The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority recently announced the initiation of a project to collaborate with the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science in the field of developing big data, artificial intelligence, and data science.
This project marks a significant step in enhancing cooperation between the two parties by sharing knowledge and exchanging expertise to improve the efficiency of transportation services and other services provided by the authority to the public of all sectors of society.
This collective collaboration aims to facilitate structural changes in the authority’s data-driven framework, enabling better decision-making and providing access to reliable data for utilization at both local and global levels.
Nine working teams specializing in various fields have been formed within the authority to address different problems related to directives, quality, technology, data access and legal conditions, privacy, and providing suitable analyses to estimate costs and benefits associated with using big data.
Mohamed Almazrabi, the Executive Director of Institutional Technical Support Services at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership between the authority and the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data. The authority is continuously seeking to enhance its big data capabilities due to their significance in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and other technologies pivotal in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which the authority places great emphasis on in its efforts to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world.
Almazrabi stated that as an active member of the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data, the authority joined two important task forces within the committee. These teams cover various aspects such as using mobile phone data in transportation statistics, training courses, competencies, capacity building in big data, data science, and artificial intelligence in the mobile phone data team.
The authority functions as a contributing head and member, actively participating in creating a comprehensive guide on using mobile phone data in transportation statistics in collaboration with the committee. This guide will provide insights and valuable methodologies for utilizing mobile phone data in transport planning and decision-making.
It was pointed out that this collaboration between the two parties aligns with the vision of the Roads and Transport Authority to become a data-centric institution, supporting the UAE’s goal of enhancing digital government services and practices.
Through the use of mobile phone data, capacity development, and fostering international cooperation, the authority leads innovation and shapes the future of transportation in the country, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The authority’s participation in training and capacity development, as well as the capacity-building team, highlights its commitment to promoting knowledge transfer and skill development in the field of big data and data science. Through this engagement, the authority aims to enhance the capabilities and skills of transportation specialists, leverage the latest technologies, and promote a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Regarding this, Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the Statistics Division at the United Nations in New York, stated: “Our office has successfully collaborated with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center in the UAE for several years concerning big data, and we look forward to further productive collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority, especially in the development of data-driven policies and public services in sustainable transportation.”
Furthermore, we also hope that the authority will contribute to cooperation with the Regional Center for Big Data in the UAE, which focuses on capacity building in using big data, artificial intelligence, and data science for the statistical community in the Middle East and North Africa region.”
Schweinfest also added that a UN platform has been established at the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center in the UAE, where the Roads and Transport Authority effectively collaborates with these two entities in the field of big data and data science.
The platform aims to facilitate projects in using big data and data science for official statistics and indicators of sustainable development goals, exchanging knowledge about cutting-edge technologies and tools, and providing training on using big data, artificial intelligence, and data science in the region.
