SMART IS AS SMART DOES
ICT is as much of a game-changer as steam and electricity were before it. As such, it is only a matter of how quickly you factor it into your economy.
The smart city is no longer a media-worthy soundbite, but a forward-looking urban reality of an information economy. Qatar's concrete steps to trace the ICT curve are in full view, with over 40% of its urban areas already meeting smart criteria. The consequences are comprehensive, ranging from smart traffic and airport management at the civic level, to logistics at the commercial end, with the shipments of the diversifying economy expedited by zeroes and ones.
Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), home to Total Research Centre-Qatar (TRC-Q), is the country's proverbial ICT hub that incubates blue-sky thinkers, promotes relevant SMEs, and turns facilitated R&D activity into marketable products. Some of those have included M2M services platform, like LabeebTM, and Arabic e-content delivery platform KutobiTM.
Leading the charge is the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), which forecasts Qatar's overall ICT market scaling USD4 billion by 2021.
TASMU Smart Qatar Program (TASMU) is the poster-boy of the MoTC's drive to meet goals set out in the Qatar National Vision 2030; it spans the five key sectors of transport, logistics, environment, healthcare, and sports. The program is effectively an ongoing dialogue between the local ICT community and priority sectors to ensure that Qatar's technological needs are met and opportunities capitalized on, wherever possible through local content. The myriad aspects of the smart revolution encompassing cybersecurity, AI, and the application of 5G in urban planning were on display at the safe smart cities-themed Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition 2019 (QITCOM 2019), another springboard for TASMU. Another exhibitor and sponsor of QITCOM 2019 was Hamad International Airport (HIA), an exemplar of smart applications that employ robotics in biometric-enabled passenger handling from self-check-in to self-bag-drop, pre-immigration, and self-boarding.
Upping the scale from micro to macro, we arrive at Lusail City, lying close to the capital city of Doha and first announced as Qatar secured the 2022 World Cup. With a strong commercial focus, the wired/wireless urban environment spanning 38sqkm will rely upon the Lusail Command & Control Centre (LCCC) for the integrity of its vast data center, sustainably of course. The area's cooling system, among the largest in the world, features 175km of piping estimated to spare the air around 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Ultimately, around 450,000 switched-on residents will call Lusail home. Meanwhile, telcos like Ooredoo are introducing 5G cellular networks earmarked for rollout at the end of 2019.
We arrive at Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) Smart City, where every building aims to hold an average gold rating within the international LEED certification system, with others shooting for platinum. It is home to the smart experience center of ICT stalwart Huawei, itself a pioneer of the 5G and AI capabilities that drive connectivity. The project will boast around 1 million sensors feeding vital data to the smart systems of home, street, and office, while over 9,000 plus CCTV cameras will provide a sense of security.
Late in 2018, Msheireb Properties, an arm of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, was awarded at the World Smart City Awards for the aforementioned urban scheme, identified as the world's second-smartest city. MDD's other 2018 awards encompassed health and safety and sustainability, including accolades from the National Programme for Conservation and Energy (Tarsheed).
Qatar's smart vision is a regulated, ICT-driven springboard to broader economic aspirations; one that immediately chimes with tomorrow's innovators, the tech-savvy of generations X and Z.
SMART IS AS SMART DOES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority
Given its successful performance in the last few years, QFC is optimistic it will be able to capitalize on Qatar's ongoing efforts to create a world-class business environment and attract more global companies.
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Lolwah R M Al-Khater, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on pushing forward Qatar's foreign policy, sharing information and perspectives that could be useful for regional security and advancing the Qatari narratives on many issues facing the world today.
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Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Qatar Foundation
The first country in the world to track its citizens' genomes, Qatar is on track to make one of modern science's biggest breakthroughs by personalizing medical treatment and precision care.
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Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister, Transport and Communications (MoTC)
With plans for a fully electric bus system and an impressive set of interconnected transportation options including metro, rail, and tram, the Ministry of Transport and Communication is shifting mobility into the next gear in Qatar.
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Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank (QCB)
Encouraging local manufacturing, initiating self-sufficiency in dairy and farm products, expanding into new air and sea routes, offering select visa-free entry, and enacting fiscal reforms are but several of the successful reforms undertaken since 2017.
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Sean Kelly, Project Director, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is no ordinary mall: with 650 hotel rooms, a 6,000-sqm cinema with 18 screens, six slides, three toboggan runs, and an ice river opening in September 2020, it is looking to slide into Qatar's tourism infrastructure in time for the World Cup.
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Mehmed Zingal, General Manager, Turkish Airlines - Qatar
With its 30th year celebration of its Miles&Smiles club launch in Qatar, Turkish Airlines is acknowledging its continued diligence to provide the best customer service, with targets to increase customer happiness through innovative technologies and increasing tourism to Qatar for the future.
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Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (QU)
Ranked in the top-500 universities by the Times Higher Education, Qatar University improves students' academic success by supporting students throughout their academic lifecycle, from the pre-university stage to beyond graduation.
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A lesson learned
The international attention set to fall on Qatar over the coming years is significant only to the extent that it generates advances in human capital required by Qatar's blueprint, National Vision 2020, where local know-how and innovation advance the nation and promote wellbeing.
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Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health & Managing Director,, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
The health minister is committed to continuing the growth of Qatar's healthcare system, with plans for more than 20 new facilities specializing in pediatrics, geriatrics, and mental health.
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