Dubai schools’ digital dashboard with unique map revealed at World Government Summit in Dubai

Dubai: A digital dashboard of Dubai schools with a map showing their locations, curricula and ratings by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) was revealed at the pre-event of the World Government Summit 2023 in Dubai on Sunday.

Ahmed ElHussiny, senior solutions engineer, at Esri, a leader in geospatial information technology, unveiled the digital dashboard at a workshop of the Global Councils on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Speaking to Gulf News, ElHussiny explained that the map will help the government and investors to plan the establishment of schools based on various needs as well as help parents to easily choose the schools for their children and nearby places for residence.

“You can filter the schools based on the area, curriculum, age group of students such as primary, secondary etc, particular educational group, KHDA rating, community rating, etc.”

The dashboard has been in the making for the past six months. “Once all of the data has been verified and approved, we can definitely put out a public link,” said ElHussiny.

He said he showcased the dashboard to the SDG thought leaders attending the workshop when global SDG leader Jeffrey D. Sachs highlighted the need for a similar map to promote the SDG in education across the world.

Global Councils on SDGs

Speaking at another session on Sunday, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange and Vice Chairperson of the UAE National Committee on SDGs, Abdulla Nasser Lootah, announced the launch of Global Councils on SDGs’ story maps in partnership with Esri.

The Global Councils on SDGs is an initiative launched during the ‘SDGs in Action’ event at WGS in 2018. It is a cross-collaborative project between the UAE Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC).

“The story maps-centralised approach of the Global Councils on SDGs engages many youth members of the councils in their GIS applications capacity,” Lootah said.

The story maps will drive impact, share updates and also deliver on the innovative work programmes, he said.

Speaking to Gulf News later, Lootah said story maps using geospatial technology can help government officials, private sector and communities to address various issues.

“Geospatial technology helps us have a bird’s eye view of the planet Earth and it can help learn things in a broader way and help in the decision-making process. These technologies can help you understand what’s the current situation and prevent the situation from becoming worse,” he said, giving examples of floods, fires and traffic jams.

We can also plan the establishment of schools, hospitals and other service facilities using the geospatial data, he added.