The Smart Dubai initiative is to make Dubai the happiest and smartest city on earth. Its initiative presents huge opportunities for European businesses..
The Smart Dubai initiative is to make Dubai the happiest and smartest city on earth. Participation from all city stakeholders — residents, visitors, business owners, parents and families — is the cornerstone of the strategy.
Smart Dubai has made great progress in implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy, supported by its strategic partners, since the Strategy was launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai andChairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
Eliminating paper transactions will economise over one billion pieces of paper used in the Dubai Government every year, saving 130,000 trees in the process. It will additionally be saving customers more than 40 hours a year that would otherwise have been spent on paper transactions. Furthermore, the cost that would be cut is enough to feed four million hungry children around the world.
The Dubai Now Application will host all of the fully digitised government services once the Dubai Paperless Strategy is completely implemented by 2021. It is available as an online portal, providing round-the-clock government and private-sector services. The platform includes a feature providing government and private entities with the tools their teams need to design, develop and launch smart services. The Dubai Now portal also boasts a seamless user interface, provides guidance and sets alerts to remind Dubai residents not to miss any deadlines or payments.
What sets smart cities apart is their ability to meet the needs of their citizens anywhere and at any time without having to visit the Government service centres. This is achieved by fully embracing and humanising advanced technologies, and this is what the Smart Dubai initiative is trying to achieve.
The Dubai Now platform offers services under 11 different categories, namely: Security and justice, transportation, payments and bills, visas and residency, motor vehicles, health, business and employment, education, housing, Islam, and miscellaneous. It allows customers to pay traffic fines; pay DEWA, Etisalat or DU fees; top up Salik or Nol cards; locate the nearest vehicle registration centre; and many other tasks and services. A recently added service allows Dubai Now users to pay for fuel and services at any ENOC station using the app, with no need to physically carry cash or card.
Smart Dubai and its initiative present huge opportunities for European businesses. For more information, please see https://smartdubai.ae/