(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) It telecoms combining to transform all areas of citizens� lives
the fact that the number of people and businesses operating in dubai has doubled every four years presents numerous challenges for the emirate. coping with such growth places tremendous pressure on government bodies especially when it comes to urban planning transportation energy water and public safety. current economic indicators plus the recent win of expo 2020 suggests that this trend will continue into the future — however dubai is in the unique position to fully leverage the technological developments of the past decade to address upcoming urban challenges in an innovative way.
his highness shaikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum vice-president and prime minister of the uae and ruler of dubai recently said in regards to the dubai smart city project: “our goal is to create a better reality build a new model of development and achieve a happier life for our people.” achieving this will require an innovative use of information and communications technology (ict).
it and telecoms are already rapidly combining to transform all areas of citizens’ life affecting people business and society. for example the number of uae mobile subscribers grew by 50 per cent from 9.4 million to 14.8 million between 2009 and 2014 and mobile broadband networks account for 55 per cent of total mobile connections. on top of this growth the expansion of high-speed data accessibility mobile communications cloud computing and sensors across the city will increase citizens’ proximity to government agencies as well as urban inclusion. from our experience in several smart city projects such as santander paris stockholm the johannesburg world cup and the 2012 london olympics clear goals will pave the way to prolonged economic growth foreign capital inflow and enriched lives. ubiquitous connectivity and information utilities will also help with the generation of new ideas and business models however only the ones that will really improve citizens’ life will prosper.
in addition to establishing high speed trusted and pervasive ict infrastructure the key factors for the success of a smart city initiative are: setting holistic goals; translating the vision into specific initiatives; building an engagement platform for the different stakeholders involved in the journey and identifying clear implications for the different smart city segments.
imagine the near-limitless scope of a truly smart city. before they even land a tourist flying on emirates airlines can be introduced to the emirate with a welcome video detailing the boundless possibilities of dubai smart city. they reach passport control by following a terminal 3 indoor map and positioning system then enter a taxi and beams up to the taxi screen that shows his destination and hotel name.
based on his mobile identity and preferences collected from the reservation through emirates’ website the most relevant attractions are highlighted on the taxi screen and some introductory information is provided by the intelligent system. when he arrives at the hotel guest services greets him personally as the rta transport system has already alerted the hotel with details of his estimated time of arrival taxi number and his name. he checks in at the hotel through his mobile identity and the taxi ride is directly debited to his room bill based on his choice on arrival.
the next morning his wake up call is already set based on his schedule and hotel tv as well as his tablet provide a list of hot events in the city possible attractions he would like to see and interesting promotions. this flow of information is continuously updated in real time based on location time of the day tourist profile and response to past and current suggestions. the more the tourist engages the more the suggestions provided are tuned and relevant. through augmented reality all interactions are made relevant to his preferences and habits so that he can make the most of his trip.
all the above is already possible in today’s world where communications and information technology can be the enablers of a single ‘transactional federated platform’ that will enrich the everyday lives of citizens. information will still be critical but as an infrastructure like roads railways airports energy grids and communications highways. building dubai’s information utility is paramount to smart systems deployed on the fields of logistics and transportation new paths to economic development and lasting sources of energy and water.
this transactional platform will be largely invisible and will allow the different actors to independently action their individual commercial strategy. they will also have an inherent ability to contribute to providing the most relevant experience to everyone whether they are a tourist a businessman a buyer a seller or just a spectator.
like dubai we at ericsson believe that societies are on the brink of an extraordinary revolution that will change our world forever.
in this new world every individual and device that will benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. we call this the networked society and it will fundamentally change the way we innovate collaborate produce deliver services and govern.
andrea petti is a regional vice-president of industry and society at ericsson middle east. views expressed by him are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.
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