Dubai’s Ruler Announces New ‘Smart City’ Plan

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the launch of a new project to transform Dubai into a ‘Smart City’, official agency WAM reported.

The move will ensure that government services will be accessible, quick and efficient through the use of hi-tech smart devices.

“We aim to harness the technology so as to better living conditions and [bring in a] new form of development,” WAM quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying. He also added that a fibre optic network and high-speed wireless internet will form the “backbone of a new life in the city of Dubai”.

The Smart City project will enable the public to transact with public departments using smartphones any time, any day of the year.

The new project will also provide information on weather, traffic, transport, health and education, as well as entertainment and tourist services such as aviation services and restaurants.

The project has evolved from Dubai’s previous e-Government programme, which was launched in October 2001. The programme linked government departments with their clients through the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and provided online portals for various government departments.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said the directives by Sheikh Mohammed called for “immediate implementation of the project to complement the smart government project.”

He added that Dubai will “become one of the biggest world laboratories for interactive and government applications,” reported WAM.