Data will pave way for sustainable smart cities

Dubai - Unified data and analytics equip smart organisations, and smart city operators, with more reliable information for making decisions

Data-powered insights are the key to delivering resilient infrastructure that will shape a more sustainable future for smart cities, experts have said.

Investing in data has become more important than ever, especially as economies around the world tackle the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Tariq Aslam, head of the MEA region at, Aveva, noted that in December 2020, Dubai became one of the first cities in the Middle East to take a data-driven approach to governance when it launched a holistic leadership dashboard for informed decisions to be made in real time. By way of use cases, the new tool allows authorities to forecast the number of potential cases using existing epidemiology equations, and to identify areas at risk of becoming infection hotspots. By aggregating financial, contractual, and human-resource-related government data into a big-picture yet simultaneously granular overview, the city has improved its resilience and strengthened its ability to thrive in the new normal.

“Resilience – for cities and organisations alike – has come into focus in the wake of the pandemic,” he said. “High levels of urban resilience rely on quality infrastructure, interconnected communities and good governance. When these components link in with each other, cities can cope with and bounce back quickly from even the most challenging crisis.”

The pandemic has shown how digital transformation helps organisations evolve into location-agnostic entities that connect remote workers while delivering improved results, he added. “As we transition towards a new normal in a post-pandemic world, digital capabilities will increasingly act as a barometer for economic resilience. Unified data and analytics equip smart organisations, and smart city operators, with more reliable information, helping authorities make sense of this array of data and deploy it across the breadth of applications needed to keep their cities humming.”

Similarly, Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of Sahab Smart Solutions, explained that smart cities require a combination of technological innovations in architecture and energy, such as solar power, to run. Developing smart cities, he said, will involve leveraging the technological advancements such as data analytics, blockchains, hyperloop projects, innovative 3D printing, autonomous vehicles and drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence applications, among others.

“Proper application of such technology could lead to developing smart, liveable, and resilient digital cities governed by connected, lean governments. The result would be a competitive economy powered by disruptive technologies with a strong focus on sustainability and an interconnected society with easily accessible social services,” he said.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai currently lead the Middle East region in the global ranking of smart cities – ahead of several other advanced city hubs like Tokyo and Beijing – in the use of technology to improve the quality of life for their residents. According to the 2020 Smart City Index by The Institute for Management Development (IMD), Abu Dhabi jumped 14 spots to rank 42nd among 109 cities. The UAE’s capital was just ahead of Dubai, which climbed two positions to 43, according to the Swiss academic institute. Other cities in the region on the list included Riyadh, which rose 18 places to the 53rd spot.

rohma@khaleejtimes.com