries around the world and global brands to reach out to the Muslim community. As the same time, they are also working with partners to provide functionalities such as the ability to complete travel bookings and payment transactions on the website. With the scalability of Azure cloud, as well as LUIS, powering the Sofia chatbot, HHWT is now looking towards expansion to more countries within Southeast Asia and beyond.

Goh reinforced that their focus over the next two years is to build on their understanding of their consumers' needs and wants. “One of the things we are seeking to improve for our chatbot is its search and response – to give us a better understanding of what people are searching for, and from there, better responses and better content,” he said.

“As a Muslim myself, I feel that Muslims shouldn’t be restricted to just kebabs or nasi biryani,” Goh noted. “To really understand different cultures, you have to eat their food, speak their language, and really get lost in their country. Muslims shouldn’t be deprived from that opportunity.” 

Explore:

Watch the video introducing Sofia the chatbot

Download the Microsoft Business Owners’ Guide to Technology

Hashtag: #HHWT

Applications open for Muis study grants and scholarships

Applications for the Muis Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) for the academic year 2016/2017 will close on 23 May 2016. The scholarship aims provide more opportunities for deserving individuals to pursue further studies in areas relating to the study of Islam and Muslim societies, relevant to the community’s progress and development. 

Outstanding graduates from local and overseas universities are invited to apply to pursue further studies on relevant fields. Preferred fields of study include:

• Islamic sciences (such as Quranic exegesis, study of hadith, jurisprudence, etc) 
• Islam and contemporary thought 
• Islam and interfaith studies 
• Islam and comparative religion 
• Islam and comparative law 
• Islamic education (madrasah curriculum and instruction) 

The scholarship is awarded for full-time postgraduate studies at reputable learning institutions locally or overseas. It includes tuition fees, living expenses, costs of relevant developmental programmes and other approved fees. This will be provided for the candidates within the stipulated period of study. Masters programmes are limited to two years while PhD are capped at five years.

Upon completion of studies, successful candidates will be required to serve a bond with Muis or other approved agencies in consultation with Muis.

Applicants must:

• Be Muslim citizens or permanent residents or children of Singapore citizens or permanent residents (who have resided in Singapore for at least five years before the date of application); 
• Have obtained outstanding an Bachelors degree or its equivalent in any field of study; 
• Preferably be between 21 and 40 years old at time of application 

Eligible applicants will be assessed based on the following (not in order of importance):

• Academic achievement, track record in religious and/or community activities and relevant experience; 
• Applicant’s potential and commitment to contributing towards the development of the Muslim community in Singapore; 
• Benefit and value of the training to the applicant and to the development of the Muslim community in Singapore; 
• Financial background of the applicant 

The PGS Secretariat is also offering limited grants to eligible asatizah (religious teachers/scholars) to undertake a new Master of Sciences in Asian Studies programme offered by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Nanyang Technological University). The 2016 academic year is from July 2016 to May 2017. 

This programme will offer a multidisciplinary and wider perspective in the study of religions, Islamic traditions, religious diversity and its policy implications, which support Muis’ objectives of developing asatizah as modern and progressive religious leaders for the community. This programme aims to help students: 

• Obtain the necessary empirical knowledge and analytical perspectives required to become leaders in various professions related to Asian affairs 
• Develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamic changes and new trends in Asia, using approaches rooted in disciplines of history, comparative politics, international relations and economics 
• Acquire various analytical tools and historical perspectives to facilitate development of expertise on emerging Asian political, economic and security issues on multiple levels 

This grant will cover up to 90% of tuition fees, related academic fees, allowance and optional exchange programmes. 

Interested?

For more information on the new Master of Sciences in Asian Studies programme grant, eligibility criteria and conditions, please contact Ms Faeza at +65 6359 1178. 

Download the application form for the PGS 2016 (Word doc). All application forms, supporting materials and confidential letter/s must reach Muis by 23 May 2016 at noon. Late and incomplete applications will not be accepted. 

Read the FAQ. For further information call +65 6256 8188.

BFSA opens applications for grants

The British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) has announced that applications for grants intended to support research in any academic area covered by the BFSA’s aims will be accepted to April 2016.

The BFSA promotes research relating to the Arabian Peninsula, in particular, its archaeology, art, culture, epigraphy, ethnography, geography, geology, history, languages, literature and natural history. Grants may be used to fund fieldwork, library or laboratory-based research or research support.

Applications must be linked to clear and achievable plans for immediate publication.

The number of awards made each year will depend on the strength of applications. Main Research Grants (for post-doctoral research) are worth up to £4,000 and Small Research Grants (for all categories of researchers), up to £1,000. It is expected that grants of a combined value of up to about £8,000 will normally be awarded each year.

The application deadline is 15 April 2016, and awards will be announced by the end of May 2016.

Interested?

Grants are available to researchers of any nationality. Get more details

posted from Bloggeroid

2015 Islamic Finance Rate Report offers first in-depth look at legal specialists in Islamic finance

Research and Markets has added the 2015 Islamic Finance Rate Report from US-based Valeo Partners to their portfolio.

The 2015 Islamic Finance Rate Report is the first in-depth look into this resurgent financial and legal practice globally, identifying individual attorney hourly rates in Islamic finance, their firms, city and country of practice from 2009 to 2015.

According to Research and Markets, Islamic finance is similar to conventional finance as it features banks, capital markets, fund managers, investment firms, and insurance companies. Unlike conventional finance, it is governed both by Islamic law as well as by conventional finance industry rules and regulations. Existing since at least the 12th century, this practice will continue to grow due to the wealth of Muslim countries and the burgeoning global economy.

Companies mentioned in the April 2015 report include:

- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
- Baker Botts
- Bracewell & Giuliani
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
- Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle
- DLA Piper
- Debevoise & Plimpton
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Greenberg Traurig
- King & Spalding
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Linklaters
- McKenna Long & Aldridge
- Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
- Morrison & Foerster
- Paul Hastings
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
- Proskauer Rose
- Reed Smith
- Ropes & Gray
- Troutman Sanders 

SESRIC publishes study on reducing poverty with waqf and Islamic microfinance

Source: SESRIC.

Integration of Waqf and Islamic Microfinance for Poverty Reduction: Case Studies of Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, edited by Professor Savas Alpay, Director General of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), and Mohamed Aslam Haneef, Professor at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), presents the outcome of a two-year research collaboration between SESRIC and the Centre for Islamic Economics at IIUM. 

The research project covered three Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, and aims to develop an integrated waqf-based Islamic microfinance model to optimise the use of combined resources of waqf and Islamic microfinance institutions in OIC countries. It is anticipated that such an optimisation will ultimately enhance the effectiveness of IMF and waqf institutions in addressing the socioeconomic needs of the society, particularly through effective poverty alleviation programmes.

The report consists of four main sections, starting with a brief overview of poverty in OIC countries, poverty alleviation programmes in Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh and then discussing the potential of waqf as another viable source for financing microfinance institutions in these three countries. 

Section two presents the Integrated Waqf-based Islamic Microfinance (IWIM) model, which comprises six components, waqf, Islamic microfinance, human resources, takaful, project financing and poverty alleviation, plus relevant hypotheses. In order to test the hypotheses of the IWIM model in the three countries, the next section discusses research methodology while the last section focuses on the empirical findings and policy recommendations.

The conceptual IWIM model treats the waqf institution as the “funding agency” and the Islamic microfinance institution as the “implementing agency” that is offering microfinance services together with takaful services and financing human resource development programmes. A fifth component, project financing, to which is be provided by the Islamic microfinance institution, was added to the model. 

According to the report, there is strong indication that the IWIM model can be a viable alternative model for poverty alleviation. The report reaffirms that microfinance is an important institution in the fight against poverty and that Islamic microfinance provides additional value in the context of riba-free financing. Furthermore, the report says that the IWIM model can successfully help microfinance institutions to overcome two major challenges, the provision of financing at lower cost and the facilitation of human resource development programmes.

View the online version here.