Achieving Safety Through Technology

Published Date: 17 September, 2022

Last updated on: 24 April, 2023

Click here to read the original article in Arabian Business.

The UAE and its focus on providing digital solutions is evidence that the current and future strategies are generating an ecosystem of safety while implementing technological advances.

The digital revolution in the UAE is on the brink of propelling the country to a substantial increase in economic growth and higher levels of sustainable development across critical sectors, including healthcare, transportation, and education.

The UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025 and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy have set the foundation for the country to grow, with several objectives in place for the years ahead. The introduction of digital and technology-based initiatives is at the forefront of these strategies, which place a vested interest in the safety of residents and visitors.

The UAE and its focus on providing digital solutions is evidence that the current and future strategies, which are economically viable and beneficial to its people, are generating an ecosystem of safety while implementing technological advances.

The UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025 aligns with several other strategies set by the UAE Government, including 4IR. The strategy’s primary objectives include making the country fit for the digital age through emerging technologies and new trends that will increase resident satisfaction, resulting in a safer and more stable society while bridging the digital divide.

A key element of the strategy is the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI), which strives to make the country the global first for AI investments across multiple sectors and create a vital, economically-driven market. 4IR objectives will position the UAE as a leading global hub for innovative education, intelligent genomic medicine, robotic healthcare, and artificial intelligence.

The focus on critical sectors will cement the UAE as a technological advancement leader while benefiting residents and visitors through augmented learning to improve education outcomes, personalised medicine, remote robotic medical services, and wearable and implantable technologies to improve healthcare, and autonomous cars to improve transportation.

These technology advancements, once implemented, will be advantageous for the safety of citizens across all sectors while positioning the UAE as a global hub for technology, with better learning capabilities for students, advanced delivery methods of medical supplies, and an increase in the number of autonomous and safer transportation methods.

Technology in Healthcare

The events of the past few years and the Covid-19 pandemic have demonstrated the vital role the healthcare sector plays in the safety of people, and the UAE has been recognised for its prompt and comprehensive response to the pandemic and the provision of world-class healthcare. New technology advances are paramount to ensuring this sector can continue to meet the needs of residents and visitors to the country.

In a first-of-its-kind project in the MENA region, Abu Dhabi is adopting advanced transportation methods of medical supplies through drone delivery. Delivery of medical supplies, including blood, vaccines and laboratory samples via drone, aims to improve the overall health and safety of citizens and visitors and reduce healthcare facility occupancy rates.

The development of Robo-Care, a strategy of 41R, will utilise clinical collaborative robots, cobots, and nanobots to enhance the UAE’s capabilities in the availability of remote robotic medical services. Another strategy of 41R aimed at enhancing the region’s healthcare is Connected Care, which will enable the monitoring of health data through wearable and implantable devices.

These advanced healthcare initiatives will benefit the UAE’s people through improved accessibility and more sophisticated analysis of health data, which will lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis of illnesses, a more tangible relationship between people and their healthcare providers, and the empowerment of people to make informed decisions about their overall health.

Technology in Education

Beyond healthcare, the country’s education is a key sector that has been identified as an area for investment, demonstrating the UAE’s commitment to enhancing safety through knowledge-sharing and world-class education standards. The UAE will focus on augmented learning through the development of AI-driven robotic teaching assistants, which can identify students’ strengths and areas for development to produce tailored programmes to benefit the advanced learning of students.

Not only will this aid in the expected shortage of academia in the next four years, but it will also enable the workforce of tomorrow to be more technologically and digitally apt. The use of AI and robots will make the classroom a safer place for students, with the capability to educate students in the identification of viruses while providing them with information on how to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Technology in Transportation

To enhance safety on the road, the UAE has set the ambitious goal of replacing 25 per cent of vehicles with autonomous, or self-driving vehicles, which will decrease the number of car accidents and enable safer and more efficient transportation. Tests for driverless taxis are now underway, including the recent project of digitally mapping Dubai’s roads. This technology allows for advanced perception, planning and control of autonomous vehicles, which will revolutionise the way public transport operates in the UAE.

The introduction of facial-recognition software for public transport drivers will identify if a person is fatigued or deemed unfit to operate a vehicle, which will further reduce the number of collisions and avoidable accidents in the country.

Technology in Human Resource

All the initiatives and programmes in place for the advancement of critical sectors across the UAE, which are essential for developing the country’s economy and leading it to a more sustainable future, will require a multitude of skilled employees to design, implement and use such technologies. Action must be taken now to ensure the best-qualified talent is employed in these sectors to design and implement advanced technology, drive decision-making and problem-solving, and aid in potential improvements.

Education, experience, expertise and cultural fit are crucial factors in assessing the suitability of candidates for important job roles. Primary Source Verification (PSV) is a proven advanced screening method to guarantee that professionals serving communities have accurate and authentic academic, professional and legal credentials that are imperative for such employment opportunities.

The DataFlow Group specialises in PSV and works alongside global governments, regulators, and public and private organisations to mitigate the potential risks of fraudulent employment applications.

The accuracy and credibility of important documents, such as academic degrees, employment certificates, practice licenses, work permits and passports, are assessed, through a global network of over 100,000 schools, universities, licensing bodies and issuing authorities to ensure the authenticity of credentials.

Through PSV, an employer mitigates the risks of employing an unqualified candidate, which can include accidents, critical failures, malpractice and even death, in essential sectors, such as healthcare, education, and transportation. PSV safeguards the UAE’s strategies for future development with the assurance that the most suitable global candidates are qualified and fit for key roles.

There is no sign of the UAE slowing down in terms of the strategies, programmes, initiatives and technology it has invested in and is implementing to aid sectors. The goal is for these strategies to aid in and increase the overall safety of communities through initiatives that benefit not just the economy, but also the people living within the country, creating a safer, happier population.

As technology continues to evolve, the UAE’s citizens and visitors will benefit from these advancements, strengthening the country’s status as a global model in adopting technologies to serve society better and result in a safer, more sustainable future.

by Sunil Kumar, CEO of The DataFlow Group