Issue 138 - April 2015 - dsg.gov.ae · April 2015 3 DSG news Dubai Smart Government has become the first UAE Government body to launch an official company page in Arabic on LinkedIn,

Dubai Municipality

launches “Makani”

geographical location

system for Dubai

DSG officially activates

“Happiness Meter”

Innovation at Dubai Government

Achievements Exhibition

Dubai Smart Government

launches mJobs

Issue 138 - April 2015

Issue 138April 2015 1

VisionTo become a world class smart government.

Mission To formulate and implement policies and initiatives for innovative and smart ICT usage contributing to economic welfare, social progress and global competitiveness of Dubai.

Issue 138 - April 2015

General supervisionMedia and Content

Management SectionCommunication & Business Development Department

Contact the Magazine Dubai Smart Government

Tel: 04-4056274Fax: 04-3532988P.O. Box: 90300

Email: [email protected]

An electronic version can be viewed on www.dubai.ae

The articles in this publication reflect only the author’s opinions and not necessarily those of the Smart Government or its staff. Republishing of material in this publication is not permitted without attribution of this publication as the source.

Editorial Team

4Dubai’s Municipality launches “Makani” geographical location system for Dubai

9Ministry of Health app among list of winners for best mobile government services

10Government entities challenge the imagination at the Dubai Government Achievements Exhibition

14Dubai Smart Government has officially activated “Happiness Meter” in 14 government entities

Issue 138April 20152

Smart visions

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum: A creative inspiration and beacon of culture

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai was named Cultural Personality of the Year by the trustees of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

Since taking over the reins of power, a little over nine years ago, His Highness has achieved so much in so many fields with clear evidence, working tirelessly to improve the quality of life for citizens, as well as residents and visitors of the UAE.

***A series of technological projects, free zones,

smart initiatives, and local and global awards that have been launched or sponsored by His Highness has made the UAE a leading centre for the new knowledge-based economy. His Highness was able to change the conventional concept of culture to new concepts and dimensions that are in harmony with the demands of the world we live in today. He innovated using social networking channels to communicate with his people and provide government services through smart channels that can reach users wherever they may be. This has created a new culture for UAE’s youth and the society as a whole making it an integral part of their lives.

Perhaps one of the most prominent features of His Highness’s leadership personality which enjoys a unique cultural ability; is his ability to address young people in the spirit of their time and language, provide open horizons for them and initiating dialogue so that there is a two way interaction with the youth, reflecting their personalities.

***Thanks to the wise vision of His Highness

Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE has established a leading position regionally and globally in the field of eTransformation, establishing the foundations of a solid technical environment and sophisticated infrastructure to support the emergence of a knowledge-based society.

The UAE has been ranked first regionally and the 23rd internationally, on the Networked Readiness Index 2015, issued by the Global Information Technology Report of the World Economic Forum. This is an improvement from the 49th rank in 2010, and the 28th rank in 2012 consistent with the process of accelerated digital transformation. Thanks to His Highness, we have seen the transformation to eGovernment and now a Smart Government, continuing the race towards excellence and innovation in the long journey on the path of progress for a future government.

Thanks to the directions of His Highness, we have become a top ranked country, spending magnanimously on education, technological infrastructure, and community services; and in raising awareness about e/smart services for a promising business environment.

***The UAE government with the full support of

its leadership has made it an absolute priority to improve education services, and technology in public services, health, human resources development and family; and granting the Emirati woman her rightful place to contribute to building of the country. With the growing role of social networking sites, the government has leveraged these channels for electronic participation with the public to know their opinions regarding services provided to them leading to an increase in user satisfaction and happiness.

***At the knowledge level, His Highness is

sponsoring a series of effective projects related to Islamic identity of the Emirati society; notably the charter of Arabic language, giving attention to translation, production of knowledge and documenting manuscripts and humanitarian services making him thoroughly deserving to be the undisputed Cultural Personality of the Year.

Editorial Team


DSG news

Dubai Smart Government has become the first UAE Government body to launch an official company page in Arabic on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network

on the internet with more than 347 million members across the world.

Dubai Smart Government launches UAE Government’s first LinkedIn company page in Arabic

H.E Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of the Dubai Smart Government, said: “This step is in support of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to nurture a strong national identity and adapt our communications to embrace the national language of our country. As the first UAE Government authority to launch a LinkedIn company page in Arabic, we are proud to embrace our heritage and culture, which we feel is our responsibility as a representative of Dubai’s smart future.”

Enhancing communicationBin Humaidan added, “Despite the fact that Arabic is

spoken by around half a billion people and is an official language of the United Nations, there is a lack of Arabic-language content available on the internet. As native speakers, we are all responsible for building up a strong presence of Arabic content online, and should take it upon ourselves to be responsible for developing more websites, platforms and pages that speak our language.”

Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn Talent Solutions, MENA, said: “With LinkedIn now in Arabic, our 14 million members

from the MENA region and the millions of Arabic speakers globally can grow their professional networks, access quality content, and pursue economic opportunity in the comfort of their own language. We are proud that the Dubai Smart Government chose to make this shift to Arabic on our platform, which will enable them to strengthen their talent sourcing from among our global database of members, and simultaneously position the Dubai Government as the regional pioneer in all things ‘Smart’.”

14 million usersDubai Smart Government’s Arabic LinkedIn page will

help to solidify communications between departments, companies, and individuals. Additionally, the page will serve as a solid resource for job seekers, while allowing Dubai Smart Government to access a wide base of Arabic-speaking professionals to fill role requirements. The LinkedIn company page will also list services that are provided by Dubai Smart Government, as well as detailing the work environment and providing a listing of available job opportunities. Arabic users will automatically login to the Arabic LinkedIn page, while English users can change their personal settings for English preference. •


Cover story

Dubai’s Municipality launches “Makani” geographical location system for Dubai

The first smart system of its kind in the world

A smart city has many components such as: infrastructure, roads, transportation, energy and water supply. A smart, integrated, and usable information database is vital and the first component in this information database is an effective location system. This is key to accessing all the information and services provided by the government as well as the link through which all information and data can be integrated in the interconnected government. It is in this context that HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Chairman of the Executive Council launched the Makani” Smart geographical location system, to be the first of its kind in the world. The launch was in collaboration

with Dubai Municipality.

Pinpoint accuracyThe “Makani” system enables its users to access various

destinations in the Emirate meticulously, up to a one square metre, where it derives its precise coordinates directly from satellites which identifies the location of buildings and construction sites and additional information on the coordinates of its entrances through 10 unique digits.

How Makani worksThe system consists of a smart application that

provides various advantages; most notably the easy

identification of any location on the map with an accuracy of up to a one square meter. The “Makani” app is available on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store and currently preparations are undergoing to launch a version for both Nokia and Blackberry phones.

This system is characterized by a coordinates’ converter, which converts the app’s special digits into any version of global coordinates currently available in navigation systems in cars, and smart devices; the system also provides a voice navigation feature to guide the user to his/her destination in order to make wandering through the Emirate an easy task


as well as providing information on current traffic in the streets and main roads.

For participants in this project, by one click they will be able to identify building locations, and use multiple search options such as searching for the land’s number or the traditional location system (area, street and building) in addition to the immediate conversion of common coordinates’ formats and use it in GPS systems.

Integration with Google Maps This app is integrated with Google Maps’ route

coordination process which searches for nearby locations to guide the user to government, health, education services and touristic destinations as well as save Makani’s number in the contact list; in addition to sharing the location coordinates with others and switching between English and Arabic.

All building entrances will be assigned a Makani number, especially vital buildings such as emergency hospitals, police and others. The system will also help its users in accessing specific entrances in buildings with various entrances such as malls where civil defence personnel or an ambulance for instance can choose the required entrance to speed up the emergency response process.

Makani’s 10 digitsThe Makani number is composed of 10 digits only to

identify locations and intended destinations instead of having to determine the areas name, street number and building number thereby making it easy to use by users from different cultures and languages in Dubai.

This project is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and effective projects for all user classes, the system identifies geographical locations for all buildings and their entrances as well as land borders including the Hatta area and the Free Zones. It is a complementary addition to the existing location system in the Emirate in order to access different destinations easily.

Beyond geographical coordinates His Highness Sheikh Hamdan expressed that the model

for an eTransformation of a city is not only limited to the development of apps and smart services but requires a quality change in the engineering of procedures, mechanisms for the exchange of data and the provision of a digital infrastructure equal in quality to the physical infrastructure in the city. The presence of a smart location system in a vital Emirate like Dubai which is visited by more than 10 million tourists a year and is the residence to more than 200 nationalities is one of the reasons for the creation of Makani.

His Highness pointed out that the “Makani” app is not just another smart application added to the list of smart government apps. It is a smart location system which will have economic and environmental benefits, by reducing the time of trips for different vehicles and reducing carbon emissions.

Implementation deadlineHH Sheikh Hamdan said that focus have always been

on providing innovative solutions that increases the satisfaction of residents and visitors and are connected to the details of their daily lives and ways that make it easier; since the announcement of the eTransformation of Dubai initiative, and the world has been watching the experience of Dubai making it a measurable standard.

His Highness directed Dubai’s Municipality towards the completion of the project and the distribution of all the number plates for buildings and entrances in the Emirate within six months, stressing the necessity for collaboration between the different authorities and free zones with the Municipality to achieve this.

His Highness stressed “We are keen on launching quality initiatives that contribute to achieving the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in transforming Dubai to the smartest city in the world and create a global role model; emphasizing the focus on always delivering innovative solutions that increases the satisfaction of residents and visitors, and facilitates their daily lives

A snowball effectThe launching a new smart location system by Dubai’s

Municipality will create a snowball effect for a full range of applications and smart services by both the government and the private sector. This provides new areas of development including:- Complementing contact information: This number can

be used to contact institutions in order to obtain their services; probably outweighing the mailbox or the phone number

- Nucleus for a new business guide: compatibility with the GPS represents a nucleus for launching a new business guide in Dubai that uses 3D virtual reality techniques

- Strengthening the online shipping and e-commerce economy: the new location system will make Dubai a haven for eCommerce and online shipping to homes and commercial purposes because it will enable everyone to announce their location easily. •

Issue 138April 2015

The education sectorThe study considers the

development of the governmental sector and strengthening it with innovation and creativity based on the transfer of some of the practices in the education sector to its method of work. It considers the approaches of the United States and Singapore, which lead the list of world countries in the number of universities equipped with centres that encourage social innovation. On the other hand, the study looks into the concept of education as a source of government revenues which is applied in Canada, Australia, Singapore, United States and the European Union which made higher education programs competitive globally.

Many of the innovations in the education sector in the areas of efficiency, economic modelling, distribution channels, and communication are done thanks to initiatives associated with information technology and telecommunications; and all of these sectors can pour into the service and development of government action.

Health services sectorThis part of the study focuses

on technology-based innovations, along with innovations that are based on processes, communication and coordination through information technology and telecommunications and its information storage capabilities in more reliable ways, to facilitate the immediate retrieval of medical records; thereby helping doctors and professionals in the field of health care to improve their services, enabling patients in the same time to manage

health care for themselves as in the health system in Singapore.

Innovative programs are also designed to facilitate public access to health services even after the end of a usual working day such as the Netherlands which provides health care services for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Based on these strategies, Singapore was ranked first in the category of innovation in health services among the normative group of countries, where it recorded the highest life-expectancy rate which is 76 years, along with lower infant mortality rate of 2 out of every 1,000 new born.

Social services sectorAt the level of social government-

led initiatives, the main areas of innovation include social innovation labs which are co-working spaces especially designed to increase collaboration towards bringing about a positive social change. These labs work hand in hand with governments to create new policies, improve public services, implement programs that are based on researches on needs assessment and performance, and the creation of educational communities.

The report included a model for these labs, a social innovation centre based in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that focuses on improving the quality of services provided to older populations. It also reviewed other labs in Canada that contribute to solving a wide range of social issues posing a challenge to the government such as youth unemployment.

ICT plays a major role in this regard, as it integrates these labs with social media and other statistical databases in order to do their part. Australia occupies the first place in the category of innovation in social services among the normative group of countries. The Australian government puts older populations at the top of its priorities due to reaching a life expectancy average of 73 years and older populations are considered one of the biggest beneficiaries of social services in the country, where the government has drawn up plans for pensions, subsidies and protection programs.

A nucleus for a government innovation lab

The conclusion that can be reached from this study is that a government innovation lab can represent an integrated cluster of components that are distributed in key sectors in the UAE such as education, health, and social services. Smart communication tools represent the link that brings together all these components in a state of integrated government innovation to develop the best smart services to satisfy people and improve their quality of life. •

6

فبراير 2015

�سل�سلة بحوث القمة الحكومية

االبتكار في الخدمات الحكومية

مقارنات دولية

The Government Summit 2015 which was held in February provided many intensive studies and strategic plans in the field of building a new generation of future governments that are based on creativity and innovation. The knowledge centre which was created in the summit’s online portal (thegovernmentsummit.org) represents a treasure for all those interested in building an effective government. In this issue, we will discuss one of the studies published in this centre under the title “Innovation in Government Services”. In this report, eight leading governments around the world are selected to undertake a thorough analysis of the innovative services and important programs they pursue in the sectors of education, health, and social services to meet the needs of their target audiences. UN agencies measure the efficiency of the whole system of

government through its successful performance in these sectors.

Innovation in smart services to care for the elderly & the management of health care for patients

Study


Smart strategy

Issue 137March 2015

In the first issue of our upcoming series about the strategy, we will deal with the key aspects of the 2014-2017 Dubai Smart Government Department strategy, and further elaborate on it in upcoming issues.

Aligned with Dubai and the UAE strategy

The Dubai Smart Government has begun implementing its 2014-2017 strategy under the leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The SG21 has adopted a specific direction and a clear plan which it aims to fulfil during its transition into a smart government. When planning the upcoming strategy, the Dubai Smart Government has taken into consideration the long-term vision and mission of Dubai and the UAE, which extends to 2021. The strategy’s most important aim is to reach the highest level of customer happiness and trust by employing trained and experienced professionals, which in turn will result in a competitive position globally in areas of smart governance. It is also expected that the SG21 strategy can positively affect the economy in Dubai and help in social development.

A total transformation in services

The strategy presented involves a complete transformation in methods of providing customer service and executing internal operations using smart infrastructures and technologies, and is aiming for a drastic change in terms of providing services which puts the customer at the center of attention, and

builds a smart, unified government. Organizing governmental services in ways that deliver the best results to their customers guarantees the best experience for them. Therefore, Dubai Smart Government’s strategy for delivering services in the best and most comfortable ways to its customers, whether through speed or comfortable locations, gives customers this exact experience.

It will also involve the customers in an organized, unprecedented way during this journey, and let them play a part in developing and deciding the necessary services to satisfy their needs and expectations. Communication technologies and smart data will be carefully put to work to enrich its services in high-quality, location-oriented predictable specifications aimed at satisfying nationals, residents, the business sector and visitors.

Necessity of data for planning services

The Dubai Smart Government is aware of the fact that data is very useful for executing strategy, therefore it is planning to use it in planning, decision making and providing services. It will present open data to the public through an enormous database which it has gathered over the years as part of its managerial operations. It is also in the process of expanding this database and constructing smart, valuable businesses by putting the gathered data to the best use possible in various areas, such as transport, energy, infrastructure, trade, construction and real estate, in order to support the Dubai life experience and providing its customers with services supported with an abundance of innovative data.

Shared services firstThe Dubai Smart Government has

successfully developed 61 shared eServices over the past decade, which are used today by more than 50 government departments. These shared services stand witness to the continuous success through cooperation, and have resulted in the birth of a skillful workforce which the Dubai government will continue to benefit from in shared services and will increase throughout its continuous journey. In addition to its shared services, the Dubai Smart Government works towards simplifying its internal procedures and completing them as part of its mission to focus on the customer.

The drastic change which the Dubai Smart Government is aiming for 2014-2017 will be supported by a number of effective factors; and integrated marketing campaigns will be organized to raise awareness about its smart service and open data, in addition to applying information security policies to protect systems, services and infrastructures, thanks to increasing the employee skills through knowledge management and smart learning programs.

Last but not least, the legal frameworks and work policies will be reinforced to support and sustain the strategy. It is after all, aiming to use its previous achievements to keep excelling, as part of its commitment to the executive leadership of Dubai Government. •

“As the world constantly changes so are people’s expectations and thus the need to daily monitor these changes to provide services tailored to people’s needs”. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. With these words the Dubai Smart Government commences its 2014-2017 strategy (called SG21) which is representative of the government agency’s course of action for the next three years. We have committed to publish this document in our magazine in order to help businesses and decision makers who are connected to the Dubai government in order to prepare their plans in accordance with the new directions and project which will be launched by the emirate. Individuals too are concerned with the new strategy

for it will help them plan their personal lives better.

Key aspects of Dubai Smart Government’s strategy for 2014-2017

Issue 138April 2015

mJobs is a smart app for locating government jobs in Dubai through smart devices. It enables fresh graduates or experienced professionals to register for free, search for job vacancies in 18 Dubai government entities that have so far joined the app and at the same time apply for the job.

AdvantagesThe mJobs app was implemented

by the Government Resources planning Systems Department (GRPS) at DSG as a distinguished smart solution and app. The app has both Arabic and English interfaces and has many features including;• Creating a new account to view

available job vacancies • Synchronizing same account with

DSG’s eJob portal www.ejob.ae• Searching by department,

publication date and keywords• Adding job vacancies to job basket

to view and apply later• Sharing job vacancies through

multiple channels and apply or share with friends

• Uploading files, CVs and photos (from dropbox or smart phone)

• Enabling applicants to login using Facebook

• Applying for available vacancies • Viewing related notifications and

track application status

H.E. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, DSG Director General, said: “The launch of this smart app is in line with the theme of connected smart services as per our DSG Strategy 2014-2017, which calls for government services to be provided through smart devices. It is also in response to our customers’

feedback and in fulfillment of the leadership’s vision to contribute to the satisfaction and happiness of all those living in our emirate by bringing together as many government entities as possible.” Bin Humaidan pointed out that the new app would effectively contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai on all international indices, enabling it to become the smartest government regionally and globally.

Dedicated achievement Bin Humaidan added: “The GRPS

team was able to carry out this project over a record time of two months of hard work which continued even on holidays, benefiting from the internal qualified technical and technological cadres without any technological support from any external parties. Our launch of this app enables both cost and time saving. Government

entities can use this shared service instead of creating their own, while job-seekers can use the app instead of approaching each entity separately. These type of smart services fulfil our objective of bringing happiness to people. Based on this, customers can also express how far they are satisfied with the app by clicking the “Happiness Meter” icon on the app page.”

Additional servicesThe app features many other

services including information on the app, how to communicate with DSG and the websites of government entities. DSG also provides the necessary app-related support for the public round the clock through the unified contact centre AskDubai on 600560000 or email [email protected]. •

التجارة اإللكترونية

8

In implementation of the smart government and smart city initiative of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and the ‘Dubai Government Towards 2021’ initiative of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council; Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG), together with Careers UAE 2015, has launched

the mJobs app on the Apple Store.

Dubai Smart Government launches mJobs appApp offers job vacancies for 18 Dubai government entities

mJob


Ministry of Health app among list of winners for best mobile government services

The Ministry of Health App topped the list of winners at the national level in the second round of the «Best mobile government services». The services provided by this app made it the users’ favourite whether in health emergencies, or when looking for nearby hospitals, good doctors and many

other effective services.

An easy and convenient list

The app is available in both Arabic and English, and its home screen features a menu of nine options: hospitals, service guide, tests, health facilities, medications guide, doctors’ guide, body mass index, a poll, in addition to a ‘communicate with the Minister’ option.

Under this last option there is another drop down menu, through which users can communicate with the ministry’s social channels, identify the most commonly used page and mark it as a “favourite”, call an ambulance or send notes and complaints.

At the top of the page, is the full menu for the app that includes the ministry’s activities, information and communication channels.

Most important servicesThe “health facilities” service

identifies the geographical location of the user on the map, and connects him/her to the nearest health services facilities in the area.

The “hospitals” service searches for a specific hospital and its branches all over the UAE, showing all the required information.

The “doctors’ guide” service enables the user to search for a certain doctor, to inquire about a

doctor’s location and how to reach him/her.

The “communicate with the Minister” service promotes direct communication between officials and the public in the UAE. The user can send notes directly regarding all matters related to medical errors, open data, the availability of certain medications or any issues relating to health care in general.

In the “services guide” menu the user can search for all services relating to children, individuals, society, public and private hospitals, students and others in both administrative and therapeutic services so as to get to what they want in a matter of seconds. •

Mobile apps


Happiness achievements

Under the slogan “local government… global achievements” Dubai government entities showcased their services and apps at the Dubai Government Achievements Exhibition last month for 3 days at the Dubai World Trade Centre . Even these 3 days were not enough for

visitors to see the government imagination in reality. Here are some of the highlights:

Government entities challenge the imagination at the Dubai Government Achievements Exhibition

Carnival of smart apps and innovation organized by Dubai Government Excellence Program of The Executive Council

Executive Council strengthens public sector performance

The Executive Council launched the “The Organization Design Guidebook”, available in both electronic and print versions. This guide strengthens the capacities of the public sector based on an integrated set of tools to create and develop organizational structure, enhance HR and raise the investment quality of available resources. The guide establishes important scientific foundations and standards in the field of organizational development, and can be considered a point of reference for every government authority of any size or specialization. The success of this initiative comes as a result of the availability of strong and stable infrastructure which indirectly promotes the entrepreneurial role of the government sector in Dubai; and the march towards a strategic approach for the city that creates a clear and effective change to reach the required government competencies and services.

Hayakom from KHDA

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) Dubai launched the “Hayakom” initiative which serves visitors providing them with the finest hosting services and a faster completion of procedures and paperwork. The authority provides a special bundle of services managed by a specialized team to give the user a

premium quality experience. It is also worth mentioning that KHDA was ranked first in the category of user satisfaction in the Dubai Government Excellence Program for 2014, achieving a 95.1% satisfaction.

Dubai Statistics Center

Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) also reviewed statistical methods and smart services detailing its statistical mechanisms both on the field and on desktops, in addition to reviewing the enormous positive returns of their research for government authorities, academics or students. DSC also showcases their new website which presenting simplified ways for the user to access information. The website offers statistics on the government sector, business, and individuals in the form of graphs and numbers using a simple search engine.

DSG’s eTransformation services Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG) showcased

its latest services and app, which can be jointly used by government entities in Dubai. These included mPay, mDubai, MyID, Smart Employee and the DRS centre. It also launched the Happiness Meter as a centralized platform initially for 14 government entities to measure happiness and satisfaction. The Meter is directly linked to a dashboard shown to decision makers in Dubai.


Dubai Municipality’s achievements Observers have long considered Dubai Municipality

to be the foundation of all government services in Dubai, based on their size, employees, achievements and innovations. Many of their new services and apps focus on the environment and the culture of the city. For example their Public Beaches and Parks app, is very useful to know locations, timings and facilities available in Dubai. Another app called ‘Aleef’ for pet owners, allows them to electronically update their pet’s information and registration easily and in a transparent manner.

Smart Airports app from DCAThe Dubai Civil Aviation authority which regulates the

airports in Dubai, also showcased its smart app. The app allows for landing permits, approval certificates for various substances, aerial photography and many other services that facilitate the work of the aviation sector. Most of these services require a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy, but these can now be in done in Dubai at the press of a button on an app.

DEWA’s sustainable solutionsDubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) offered

three smart initiatives focusing on sustainability: connecting solar energy panels in homes, smart meters and solar charging stations for cars. Such services represent the future for Dubai the smart and sustainable city.

DHA’s smart healthOn its part, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) offered its

smart services making the process of finding hospitals and tracking treatment easier and more convenient. Services on the app include a list of the facilities under DHA, their locations on the map, viewing lab results, appointments, health cards and information about primary health care centers.

For those wishing to donate blood, the app makes it easy to register and track donation campaigns. The Sejely (My Record) enables users to keep track of their own medical examination results and display it in a chart.

Dubai Police security servicesDubai Police offered various apps and 87 smart

services. These included reporting minor accident through the app, report bounced cheques, traffic violations etc. They also showcased the latest forensic and detective services, which has made Dubai Police a leading force in the world.

Smart Customs Other than their services on smartphones, tablets

and watches, Dubai Customs also showed visitors some aspects of their ‘Risk Engine’ which allows easy movement of goods and people.

The Risk Engine system has been developed internally in accordance with the best practices in risk management; allowing the system to process 84% of non-hazardous transactions and clear it electronically around the clock without any human intervention and in less than 2 minutes.

Another service to scan shipping containers was also displayed by Dubai Customs. The service can scan 150 trucks within one hour. This was also developed in-house by Dubai Customs

for effective protection of the country’s borders, eliminating unnecessary resources and strengthening risk management with minimal disruption to the movement of goods.

Smart Residency The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners

Affairs (GDRFA) presented its smart gates which has a self-service system for easy travel at airports. The gates recognize travellers from their passports, Emirates ID or barcode on smartphone, allowing easy access in less than 20 seconds. Travellers can pre-register their bio-metrics, so that the gate automatically opens when they present their ID, fingerprint and eye scan. You can get your own barcode or access to the eye scan, via the smart app available on all app stores under the name (GDRFA Dubai).

Smart AwqafAwqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation showcased

the first green mosque, located in Garhoud which can accommodate 3500 worshippers. Through this project, the foundation aims to transform mosques in Dubai to environmentally-friendly mosques using materials that are compatible with renewable energy resources, thermal insulation systems, and energy conservation. In addition to reducing the use of gases depleting the ozone in air conditioners; the project also saves about 20% of water consumption and 25% of electricity consumption compared to other mosques.

RTA’s Wojhati serviceIn addition to reviewing services, the Roads and

Transport Authority (RTA) revealed the results of its Wojhati travel planner services. From 505,000 users in 2013, it had jumped to 740,000 users in 2014, an increase by 47%, showing a qualitative leap in usage and satisfaction. •


Across border services

Purpose of the serviceThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs

provides citizens wishing to travel abroad with the “Tawajody” service in the context of the ministry’s keenness on communicating with the citizens during their travel and stay abroad especially to provide guidance, advice and direct intervention in times of crises and emergencies..

The Ministry issued a brochure that describes the services and benefits that can be provided by diplomatic and consular missions abroad,. It contains advice and general travel instructions to ensure a flight free

of difficulties and problems.. It also asked all citizens to review these services before travelling.

Subscribing to the serviceCitizens can subscribe to the

service through the Ministry’s website (www.mofa.gov.ae) by clicking on the “Tawajody” service at the top of the website, or by downloading the Ministry’s app (MOFA UAE) on smartphones available on both iOS and Android.

Elderly people and those with special needs can also subscribe to the service by calling the toll-free number 80044444.

How the service works The subscription process does not

require more than filling in information only once, to obtain a special user name that enables a citizen to announce his/her future flights, or check the status of his/her current flights to update them or cancel them. When travelling abroad, a citizen can request help or assistance in the case of an emergency, and the UAE with its foreign missions possessing the citizens’ full information can direct the required necessary help for them. citizens’ full information can direct the required necessary help for them. •

The UAE is keen on providing the best services in order to provide prosperity and a happy life. The smart shift is considered a helping factor towards serving users by accessing useful services anytime and anywhere. In this series we review government services across borders starting with the “Tawajody”

service provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Tawajody” Service, guarantees the protection of every citizen across all

borders and distances


eMonitor

Dubai Police launches new version of its app on smartphones

One user interface for multiple services in six languages

DGEP creates new category for smart

transformation

Dubai Police created a new design for its app on mobile phones (Android &iOS) that has newly added languages of German, Chinese, French, Russian, in addition to Arabic and English. In this new version, the users can arrange services in accordance with their interests.

The new Dubai Police smart app guarantees the simplification and standardization of procedures in service centres, reduction of waiting time by the user and the time needed to complete paperwork and provision of one user interface for all systems to finish different kinds of paperwork (traffic, criminal, permits and certificates) in all service centers.

The app also allows the highest service delivery standards on smartphones including uploading video clips by the public through the “we are all police” program that contributes to achieving the highest transparency and credibility standards. The app identifies the

location of the video and the time it was recorded as to refute any hypothesis to object the non-occurrence of the violation.

Colonel Khaled Nasser Al-Razzouqi, General Manager of Smart Services in Dubai Police said that among the widely used services on smartphones are “inquiries and paying fines. He also added, “Getting used to these services needs time and awareness on the part of the public. However, currently the response is considered to be good from a large segment of the public and we expect to see an increase in numbers in the coming period especially after adding new languages and promoting these services in the media”.

The “report an incident” service has recorded 6585 transaction since its launch. This is a service that enables the public to report a minor accident through photographing the damaged vehicles and sending it through the app to Dubai Police.

The Secretary-General of the Executive Council, H.E Abdallah Al Shaibani recently announced that a new category called ‘Most distinguished government entity in smart transformation’ would be added to the next round of the Dubai Government Excellence Program. This new category was developed in collaboration with Dubai Smart Government.

The Dubai Government Excellence Program team has implemented a number of introductory workshops to introduce the new category including standards and evaluation mechanisms. This to ensure that they are ready before the deadline of 3 years for eTransformation set by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council. The number of participating government entities increased to 29 for this round which has been updated to focus increasing user satisfaction and the shift to a smart government.

The program has contributed to the development of the work of government entities and for world-class results, surpassing the results of many developed countries; in addition to achieving superior user satisfaction results for this year compared to last year’s results. The average user satisfaction rate for government authorities in Dubai for the year 2013 reached 91%

Issue 138April 2015

Dubai Smart Government has officially activated “Happiness Meter” in 14 government entities

In a practical step to implement the Happiness Meter initiative launched in October 2014 by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG) announced

that it has officially activated the Happiness Meter for 14 government entities.

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Happiness Index

The 14 Dubai government entities who have so far activated the Happiness Meter service on their websites and affiliated service centres include: DEWA, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Courts, RTA, Dubai Culture, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Statistics, AMAF, Finance Department, DSG, Islamic Affairs, KHDA and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Happiness FirstH.E. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, DSG

Director General, said: “This step for actual implementation of the Happiness Meter initiative, which HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, launched and HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, instructed to be promptly implemented in government entities; is taken to interactively measure the happiness of Dubai›s residents, visitors and tourists as well as their satisfaction with the government services on a daily basis that takes into consideration the rapid changes and the people›s rapidly changing expectations. The measurements will be done via smart and electronic devices installed in the headquarters of government entities

and connected to a central network that monitors this meter and sends daily reports to decision-makers to identify the geographical and government zones that are the happiest about and most satisfied with government services with the aim of developing them and improving the happiness of the public about the services provided to them.”

Bin Humaidan added: “This service is activated based on the importance of combining the efforts of Dubai’s government entities to ensure the fulfillment of the leadership’s vision of meeting all the necessary requirements that will contribute to bringing happiness to all by raising the efficiency of government entities in terms of providing their services to the public and strengthening the necessary infrastructure. I am confident that this new service will effectively contribute to promoting Dubai’s competitiveness globally, enabling Dubai government to become the smartest government regionally and globally. Additionally, the service will help the UAE maintain its top position regionally on the ‘International Happiness Index’, which it secured in 2014 and also its top position globally on the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer in terms of people›s trust in government, trust in the

economy and the government›s ability to stimulate innovation.”

A centralized service Earlier, DSG organized a workshop

attended by 90 employees representing 26 governmental entities in order to publicize the ‘Happiness Meter Initiative’ and arrange for implementing it with the aim of providing a smart, interactive and easy to use the software development kit connected with centralized electronic network to daily measure the happiness of the public and their satisfaction with the government services provided to them, making this kit a common centralized service to be added to the bouquet of shared services provided by DSG to all Dubai government entities.

DSG has provided the technical support for the project and will complete the first phase in the upcoming days by providing the government entities with an interactive dashboard to monitor the result and ensure successful fulfillment of the leadership’s vision towards cementing the steps taken to achieve smart government and make Dubai the smartest city globally and the first city in the world that interactively measures the happiness of its inhabitants, visitors and tourists on a daily basis. •


Social Networks

#MyDubai

I chaired a cabinet meeting, where we approved to host GCC police headquarters in Abu Dhabi*

* Translated

I attended the distribution of the Dubai Government Excellence Awards.. Achievements of government made me proud*

We have given a 2-year grace period to government entities to carry out the smart government project. We have promised the people in charge who do not achieve the goal that a farewell party will be held for them at the end of the said period.*

Tweets from the leader

Snapshots from the biography of Dubai on Instagram

Issue 138April 2015

You can chose from the options: my places, my routes or my home.

Use and downloadRTA Smart Drive app

The application will calculate the route and give the user choices to avoid traffic jams and Salik as well

2

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For more information call:

800 9090

The application will show a 3D map with real time navigation voice instruction and the main land marks on the route

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The user can also search for a certain location through the name in Arabic or English.Then the user can select the destination result.

The application is available for download on both App Store and GooglePlay

Apps wizard

Issue 138 - April 2015 - dsg.gov.ae · April 2015 3 DSG news Dubai Smart Government has become the first UAE Government body to launch an official company page in Arabic on LinkedIn,

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