Convergence of technologies across industries, products and business models is the key to developing a smart city, said the organisers of the upcoming second annual Arab Future Cities Summit in Dubai, UAE.

The event will take place on November 2 and 3 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa under the patronage of Dubai Municipality.

With half of the world’s population residing in cities, cities are positioned as the engines of growth and are extremely important to help economies succeed, explained Expotrade, a global conference and event organizer.

In addition, urbanisation drives innovation and transformation, resulting in governments across the globe seeing the need to reinvent cities that are smart and responsive to the requirement of its residents. To this end, governments are adopting new technologies that interconnect and leverage the different pillars of society - citizens, business, transportation, governance operations and practices.

Closing the digital divide and promoting evolving technologies, urban governments are implementing new technological innovations to enhance the development of infrastructure and other public administration services. Utilising the power of the Internet and new communication tools, governments worldwide are engaging in initiatives to meet this commitment.

Industry reports indicate that there will be more than 26 global smart cities by the year 2025. The driving forces behind the development of smart cities are use of green products and services that reduce energy consumption, pursuit of energy-efficient technologies such as smart grids and implementing intelligent systems in healthcare and infrastructure domains.

The adoption of smart technologies are transforming cities and creating opportunities that primarily focus on overcoming limitations and enhancing capabilities, thereby ensuring an effective and efficiently managed ecosystem.

Along with the governmental initiatives, private entities also play a crucial role in introducing and implementing technologies that guarantee better public services for residents and better utilisation of resources, thereby mitigating the environmental impact.

Many global technology giants have taken steps to facilitate the use of technology in areas such as traffic management, efficient energy use, transportation and environment to spearhead developments in creation of smart cities. The ability to harness new analytical capabilities and gather real-time data, further accelerates the adoption of smart city solutions.

Cities across the globe have undertaken programmes in public services, utilities, transportation, and public services. In the Middle East, the Dubai government has undertaken large-scale measures to become the first Arab smart city.

To attain its 2021 vision of becoming a smart city, the Dubai government has embarked upon a multitude of customer-focused initiatives that allow residents to enjoy a higher quality of life. The government has also introduced the smart government initiative that provides consumers ease of use through its various eServices.

The implementation of unique digital platforms in the field of healthcare, infrastructure, society, economy, governance and environment will pave the way for the transformation of government services to smart services.

The second annual Arab Future Cities Summit will focus on smart solutions for building sustainable cities. – TradeArabia News Service