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UAE: Sensor-backed clams, five-minute permits among govt innovations showcased in Dubai
Ten participants were chosen to present their innovative case studies at the ‘Edge of Government’ exhibition being held during the World Government Summit
- PUBLISHED: Wed 12 Feb 2025, 1:59 PM
Some of the top government innovations from around the world are being showcased in Dubai, these include: sensor-buckled clams that naturally detect water contaminants and being able to get temporary permit in five minutes for underutilised urban areas.
Ten participants were chosen to present their innovative case studies at the ‘Edge of Government’ exhibition being held during the World Government Summit. Here are some of the key innovations:
Natural protectors
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Natural methods may often be overlooked as advanced technology now helps us tackle complex problems. Traditional water testing, however, occurs at certain periods of time. This leaves gaps in detecting crucial microbes or contaminants in the water. So, instead of turning to high-tech solutions, Dr Piotr Klimaszyk looked to nature’s natural protectors – clams.
Under normal conditions, these sea creatures naturally detect pollution. When we strap sensors to them, they clamp down their shells to stop the flow of contaminants. So, while artificial sensors provide accurate and precise information, these 'natural sensors' give a real-time, comprehensive assessment of water toxicity.
Five-minute permit
Eunji Kang, head of systems change and experimental products at Dark Matter Labs, created a solution for urban licensing in vacant areas. Starting in her native South Korea, her team in London were able to work with the city of Daegu and think of new ways of turning vacant spaces into something functional, if even temporary. Typically, getting approval is a slow process, and temporary licensing from official entities takes a minimum of six or seven days, Kang said.
“However, with our innovation, you can usually get a permit within five minutes,” she said. She added, “What if we just design the route together with the citizens, and then how we operate user space, turn it into a digital template. As long as you meet those requirements, you can get automatic pre-approval, which then serves as a temporary permit to use a certain space based on specific conditions.” She added that this also helps the community to have jurisdiction over the property, rather than the sole owner of that building.
Healthcare bureaucracy streamlined
In other areas, such as healthcare, Friso Landstra and Harry Kruiter have found a solution to streamline bureaucratic processes between patients and healthcare workers. The Dutch duo identified a problem in healthcare spending after speaking with vulnerable families who were not being properly communicated with. After identifying the patients’ solutions, they “started working through bureaucracy to make these simple solutions these families designed for themselves to happen,” Kruiter tells Khaleej Times.
“The first part of the method is basically helping professionals ask the right questions so citizens can design their own plan,” he said. “The way they talk to citizens becomes a bit muddled through that. So, we basically emancipate them to learn to make exceptions to the norm so that they become better caretakers.” Kruiter added that the second step of the method is a web-based platform that legitimises those exceptions by providing information and using that in their health plan.
“There's a little cost-benefit analysis. Because we learned that most of the plans are way cheaper, it helps to legitimise if you can say this family‘s [plan] costs 100,000 and after the breakthrough it will cost 60,000, for instance.” Landstra added, “We have a tremendous number of rules that you have to follow, and in other countries, they’re running against the same problem.” Kruiter said that so far, they have helped 5,000 patients in the Netherlands and over 10,000 healthcare professionals.
Community-centered innovation
In collaboration with Cameroonian authorities, Bupe Mwambingu, a UK-based genetic scientist, came up with plan to study microbes to produce better crops. In Mwambingu’s vision, she puts the community at the forefront. “The security of the resources become everybody’s business,” she said, adding how the native population should benefit as much as the other stakeholders.
The biotechnologist saw how some communities that lacked legal frameworks, their natural resources were exploited by international companies, with no benefit given to the local community. And even with the appropriate laws, she told Khaleej Times, “You can have the legal framework, but if you are dealing only with government, it’s not the vision. The vision is the people and the community.”
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.