Loads of new apps for Dubai’s smart city project in the making
From making a payment with smartphones to practicing a road theory test; most of the services of the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will become available as a smart phone app. More than 200 new applications will be launched within the next three years, the RTA said on March 16 according to an Emirates24/7 report.
The RTA pledged its full support to the initiative of Dubai’s ruler, Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai “into the smartest city in the world” within three years.
Nine new RTA services have already been launched, such as the practice theory test, where applicants for the road theory test can practice the test on a mobile app, water taxi services, where the commuter can book a water taxi and the NoL Basic Transaction History, which summarises the recent transactions made by a commuter.
From this moment on new services will be launched every month, promised Bahrozyan, without mentioning a detailed agenda.
“The apps will be launched in five waves, and we will organise targeted awareness campaigns to reach out to the people who would benefit from the services,” he said.
The applications that are most used by the public are in service fields such as Salik, parking, and the Nol card; the services that are there for daily use and best reflects the lifestyle of residents in Dubai, said Bahrozyan. One of the important steps forwards was the mobile Nol card, which allows commuters to swipe only their mobile phone in order to access the metro or bus. Soon, this technology will also be available in all taxis in Dubai.
One of the challenges is to make the services compatible for the devices on the local market, he continues to explain. There are 17 devices which are covered by majority of the people. We will physically test the services on these devices. This may be time consuming, but it is important to properly serve people in the region.”
At the same time, the RTA has vowed to take into account the population group that does not use a smartpone, Bahrozyan said. “There is over 50 per cent of the population is Dubai that is still using feature phones. These people should also be able to use our services, through SMS for example.”
In the three years to follow, students of different universities will be assisting the RTA in the process. Interested students from local and international universities will be involved in the design, in making the apps user-friendly and in testing the apps.
The Smart Dubai initiative aims at transforming Dubai into the world’s smartest city in the upcoming three years through rolling out 100 initiatives and 1000 smart services to improve the quality of life in the city. The Smart Dubai initiative is built on six key pillars namely: smart economy, smart lifestyle, smart transportation, smart governance, smart environment, and smart generations; which revolve around three key thrusts namely: communication, integration and cooperation.
From making a payment with smartphones to practicing a road theory test; most of the services of the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will become available as a smart phone app. More than 200 new applications will be launched within the next three years, the RTA said on March 16 according to an Emirates24/7 report. The RTA pledged its full support to the initiative of Dubai's ruler, Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai "into the smartest city in the world" within three years. Nine new RTA services have already been launched, such as the practice theory test,...
From making a payment with smartphones to practicing a road theory test; most of the services of the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will become available as a smart phone app. More than 200 new applications will be launched within the next three years, the RTA said on March 16 according to an Emirates24/7 report.
The RTA pledged its full support to the initiative of Dubai’s ruler, Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai “into the smartest city in the world” within three years.
Nine new RTA services have already been launched, such as the practice theory test, where applicants for the road theory test can practice the test on a mobile app, water taxi services, where the commuter can book a water taxi and the NoL Basic Transaction History, which summarises the recent transactions made by a commuter.
From this moment on new services will be launched every month, promised Bahrozyan, without mentioning a detailed agenda.
“The apps will be launched in five waves, and we will organise targeted awareness campaigns to reach out to the people who would benefit from the services,” he said.
The applications that are most used by the public are in service fields such as Salik, parking, and the Nol card; the services that are there for daily use and best reflects the lifestyle of residents in Dubai, said Bahrozyan. One of the important steps forwards was the mobile Nol card, which allows commuters to swipe only their mobile phone in order to access the metro or bus. Soon, this technology will also be available in all taxis in Dubai.
One of the challenges is to make the services compatible for the devices on the local market, he continues to explain. There are 17 devices which are covered by majority of the people. We will physically test the services on these devices. This may be time consuming, but it is important to properly serve people in the region.”
At the same time, the RTA has vowed to take into account the population group that does not use a smartpone, Bahrozyan said. “There is over 50 per cent of the population is Dubai that is still using feature phones. These people should also be able to use our services, through SMS for example.”
In the three years to follow, students of different universities will be assisting the RTA in the process. Interested students from local and international universities will be involved in the design, in making the apps user-friendly and in testing the apps.
The Smart Dubai initiative aims at transforming Dubai into the world’s smartest city in the upcoming three years through rolling out 100 initiatives and 1000 smart services to improve the quality of life in the city. The Smart Dubai initiative is built on six key pillars namely: smart economy, smart lifestyle, smart transportation, smart governance, smart environment, and smart generations; which revolve around three key thrusts namely: communication, integration and cooperation.
