DUBAI 27 February 2020: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said that data is a key pillar in the strategy to realise the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the emirate into one of the world’s smartest cities.
He said that the city’s ability to enhance the efficiency of its services and facilities through smart solutions is a key indicator of its readiness in executing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision for preparing the country for greater successes over the next 50 years.
“With the technology and digital revolution transforming the world, data management has become a key driver of the new economy. Being a pioneer in implementing advanced data management is a key element in our strategy of leading the new economy taking shape across the world,” Sheikh Hamdan said. “Investing in data management is critical for Dubai to achieve its vision of becoming the happiest city in the world and enhancing the UAE’s global competitiveness. It also has a big role in increasing the decision making capabilities of government entities and developing policy and strategic initiatives to achieve the highest levels of efficiency.”
Sheikh Hamdan also noted ‘Data First, The City’s Data Challenge’ is a strategic step in Dubai’s journey towards the future, which requires the city to implement new ‘fourth industrial revolution’ tools and solutions. His Highness said the initiative gauges the real contribution of each entity in Dubai’s digital transformation. The Crown Prince called on the Smart Dubai team to further enhance the Dubai Pulse platform to meet the requirements of the next 50 years.
Data First, The City’s Data Challenge
Sheikh Hamdan’s remarks came on the occasion of the announcement of the winners of ‘Data First, The City’s Data Challenge’. The Challenge recognises entities that have made the most significant contributions to fostering a data ecosystem in Dubai. Participating entities were evaluated against five key criteria: Compliance with the Dubai Data Law (from July 2019 – Jan 2020); participation in Smart Dubai Data workshops (which enhances ecosystem engagement); collaboration in response to data requests from other government and semi-government entities; increase in the availability of data sets on Dubai Pulse by participating in ingestion cycles; and support for a data-driven culture through internal and external workshops and awareness programmes.
In tweets posted in parallel to an award ceremony organised by Smart Dubai at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Dubai, His Highness announced the highest scoring teams and entities in Data First, The City’s Data Challenge.
Challenge Winners
Roads & Transport Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Large Entity, while Knowledge and Human Development Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Medium and Central Entity.
The Smart Dubai team showed a video highlighting the progress made by the Dubai Data Champions across the Emirate of Dubai. The video was created to encourage entities that have displayed strong commitment to fostering a data ecosystem in close partnership with the Smart Dubai.
Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Smart Dubai Director-General, said, “Government entities and Semi Government Entities performed outstandingly well in the Data First Challenge, which asserts that they indeed meet the requirements of the year of preparation for the UAE’s 50th anniversary initiative.”
Dr Bin Bishr applauded the efforts of leading entities in the Challenge and urged other entities to multiply their efforts in the field.
Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director-General of Smart Dubai and CEO of Smart Dubai Data, said: “The winners of the Challenge have exhibited commendable levels of compliance with the Dubai Data Framework and Policies, populating the Dubai Pulse platform with pertinent data – and our journey is just the beginning.”
Smart Dubai launched the six-month-long Data First, The City’s Data Challenge in July 2019, to encourage its data partners to expedite their efforts to collect and share data. The Challenge enabled the Emirate of Dubai to provide more innovative use cases and support smart decision-making at the leadership level, as well as across government agencies.