Her Excellency (H.E.) Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai City Office (SDO) visited the Dubai Customs Office to hold a strategic meeting with H.E. Ahmed Mahbooh Musabih, Director, Dubai Customs. Accompanied by a delegation from the SDO, the Director General presented its general plan to introduce the SDO's objectives and strategies to help forge and reinforce essential partnerships with various stakeholders inside and outside the UAE, in order to achieve key results in the efforts to implement a smart transformation. Also present during the meeting were Dubai Custom officials, which included a number of assistants to the director general, directors of administration, and heads of departments.
According to the SDO, Dubai Customs is considered to be one of the founding and strategic partners in the process to transform the emirate into a leading smart city. During the meeting, Dubai Customs officials were given a briefing on the SDO's roadmap towards development, which covers a list of intensive programs, initiatives and quick response activities designed to support the efforts to achieve the vision of His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the emirate into the smartest city on earth by 2017.
Dr. Aisha pointed out that the meeting is aimed towards presenting the SDO's roadmap and strategy to its partners, while also sharing the current developments, updates and achievements of the SDO. She lauded Dubai Customs for the significant role it plays in the pursuit to become a leading smart city of the future.
Dr. Aisha stated, “The partnership at work is the foundation of our success and we are here today in Dubai Customs to present the smart solutions for the prosperity and happiness of Dubai residents.”
Commenting on the structuring of the SDO, H.H. Younis Al Nasser, CEO, Dubai Data Establishment, noted that the move is considered to be an advanced step in the transformation process. The office is an umbrella of Smart Dubai Government Establishment, which is considered as the technological arm of Smart Dubai and Dubai Data Establishment—aiming to disseminate and facilitate a smooth exchange of data between public and private sectors along with some potential committees of Smart Dubai City, such as Smart Infrastructure Committee and other committees to push the wheel of transformation with all the necessary requirements and efforts.
“Our vision is widely reflected in the unified efforts to transform Dubai into the happiest city in the world at all levels and across all walks of life. We are poised to do this by utilizing the latest innovative technologies that provide smart services for the happiness of our citizens and residents,” said Younis.
Younis showcased the main pillars of the initiative, including efficiency, safety, smoothness and strong influence. He also provided a summary for open and shared data, which is the most comprehensive and ambitious data worldwide. The fruits of these data will be reaped by all stakeholders, including the decision-makers, employers, Dubai residents and visitors. The Dubai Data Establishment assumes the responsibility for approving, implementing and supervising policies; adopting the classification of data; identifying the reference records and following up on commitments of data providers to comply with these set policies.
H.E. Wesam Al Abbas Lootah, CEO of SDG, referred to the planning system of government resources, where more than 50 government bodies participate in this system, through which the salaries of more than 79,000 employees have been paid. He also spoke about the ‘Dubai Now’ app, a comprehensive platform for united services. According to him, there are currently 22 organizations and entities taking part in this application, which provides more than 50 smart services and have resulted in the delivery of over four million transactions.
He also presented the latest updates that allow the participating bodies to put their smart services on the platform, as well as to update and develop them in accordance with the user’s requirements, thereby allowing the platform to become open for all to use, whether by individuals or groups. Moreover, he demonstrated the establishment's strategy, which is based on four key pillars--connected services, automated services, shared services and infrastructure.
H.E. Wesam Lootah further explained that the Smart Dubai platform is the new digital backbone that works on transforming Dubai into a smart city. He shared that this platform is designed for all to benefit from, because it works on unifying services for the smart city. He added that the huge data, cloud computing and the internet along with empowering the strategic partners, will benefit the private sector from open and shared data of the city.
Dr. Aisha concluded the meeting by presenting some important areas that would need the cooperation and support of Dubai Customs. Both parties agreed on the importance of cooperation and unified efforts in order to achieve the vision of the country’s wise leadership through holding constructive meetings between the SDO and Dubai Customs, which will contribute to the development and innovative solutions that SDO seeks to provide in support of the Smart Dubai initiative. This big initiative needs mutual efforts to provide shared smart services that are aimed to please the residents of Dubai.
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