GE Lighting has signed up as a ‘Smart Lighting Partner’ for this year’s edition of the upcoming second annual Arab Future Cities Summit 2015, a major event associated with smart cities in Dubai, UAE, said the event organiser.

Held under the patronage of the Dubai Municipality, the two-day summit will take place on November 2 and 3 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa.

In its second year, the summit will witness more than 400 senior executives, smart city solution providers, city and government officials coming together to discuss the technologies for smart cities.

“The Arab Future Cities Summit, Dubai supports the theme of Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities. With cities accounting for over 70 per cent of the world’s energy use, there is an imperative need to use LED (light-emitting diode) technology and intelligent lighting solutions that will bring about a significant reduction in energy consumption,” said Brad Hariharan, regional director at Expotrade Middle East.

“GE has been at the forefront in lighting innovation with its cutting-edge technology that has played an essential role in revamping the city’s street lighting infrastructure. GE’s reputation as an innovator in introducing sustainable solutions complements with the theme of our summit.”

Erdem Soyal, general manager projects Middle East Africa and Turkey, GE Lighting, said: “Arab Future Cities Summit serves as a significant platform for GE Lighting to highlight its sustainable lighting solutions and the technological advancements by the company that helps build intelligent environments for cities globally.”

“Integrating sensors, controls, wireless transmitters and microprocessors within its LED system, GE Lighting is redefining the planning and execution of future cities with a firm focus on optimising resource use efficiency and achieving quantum leaps in productivity by leveraging GE’s Industrial Internet platform that taps the potential of big data.

“As the Arab world focuses on sustainable development as a long-term strategy, GE Lighting can add significant value in future city development through its diverse portfolio of intelligent lighting solutions and advanced lighting controls,” he added.

Smart cities harness the converged power of technology, government and society to enable smart governance, smart living and smart environment to offer its citizens an improved quality of life. Energy, water, transportation, public health and safety are some of the key aspects in the development of a smart city ecosystem.

In the Middle East, the Dubai government, following its Vision 2020, is actively promoting the concept of a smart city. To meet this end, the government is undertaking initiatives across its different pillars using integrated technology. Smart lighting plays a crucial role in the city’s development plan. The government is implementing state-of-the art technology across all its public lighting projects that has helped in reducing power consumption and cutting maintenance cost. – TradeArabia News Service