Use app to give directions to Dubai cabbies

Dubai - Director of the GIS Department at Dubai Municipality says that official cab services under RTA are currently testing their new system.

 Is giving directions while booking a taxi or while calling an ambulance too complicated? Dubai Municipality will soon make it easier for you.
The civic body has confirmed that Dubai Taxi Corporation will implement UAE's official geo-addressing system, Makani App, by the end of August.

Abdul Hakim Malek, Director of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department at Dubai Municipality, told Khaleej Times that Dubai's official cab services under Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) are currently testing their new system.
Malek confirmed that the taxi company has changed the system in its fleet of taxis and they are expected to implement the app in city and airport cabs by the end of August.
"We have been following up the process with the manager, and are expecting the system to be implemented by next month to introduce a better and faster link between residents and the government's services," said Malek.
Know the unified system
Launched in April 2015 by the municipality, the app enables users to locate different destinations in Dubai within an accuracy of one metre square of the pin selected.
Malek noted that Dubai Police implemented the smart system in its operations, which enables residents to report an emergency and share their Makani's 10-digit coordinates.
The police can then forward the coordinates to the right authority, be it civil defence or ambulance, who can reach the location in the shortest time span.
Around 10 main food outlets - including McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, Hallab and Hatem -  have signed an agreement to use the app.
The civic body aims to re-enforce the smart addressing system among smaller food outlets over the next coming months.
He added that the system will also soon be introduced to Emirates Post and other shipment companies like Aramex to ease delivery to UAE homes.
"It is a change of culture, therefore, it will take time for the app to make the necessary impact."
He added: "It took the US around 5-8 years to get used to postal code, which was a new system introduced back then. Now it is an official system that the country adopted."
Plate installation in progress
Malek said the department has plans to make the Makani App an integrated project throughout UAE by 2017. The department is working to install plates on all Dubai buildings, with over 130,000 plates, by end of the year.
Farms and manors are also included in the plan, with some farms in Khawaneej have already been covered.  While 20,000 plates have recently been installed in Ajman, work is under progress to cover buildings in Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
Ras Al Khaimah was recently added to the list, whereas the department is still working to introduce the system to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Malek noted the department aims to cover all the emirates by 2017.
He added that 60,000 plates have been installed in Dubai and another 20,000 plates to be received next week to be added on four main communities in the emirate including free zones.
The new plates are expected to be installed in the next two months and will cover Emirates Hills, Meadows, the springs, Mina Jebel Ali, Al Safa 1 and 2, Umm Al Sheif, Manara, and Al Warqa.
Khaleej Times has previously reported that Dubai Taxi Corporation was among several government entities that failed to implement the app into its system. 
A municipality official then attributed the glitch to a technical problem that Dubai Taxi faced, which involved their system not being connected to the Internet.
Offline version of Makani app in October
A new version of UAE's official smart addressing system Makani wil be released in October, a senior Dubai Municipality official told Khaleej Times. 
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department at Dubai Municipality said the upgraded version will be launched on the sidelines of upcoming Gitex Shopper, and will have new features.
Abdul Hakim Malek, director of the GIS department, told Khaleej Times that the smart system will be available offline with higher accuracy.
"We partnered with HERE Maps for the offline option. Being able to use the app without internet will save users' data package and battery power," said Malek.
He added that the new release will feature 98,000 new points of interest with full information provided about each location.
"Full profile about the location, including name, telephone number, services and nearby facilities will be a big change in app and will provide users with enhanced accuracy," added Malek.  
"The aim is to change the smart system's interface and design it in a way that allows residents to use it without the need to read manuals."
Malek stated that the app will also feature Augmented Reality that would allow residents to point their smartphones to a building, with the system displaying the 10-digit coordinates of the location.
A "street view" option will give users a real view of their locations.
"We are currently allowing HERE Maps and Google Maps to take street views of different locations in Dubai to add the new feature to the app," he said.   
The plates can also be scanned by smartphones using the QR code reader apps, providing a digital copy of the number that can be shared online.
Makani users can now detect simple improvements and change in the app's layout and initial screen.
The new version, available for iOS, now features Ajman, Um Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
The upgrade will be introduced to Android over the next week.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com