Dubai: Smart Dubai launched ‘The Smart Dubai Global Network,’ the largest international network of smart city stakeholders, on Monday during their annual event ‘Future, Now’ at Dubai Design District.
The initiative aims to bring together partners that share a passion for advanced technology, Fourth-Industrial-Revolution breakthroughs, smart living and spreading happiness in the community.
Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director-general of Smart Dubai announced the network has gone live, with members representing the government, the private sector, research centres, academic institutes, subject matter experts and the media.
Members can join the network online and interact with one another through the first comprehensive global smart city directory. Users can reach out to one another to collaborate on exchanging knowledge around implementation of smart city and technological initiatives, ecosystem enablement efforts supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs, skill development, publications, events, awards and more.
The network’s focus topics include relevant areas in the field of smart cities including big data, city experiences, artificial intelligence, paperless government, block chain, digital identity and shared services’ platforms.
“This is the result of three years of research about smart cities and initiatives. Our way to give back to the communities of smart cities is by providing them with a digital platform to share their knowledge with others,” said Bishr.
The Smart Dubai Global Network seeks to position Dubai as a global hub for science, technology, research, smart living, and the future industry. It cements Dubai’s global prestige, further transforming the city into a laboratory for experimenting with and implementing bold pilot projects and breakthroughs.
“We look forward to working hand in hand with other ambitious cities from around the world, with research centres and academic institutes thinking outside the proverbial box to find original solutions to both long-standing and modern-day challenges, and with subject-matter experts dedicating time and effort to sustaining the smart-transformation momentum sweeping across the globe,” said Bishr.
The Network is poised to bring about a dynamic growth and shift in research and development and academic activities in general. The move also aims to attract a high-skilled workforce, reversing brain drain in the region and other parts of the world.
Bishr also announced that Smart Dubai has been working different bodies, including the United Nations, the International Communication Union, and the World Economic Forum to create an index that analysis and compares smart cities around the world.
“Today, with the Smart City Observatory, an academic institute, the IMD in Switzerland, and the support of WEF, we have come up with this index that will cover not only technologies, but experiences and the impact of implementing these technologies. They have selected a few cities, and Dubai was among that list,” she said.
Who can join the network?
- Cities and governments
- Academic and research institutes
- Private companies
- Accelerators and incubators
- Subject matter experts
- Media
