More than 46 million cases around the world and counting — and one virus. Faced with such an adversary, it’s hardly a wonder that technology and data are at the forefront of the battle to understand, track and contain the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.
The outbreak has resulted in an unprecedented focus on the power of data to help resolve national emergencies, and from health tracking and contact tracing to volunteer coordination and service continuity, the world has embraced data in remarkable ways to help bring the pandemic under control and mitigate its impact. Data has also been at the forefront of the UAE government’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic, and the launch of the “Your Data, Your Identity” initiative is the latest testimony to those efforts.
Such an initiative, however, can only succeed with full public cooperation — and that’s why everyone must comply and cooperate at the earliest with timely and accurate submission of requested data
Launched by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC), the initiative aims to update personal information through the authority’s smartphone application or website. It will not only provide a digital infrastructure that helps the health and other critical sectors in timely monitoring of the pandemic, but will also play a pivotal role in ensuring the continuity and efficiency of government services through closely-coordinated efforts.
Handling any emergency situations
In a world increasingly full of disruptions and uncertainties due to the pandemic, such an initiative will go a long way in assuaging UAE citizens and residents about handling any emergency situations with full confidence. From travel and aviation to health care, education and government services, the databank created by the “Your Data, Your Identity” initiative will be invaluable in providing timely assistance to those in need as well as taking proactive decisions to protect citizens and residents from the pandemic.
By using such a system, decision-makers in the UAE will also be able to allocate resources based on an accurate overview of the real-time responses, thereby improving the efficiency of services and reducing the burden on the already-strained health care sector and government authorities at the forefront of the battle against the virus.
Such an initiative, however, can only succeed with full public cooperation — and that’s why everyone must comply and cooperate at the earliest with timely and accurate submission of requested data. The first phase of the initiative aims to update the data of Emiratis in the age group of 18 to 60 years — in which each adult must be responsible for updating his or her personal data as well as those who are on his family register. Expats will be required to update their personal data in the subsequent phases — thereby completing a pioneering initiative to combat the pandemic in the UAE.
