IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced the completion of the upgradation of the Federal Network (FEDNet) security systems.

This is a step aimed at protecting more than 35 federal entities against Advanced Persistent Threats in their various forms, whether through e-mail or internet browsing.

The smartapp will alert road users so they can find alternative routes…

Dubai Police have launched a new feature on their smartphone app, which will alert road users when there has been a serious accident or there are temporary road closures.

The 2014 United Nations e-Government Survey, which was released in the month of June, provides a bird’s eye view of e-Government practices around the world. While the survey notes significant improvements in several countries in their march towards smart governance, it also reflects the increasingly disparate state of affairs in the comity of nations concerning the levels of services provided to the people by their respective governments.

Communication plays a very important role in the proper functioning of a society. Honest, open and two-way communication between the public and Government is always necessary to provide the public a sense of relief; that they are in safe hands.

Recent developments in technology has led to the emergence of better and more refined ways of communication which the Government can use to facilitate the communication process. Internet is one of the ways the Government has adopted to provide several services and communicate with people. This use of ICT by the Government to provide information and public services is termed as e-Government.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has been awarded with the 21st Middle East Smart Government and Smart Cities Excellence Award under the smart e-services category, for its successful implementation of the UAE Government’s FEDnet project. The award was given by Middle East Excellence Awards Institute.

Abdelnasir Rahma Obaid Al Shamsi, Senior Manager for Infrastructure Management in E-Government Operations Department at TRA, received the award in behalf of the TRA during the awards ceremony, which was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre, in the presence of top-level government officials from the region and industry leaders. The recognition event was held on the sidelines of the 22nd GCC Smart Governments and Smart Cities Conference.

The event — held once every four years — will take place in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai World Trade Centre from March 30 to April 10.

As part of its role to implement the UAE’s e-transformation strategy at Federal level, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced the launch of a brand new e-portal to automatically assess the quality of the UAE Federal entities websites.

The new system enables government entities to perform a self-assessment of their websites at any given time and get a detailed report about their level of compliance to the set standards. The new system helps federal entities to set and implement new development plans to improve their e-presence and achieve the highest quality levels.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has launched a campaign to develop the content of the official portal of the UAE Government (Government.ae), inivited all sections of the public, government entities and private sector establishments to share information that is missing from the portal and provide official references and sources of such information. TRA welcomes anyone to report any wrong information, grammatical or spelling mistakes.

People are requested to report their feedback through a survey, for which a link is published via social media and sent out to anyone whose e-mail address is in the TRA’s databases. TRA is using the 'Participate and get a reward' hashtag for the campaign.

Salem Khamis Al Shair Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General for Information and eGovernment Sector, TRA, said the programme, launched in collaboration with the Arab Media Network, will officially air in January 2013.

Zahawi hailed the innovation culture the UAE government is keen on establishing.

The United Kingdom is seeking to grow the number of UK universities in the UAE as well as to learn from the UAE e-government programme model, according to Nadhim Zahawi, Member of Parliament and Minister Responsible for Special Education Needs in UK.

The emirate of Umm Al Quwain will soon have its own e-Government department in an effort to provide innovative online services to the public.

His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, yesterday issued Law No 5 of 2013 setting up the e-Government department.

The United Nations has singled out the Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) in its e-Government Survey 2014 for its world-class biometric enrolment of the entire population.

The United Nations’ report, which recently came out, includes a special box item in which it describes the Emirates ID’s biometric enrolment programme as “one of the world’s best biometric programmes.”

The UN official said that the United Nation Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the e-Government Economic and Social Affairs seeks to work with Emirates ID and to bolster cooperation between the two sides, hoping that the results of those mutual efforts will have positive impacts on developing the UAE smart government initiative.

The Department of Sharjah eGovernment announced that 36 government departments in the Emirate are to participate in the “GITEX Technology Week 2018” scheduled on October 14-18 at the Dubai World Trade Center.

All departments of Sharjah are geared up to showcase their latest services at the pavilion of Sharjah Government. Innovative technological projects are to be unveiled for the first time at the exhibition which is the largest in ICT sector in MENA and South Asia, and the third largest of its kind worldwide.

ValueFirst, a globally recognized enterprise communication services provider, applauds the UAE's groundbreaking 'Dubai AI' initiative, which sets a high global standard for the future of smart cities through the innovative use of Generative AI technologies.

“The digital era continues to accelerate, and cities like Dubai stand as forerunners in the adoption of groundbreaking technologies that enhance the lives of both residents and visitors. The recent unveiling of 'Dubai AI' at the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI represents a pivotal leap towards a more intelligent and interconnected future. This initiative promises to redefine the way we experience and engage with this dynamic city,” said Arvind Kalla, Chief Regional Officer at ValueFirst.

The world is changing through technology and this includes higher education, where ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) is helping to put students at the centre of the learning experience, allowing them to be in control of the process and providing them with a range of options to consume and share this educational content — using smart devices anywhere, anytime.

But the question is, will more technology in blended learning improve the blend or dilute the mix? How can we be sure that it is the right mix?

Serious imbalance of men and women working in the IT industry is a worldwide phenomenon. In the United States, for example, the proportion of women in the IT industry is 25 percent.

It’s 16 percent in the United Kingdom, 30 percent in Singapore, and 17 percent in Hong Kong – although half of Hong Kong women are in the workforce.

eDurar is a gateway to comprehensive information and services that saves users from being lost and tangled in the World Wide Web

The brand eDurar first started off as a simple information hub, but soon developed into a comprehensive portal for residents and organisations in the UAE that can, for instance, help you find a repairman for your broken kitchen appliance, track down the latest brand offers, or even list your pre-loved belongings for sale, to name a few.

The CityGuard app, adopted by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council’s Executive Committee and supervised by Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Center, has won a government award. The application basically depends on the public’s cooperation.

Lt. Col. Faisal Mohammed Al-Shimmari CEO of the Smart Government Program at the Ministry of Interior underlined the ministry's commitment of the ministry to improve smart e-services provided to customers to reflect the UAE vision 2021.

'This is achieved through maintaining the levels of service availability and standards of quality and excellence so as to boost the customer's confidence and satisfaction and meet their expectations' said Lt. Col. Al-Shimmari.