The strategy features six key pillars and 100 initiatives on transport, communication, infrastructure, electricity, economic services and urban planning.
The benefits of a smart city are endless for the government and residents, starting from revenues to time saving and improved quality of life. But the target cannot be achieved without smart citizens, said an industry specialist.
Last year, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched a strategy to transform Dubai into a 'Smart City'.
The strategy features six key pillars and 100 initiatives on transport, communication, infrastructure, electricity, economic services and urban planning. Under the strategy, 1,000 government services are set to go smart by 2017.
Dubai is already a smart city but the government is working to make it smarter. Earlier this year, Dubai was crowned 'Mena Smart City' of the year. The credit goes to the government, its entities and residents.
"By adopting smart solutions and technology, engaging with government entities, providing feedback and supporting a secure form of open data policy, residents can help Dubai become smart," Aiham Al Akhras, business development and operations director, Fujitsu Middle East, told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of 'Fujitsu World Tour' held recently in Dubai.
The Tokyo-based information technology equipment and services company is the world's third-largest IT services provider by revenues.
Al Akhras said there are endless benefits of a smart city. "People will have an improved quality of life while using city resources in a sustainable manner. It will increase the city's competitiveness and serve as a magnet for talent and foreign direct investment," he said.
Governments can optimise costs while providing better services and savings will run into millions of dollars, he said.
Citing the Road and Transport Authority's data, he said the impact of traffic congestion on Dubai's economy annually is around $800 million. For every service a citizen completes via mobile instead of driving to complete the task, the economy will gain around $600 per vehicle.
Many government entities have already launched smart services. For example, Dubai Police, one of the keynote guests in Fujitsu World Tour 2015 in Dubai, said it has 79 live smart mobile services. More than 1.6 million people have engaged this mobile app.
"Security and safety are our main vision for Dubai. They are also one of the main pillars of a Smart city. Dubai is a Smart city already but we need to make it smarter," Capt. Ahmad bin Fahad from the Dubai Police CIO office, said.
From traffic to emergencies, Dubai Police plans to make the city more user-friendly, according to Capt. bin Fahad.
He said the main benefit is these services will be available to citizens round the clock. "We are not only thinking of the customer, but also the police officer on the field," he added.
In addition to apps, Dubai Police is already using Google Glass. Dubai Police has calculated revenues of Dh184.5 million from using smart services, Capt. bin Fahad said.
In simple terms, a city is smart if it makes use of intelligent technology to improve the quality of life of its people in an efficient and sustainable manner. Smart City is a journey, not a tick in a box. This journey is embarked upon by residents, government and businesses together. This journey would differ from city to city as there is a degree of locality. Hence, it is important for every city to define its goals and priorities.
Al Akhras said Fujitsu is engaged in many cities around the world on smart initiatives that support a Smart city. From Japan to Europe to Middle East, there are many examples. Recently, Fujitsu provided a smart disaster management solution for Jakarta, Indonesia.
"Our rich experience and human-centric innovation enable us to support many governments and businesses shaping a smarter tomorrow. Fujitsu shares Dubai's vision of happiest people as we aim for a human-centric intelligent society. Our best practices, lessons learnt and portfolio can help Dubai achieve that target," he added.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Abdul Basit
Quelle/Source: Khaleej Times, 13.09.2015
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