Dubai: It’s all about smart government and smart city initiatives at this year’s Gitex Technology Week, which opens on Sunday.
About 120 UAE government and federal entities are taking part to showcase their technological advancements.
Dubai is leading the charge as the region is set to expand on its m-government credentials to embrace mobile in a big way. Dubai Smart Government will showcase the latest apps as the growing influence of m-government and the shift to mobile are gaining traction.
Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG) will be fielding 36 government entities under one roof, four new government entities joined this year’s list at its 3,800 square metre stand, up by 1,100 square metres compared to last year’s stand.
“Our stand will provide a real opportunity for its visitors from all social sections as well as Dubai citizens and residents to be familiar with the smart solutions and apps provided by Dubai Government and to test them live on the stand,” said Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai Smart Government.
Dubai Police will showcase the “victim support app” which will allow the victims of crimes to be informed of the latest developments in their cases until completion. Another app to be showcased will help public reach medical facilities quickly by providing the location of all hospitals in Dubai and the distance and time required to reach from the user’s location.
The Legal Affairs Department will introduce visitors to its latest smart initiatives and services.
Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC) will bring 22 Abu Dhabi entities to Gitex under the banner “Towards a Digital Abu Dhabi”.
At 1,591 square metres, the Abu Dhabi stand is four times the size of last year.
Sharjah e-Government will host 28 government departments and authorities compared to 12 last year.
Ras Al Khaimah e-Government Authority will be taking part for the first time and will officially launch its end-to-end IT service to improve services provided by departments such as Municipality and land, Courts, Public Prosecution and Finance.
Fujairah Free Zone Authority will launch a new app to improve communication between the Free Zone Authority and new and existing clients.
Dubai Health Authority and Dewa will showcase their latest smart service and initiatives.
The participation of federal government entities aims at introducing smart services provided by these entities in order to increase adoption of these services, and enhance communication and interaction between the departments of the federal government for the mutual benefit of best practices.
Abdullah Hashim, senior vice-president of digital services at Etisalat, said that Gitex is a good opportunity for the nation’s biggest ICT solutions provider to showcase its advancements in ICT sector and it has become a tradition now.
“It is an interesting time for the country as we live in a complex world of connectivity. We have a big role to play in nation’s vision of inter connectivity and smart city,” he said.
Convenient and secured format
Etisalat will deploy an mPOS (Mobile Point of Sales) product for accepting payments and new BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Beacon service.
The mPOS will be used at the event registration to enable show visitors to purchase Gitex passes in the most convenient and secured format. It will enable attendees to conveniently pay using their credit.
The new BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Beacon service will enable exhibitors to showcase their products in the most innovative and interactive format to visitors and communicate with stand visitors by sending interactive communication messages directly to the handsets of the visitors in close proximity to their stands.
Du will showcase ways in which innovative ICT solutions can be used to create a Smart environment, in which convenience and reliable connectivity foster happiness and productivity within the community. Du invites visitors to explore the technologies that will make working life, city life and home life even more enjoyable. Discover the convenience of being able to stay connected whenever, wherever, and on whatever device you choose, using a secure internal and external environment to interact with your world on a whole new level.
Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Commercial Officer, du, said: “The future is all about a hyper connected society in which Smart technologies make everyone’s lives simpler, convenient and happier — by enabling everyone to access unprecedented e-services. Our Gitex 2014 showcases these technologies, unlocking human potential to the fullest. I invite everyone to visit us and get a first-hand experience of these never-before technologies which have the potential to dramatically change the way we live, work and play.”
Ministry of Finance (MoF) in collaboration with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) will be showcasing its new e-Dirham applications, including mobile payment solutions, e-wallet, mobile software applications, e-kiosks, e-Dirham cards, e-coupons as well as other services such as transfer and direct debt from bank accounts. The event, which runs until October 16, is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors from 150 countries, and more than 3,700 exhibiting companies are expected to take part from 61 countries.
Now in its 34th year, the event is widely regarded as one of the world’s top three international information and communication technology (ICT) events.
Top leaders from some of the largest information and communication technology companies will share transformational developments with regional companies across the show’s four knowledge themes — Smart, Cloud, Big Data and Mobility.
“The event is privileged by facilitating the public-private partnership in knowledge exchange and sharing of achievements between the world’s leaders in smart innovations and local organisations leading the smart transformation of Dubai,” said Helal Al Merri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO of DWTC.
Government-led updates
With Dubai’s Smart City roll-out predicted to catalyse an acceleration of Smart City initiatives in other Gulf countries, the event will showcase a pioneering app-based Smart Journey Tour featuring more than 25 Smart technology leaders, as well as government-led updates on the progress of the Dubai Smart City initiative.
Nawar Atassi, head of new account management for GCC and Pakistan at Ericsson, said “this is our first exhibition in six years and we are very excited about it”. Networked society is coming to life in this region.
“A new level of mobility will enable the region’s Smart Cities, which is at the heart of our Networked Society vision, to positively impact daily lives at home, at work and in cities. People will be able to live more freely while enjoying smarter features everywhere in more sustainable cities — and Dubai is serving as a global benchmark in Smart City leadership,” he said.
More than 725 new exhibitors and countries like Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Northern Ireland and Norway will be showcasing their services for the first time this year. “Etisalat is the single largest entity and 70 per cent of the participating companies are international,” said Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice-president of exhibitions and events management at DWTC.
The relaunched mobile app by DWTC, available on all operating systems, is designed to enhance the experience of the attendee by providing full event schedule, personalised agenda, exhibitor listings, floor plan maps, social networking and speaker listings.
Once downloaded, Uber will give a free taxi ride to the Gitex venue valued up to Dh60, for this the Uber app must be downloaded. For visitors from other countries, Uber gives a free ride to the airport.
