IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

While Al Medinah Al Munawwara may not be the economic or the political centre of the Kingdom, the city has become famous for the vision of its regional government. Initiated by then governor of Al Medinah His Royal Highness Prince Muqrin Bin Adbul Aziz Al Saud, the drive to transform Al Medinah into a smart city. Underpinning this drive towards the digital economy is one company, or, more correctly, one group of companies. Prior to February’s Smart Cities Forum 2007 in Riyadh, CIO Arabia met with Integrated Visions’ (IV) founder and visionary Alawi Baharoon to discuss where the project is headed, how IV has overcome initial stumbling blocks, gained the buy-in of Medinah’s citizens, government, and businesses, as well as where IV itself is headed over the coming years as Baharoon looks to bring the expertise developed in Medinah to bear as IV looks to play a central role in transforming the Kingdom into a digital economy.

Weiterlesen: Saudi Arabia: Integrated Visions in Al Medinah – the Kingdom’s original Smart City

Saudi Arabia is planning to launch its ultimate e-government project 'Yusr', by the end of 2010 as users will be able to deal electronically with all their governmental operations and get things done using only their PCs.

"This December, we will launch five major projects; of which the national retirement and the General Organisation of Social Insurance (GOSI) is the most important operation to be completed", an official source in the electronic operation committee in King Abdul-Aziz technology city said.

Weiterlesen: Saudi Arabia to launch e-government project 'Yussr' by end of 2010

Saudi telecom's is seen internally as a growth sector, with the market open to competition from rival operators and the end of the monopoly that Saudi Telecom Company (STC) long enjoyed. But the Saudi Arabian networks infrastructure remains a thorny issue that requires swift action.

In the sixth Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007, recently issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Saudi Arabia was dropped from the list of the most advanced countries in IT and telecoms. The kingdom also received a poor ranking within the American Brown University e-government index and the British EIU index.

Weiterlesen: Saudi Arabia's network readiness falls behind

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Madinah is geared up to implement a new e-government system and has arranged several specialized training programs for its members to help them adapt to new computer trends.

The first of its ICDL (the International Computer Driving License) training program was completed on Monday in collaboration with the International Computer Institute.

Weiterlesen: Saudi Arabia: Virtue Commission Members Get Computer Training