Tamakkan “Smart Cities” on Blockchain

ABU DHABI, UAE – A gathering of UAE based and international cryptocurrency experts advocated the creation of a unified platform to connect developers, business, the government to enhance the adoption of blockchain technology in the UAE. The Tamakkan BrainTrust also articulated the need for greater experimentation and collaboration across government and private entities to unlock blockchain innovation.

 

The event, hosted at the Beach Rotana Residences, brought together government and private institutional stakeholders as well as academics, who shared insights on the role of blockchain technology and its exciting potential applications.

 

The “braintrust,” a specialised discussion focused on outcomes, featured Mohammed Mahfoudh Balfaqih, Managing Director of Peninsular Advisory, Rajesh Johnny Co-Founder Oryx Prive Investments, and Hoda al Khzaimi, Director of the Centre of Cybersecurity at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and brought together a diverse group of investors, consultants, regulators and engineers to devise a framework for the UAE.

 

Balfaqih recommended that government build a private blockchain platform by giving access to citizens and residents to data centers and IT departments in order to experiment with the development of select key products.

 

“The government can spur the adoption of blockchain technology by introducing simpler regulations and offering incentives, while the private sector can support startups by investing in them and encouraging experimentation,” he added.

 

The Municipality welcomed open discussion about the challenges and opportunities presented by blockchain technology. Omar al Hashmi, Director at the Abu Dhabi Municipality’s Knowledge Management and Innovation Department said, “blockchain is an exciting technology that will forever change many of the products and services that we use today, and this is why we should bring together stakeholders at government and private sector level to shape the conversation.”

 

Al Khzaimi, urged the creation of an ecosystem with computing power to ensure that there is adequate mining capabilities, and also the creation of open regulatory labs that bring together governments, industry and academia to build a unique local framework.

 

Johnny extolled the benefits of blockchain as a valuable tool that can solve many of the world’s challenging problems, describing blockchain as a simple and open source solution that gives trust to the people, removing inefficiencies from processes that are usually slow because they need various approvals or verifications.

 

Among the industries being disrupted by blockchain are identity management and banking, said Johnny, adding that blockchain is also unlocking much needed venture capital for startups, thereby empowering youth and creating jobs.

 

“There is a huge pile of data that can use blockchain to link departments, organizations or governments and the user’s information is protected using privacy encryption. The owner has power over the use of his or her data, and can even choose to monetize the technology”, said Johnny.

 

Sana Bagersh, CEO of BrandMoxie and founder of Tamakkan introduced the concept of ‘braintrust’ as a new forum for vital dialogue and decision-making. “We are pleased to be organizing the Smart Series for the Municipality as a vehicle for smart city transformation. Our aim is to bring together key stakeholders such as government, policy makers, research centers, financial institutions, universities and industry leaders, the media, incubators and accelerators, technology leaders, public organizations and the private sector.”

Tamakkan “Smart Cities” Series for the Abu Dhabi Municipality Engages Policy Managers

ABU DHABI, UAE – Entities in the UAE should work together and share knowledge openly to advance the creation of the Internet of Things (IoT) framework that will power the digital transformation of Abu Dhabi, said experts at “The Role of IoT in Smart Cities,” as part of the Smart Cities Tamakkan BrainTrust held by the Abu Dhabi City Municipality.


The event, which was hosted by the Beach Rotana Residences, brought together government and private institutions as well as academics who discussed new trends, challenges and insights on the role of IoT in building the shaping Smart Cities and Abu Dhabi’s nextgen vision.


The ‘braintrust’ is a gathering of highly informed individuals from diverse backgrounds who engage in open conversation and the sharing of thoughts, fears, opinions and plans on how to solve real world problems together. The purpose of holding it, as articulated by Omar al Hashmi, Director at the Abu Dhabi Municipality’s Knowledge Management and Innovation Department, is: “to create a platform for real and substantive dialogue, and involve all the players at both government and private sector level to be part of the conversation.”


Sami Al Hosaini, Head of Smart Cities and Infrastructure at the Abu Dhabi Municipality discussed some of the new technologies that are being launched across the city of Abu Dhabi, and that are envisioned for the future. The panelists of the event also included Fadi Shanaah, Regional Director, Smart Cities & Healthcare of Orange Business Services; Anthony Sayers, IoT Centre of Expertise Strategic Partnership Lead EMEA of Software AG, and Nicolas Andrieu, Vice President MEA of Sigfox FZE, and the session was moderated by Sana Bagersh, the Founder of Tamakkan.


Shanaah of Orange Business Services classified the UAE as “the most innovative country in the Middle East and a testbed for smart cities.” This sparked questions from community advocates about the implications of ‘smart city’, and the ‘inverse’ paradigm being whether seamlessly served technologies are making citizens more dependent and ‘less smart.’


In response, Shanaah cited education, at societal and business level, as the main driver of change to facilitate adoption and universal acceptance. “Just introducing technology does not make a city smart. Countries have to adapt strategies and technology should touch education, healthcare and lives.”


Nicolas Andrieu VP of MEA Sigfox explained that “Harnessing the power of IoT, public and private organizations can deliver a smarter, more efficient service that moves from being reactive to predictive, improving the quality of service for citizens and lessening the environmental impact.”


Sami Al Hosaini, Head of Smart Cities and Infrastructure at the Abu Dhabi Municipality explained Abu Dhabi’s Smart City vision by giving as a simple example as the Municipality’s running track on the Corniche which, once executed, will count a runner or walker’s steps using IoT technology. This generated a vibrant discussion on technology’s possibilities, with a member of the Abu Dhabi Police commenting that these steps of kinetic energy could potentially be converted into electricity that could be stored or donated.


One of the audience members, Hoda al Khzaimi, a Research Assistant Professor, Engineering and Director of the Center of Cyber Security at NYU stressed the need for “crowdsourcing innovation” for IoT solutions by creating collaborative hubs that can be a catalyst for youth innovation. “Any governmental entity that is about to implement smart cities solutions has to have a reliable test bed, and work with R&D teams to evaluate projects before deployment rather having third party vendors govern their own security.”


Sayers of Software AG stressed the need for government and the private sector to work closely to address security and mitigate breaches: “Citizens care about security. This is where partnerships come into the picture. As partners, we understand the value of that infrastructure.”


“Innovation hubs could be led or sponsored by high authority officials to announce special challenges across different industries and missions and set the strategic framework required to help focus on solving real problems and to streamline fragmented efforts,” said Taghrid Alsaeed, who works in government and the private sector. “It might help to develop a membership programme and an online community platform to exchange knowledge and give members of these hubs access to connect to one another and access to news, research material, workshop calendars, specific challenges, sponsorships, VCs and funding institutes.”

Sana Bagersh, CEO of BrandMoxie and founder of Tamakkan introduced the concept of ‘braintrust’ as a way to break the mold in public discourse, by bringing focused stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to engage a meaningful dialogue and build valuable impact focused collaborations. “We want to focus on real dialogue, not one-sided conversation, especially in these rapidly transforming times. We aim to bring together all stakeholders including government, policy makers, research centers, financial institutions, universities and industry leaders, the media, incubators and accelerators, telecomms and technology leaders, public organizations and the private sector.”