The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and Microsoft have announced a new collaboration with Microsoft-UAE during GITEX 2021 Technology Week, around the SMART City framework, to facilitate several key initiatives in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) enables DMT and Microsoft to work together to realise the Department’s ambition to make Abu Dhabi one of the world smartest cities by leveraging Microsoft's local data centres, which offer enterprise-class performance, agility, security and privacy measures. Microsoft is bringing its extensive global knowledge and experience with its wide selection of innovative solutions to continue its overall contribution to the UAE's digitisation journey.
“We have been deploying innovative solutions and unlocking cutting-edge technologies to provide a positive economic and societal impact on our country,” said His Excellency, Omar Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Institutional Affairs at DMT: “We are proud to develop key infrastructure to accelerate our ongoing digital transformation journey to create a safer and more sustainable living experience for the people. Our partnership with Microsoft is a representation of our ongoing commitment to meet Abu Dhabi’s aspirations to position itself as one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world .”
The initiatives will enhance several of Abu Dhabi’s focus areas, including its digital transformation, users’ experience, safety, sustainability, accessibility and transportation, among others.
“Our association with DMT reflects Microsoft’s continued support for the UAE ongoing development and our commitment to creating smarter cities powered by innovative solutions,” said Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE. “We are excited to be part of the nation’s ambitious plans and bringing to life smart city visions which have the potential to set a blueprints for regional and global cities.”
The planned SMART City approach will build or reinforce the implementation of an IOT Hub, advocate open data, secure platforms, mobile applications, improve digital twins, alongside other technological advancements. With its residents in mind, the collaboration will be focusing on more personalised customer experience, providing a 360°-view dashboard, proactive engagements, enabling intelligent municipal and transport services. In addition, the workplace transformation and operational optimization will focus on empowering frontline teams with smart devices and necessary insights, improving data-driven decision making, agility and operational efficiency through a clear roadmap for the DMT Cloud journey.
Furthermore, The New MoU upskills the DMT workforce, accelerating workplace optimization through process automation and low-code platforms, empowers employees and fosters teamwork through collaborative tools and platforms that have enabled job creation, entrepreneurship and economic growth across the country. Current data residencies in the UAE have enabled government organisations to comply with regulatory frameworks to reduce barriers to cloud adoption.