Dubai: Dubai’s preparation for the Expo 2020 shifts gears with the opening of the Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3), taking the city’s mobility operations to the next level.
Capable of keeping an eye on different modes of transport currently operating in the city, as well as those proposed for the future, such as autonomous vehicles, automated aerial vehicles as well as Hyperloop, the EC3 is Dubai’s new mobility nerve centre.
Inaugurated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on Monday, the centre, built and operated by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), is now live.
Speaking to Gulf News following a media to tour to the centre, Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of Corporate Technology Support Services, said: “The expo is expected to attract 25 million visitors and there will be new modes of transport to serve these visitors, so this centre helps support movement of any number of people through different modes of transport.”
Located in Umm Ramool, the centre is built at a cost of Dh335 million and is spread in an area of 10,900 square metres, housing a central command room as well as back up operation rooms for different modes of transport.
A cyber security cell will ensure the security of data and the operation systems, whereas silver and gold command rooms will help in high level decision making with direct, real time access to all the mobility assets spread across the city.
In a presentation during the media tour, Mohammad Al Mudharreb, director of Rail Operations in RTA said that the centre equipped with advanced tools and softwares to monitor, identify and interact with any given public transport vehicle any time.
“One of the key features of the new system is that the staff at EC3 not only get a birds eye view of the entire network of transport, but it can also zoom in and identify any vehicle, access all its details and see if it is running on time or late,” Al Mudharreb said.
He added that the system allows live zoom in of any area and find out how many vehicles are plying in the area at any given time, including private vehicles, taxis and buses.
Apart from daily operations, the centre also helps in collecting all transport related data and helps process the information for future planning as well as preparing for mega events like New Year’s Eve celebrations. A dedicated roam — The Cave — equipped with interactive 3D maps of the entire city help in planning and organising movement of vehicles during major events and occasions.
According to Al Madani, the EC3 will also help in better traffic management and ease of congestions on roads.
“Capable of receiving 55 million data records per day, the system will help us plan the transport operations and traffic movement better. Also connected with all the CCTV camera’s in the city, we will also be able to respond to any emergencies quicker,” Al Madani said.
More importantly, the centre also makes emergency response quicker and more efficient, with a dedicate crisis management section staying a step ahead all troubles through technology, simulation and advanced planning.
Enterprise Command and Control Centre
Main control room is manned by 18 personnel and is connected to 11,231 CCTV cameras.
The main screen covers an area of 52.7 square metres,
The building is resistant to tremors and seismic activity.
It qualifies for the Gold Class of LEED’s Green Buildings Certification.
Expo 2020
25 million visitors expected
500 million rail passengers
292 million taxi passengers
5.3 million registered vehicles
354% increase in road network
