Dubai: The UAE government has launched a new Dh1 million prize for inventing drones delivering UAE government services more efficiently and effortlessly.
The competition — launched under the direction of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai — includes an international version with a $1 million (Dh3.67 million) prize for government services outside the UAE.
The contest was announced on the sidelines of The Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday.
Drones are unmanned aircraft flown remotely by a ‘pilot’. They can be programmed to fly on their own as well to carry out pre-set tasks such as surveillance.
Addressing a press briefing, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Mobile Government, announced that organisers hope to see the first winning inventors of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) by next year.
The winner of the international prize will be announced in February 2015 at the next summit.
The local prize winner will be announced in May 2015, with the winning idea to be implemented within the UAE Federal Government.
Among those who will be invited to compete will be companies, universities, “creative individuals and specialised professionals”.
Details of the initiative will be available in two weeks on a dedicated website, Al Gergawi said.
Civilian purpose
“The [drone] service must be for a peaceful, civilian purpose that serves humanity,” he said.
Al Gergawi added that the initiative was part of Shaikh Mohammad’s vision for smart government services. “His Highness Shaikh Mohammad’s goal is for the UAE to be the smartest and most effective government in the world. We are committed to constant innovation in government services because ultimately this is the surest way to improve quality of life for all citizens, residents and visitors,” Al Gergawi said.
The UAE intends to develop drone technology to deliver a variety of civilian services more quickly and effectively. Potential applications include the delivery of government documents and traffic monitoring.
Authorities are already working on prototype drone services.
At the Summit on Monday, officials revealed a project to zip official documents by drone to homes. During its first phase, drones would initially deliver identity cards, driving licences and other permits.
Prudent delivery
A biometric identification system would be built in to ensure prudent delivery.
Al Gergawi had said the drone would be tested for durability and efficiency in Dubai for six months, before it is introduced across the UAE within the year.
“There are many good ideas [in smart government]. In five years, these ideas will be real… We in the UAE government are always looking five years into the future,” he added on Tuesday.
Al Gergawi said civil aviation and other regulations will be addressed in the development of such projects.
There is also an initiative, announced earlier, to use drones in surveying fire incidents in Dubai, to help emergency services assess the situation.
The international competition will be run by a committee of specialists in UAVs and government officials. They will evaluate how effectively each UAV innovation would make government services more efficient, and save time and effort for customers.
Award criteria
The UAV inventions must meet global safety standards, be “highly reliable” and be capable of covering a “reasonable geographical range” within the city that will use them.
Contestants’ submissions should include a full proposal detailing all technical features required for the drone to carry out a defined government service.
Technical details and processes for the competition will be announced soon.
