AI & IOT Smart Cities - a new era of urban living by Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO, Ooredoo With 96 per cent of urban growth expected to occur in the developing world by 2030, smart cities can offer invaluable benefits to emerging markets, offering inno- vative solutions to traffic congestion, waste manage- ment and overall resource consumption. Smart city solutions through mobile broadband can offer a way to alleviate these issues, improve people’s standard of living and even transform the economic potential of affected cities. Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO, Ooredoo Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani was appointed as Group CEO of Ooredoo in November 2015. Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani joined Ooredoo (when it was Qtel) in 1990. Since then, Sheikh Saud has gained a wide range of experience in internal communications, personnel administration, human resources and policies and procedures. During his time at Ooredoo, he has served as Assistant GM Human Resources, Director of Internal Communications, and Executive Director, General Services. He has handled key projects like the restructuring of the organisation in 1998, the structure review in 2000 and the job evaluation and compensation review with Ooredoo’s auditors KPMG. In 2005, Sheikh Saud was appointed Executive Director of Special Businesses, which saw him and his unit handle Ooredoo’s cable television, payphone, yellow pages, directory and coast station services. In 2007, he was named Executive Director of Group HR. He was also a member of the Ooredoo Steering Committee for the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee. Sheikh Saud became CEO of Ooredoo Qatar in 2011. He has led Ooredoo Qatar to build on its position as the coun- try’s preferred communications provider and has supported the expansion of its product and service portfolio, in addition to making Qatar one of most successful and consistent markets in the group. Ooredoo Qatar’s strong market performance was illustrated by the 2012 capture of over two-thirds of Qatar’s overall market revenue growth, half of the mobile market revenue growth, and four-fifths of all new mobile customers – success that continued throughout his tenure as CEO. He has held key positions across the Ooredoo Group, including Chairman of the Board for Ooredoo Kuwait; Deputy Chairman of Ooredoo Oman; and Board Member for Asiacell. He is also a Board Member for Arabsat; Board Member for Hellas-Sat; and Board Member for INJAZ Qatar. Sheikh Saud has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Western International University, in Phoenix, Arizona. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Digital technologies are playing an developing world by 2030, smart cities can industries and citizens to utilise. This increasingly important role in the develop- offer invaluable benefits to emerging requires high capacity ubiquitous mobile ment of cities, given the scale and speed of markets, offering innovative solutions to network connectivity that ensures constant urbanisation that we are witnessing across traffic congestion, waste management and connection between devices, information the world. By 2030, urban areas are expect- overall resource consumption. Smart city and people. These networks then form part ed to house 60 per cent of the world’s solutions through mobile broadband can of a collaborative digital ecosystem that population. The concept of a smart city, offer a way to alleviate these issues, combine various technologies from sensors which uses technology to optimise the improve people’s standard of living and and actuators to real-time data analytics utilisation of resources, has gained consid- even transform the economic potential of and service delivery platforms. erable popularity among governments in affected cities. recent years, given its potential to make Mobile operators are ideally placed to cities more efficient, sustainable and Setting the smart city founda- provide this combination of technology and ultimately, more liveable. tion infrastructure that brings a smart city to life. These capabilities extend across the Smart cities are not only emerging as a Mobile technologies are critical to the smart city value chain from network viable solution to the societal and economic growth of any smart city, whose foundation connectivity and intelligence to scalable problems that accompany fast-paced is embedded in data and connectivity. A data centres and even include the delivery urbanisation, but ushering in a new era of smart city needs to be underpinned by a of digital services in some cases. Operators urban living for populations in both emerg- robust communications infrastructure that can also act as the bridge into the Internet ing and mature markets. With 96 per cent of can access and process data from myriad of Things (IoT) systems, which are import- urban growth expected to occur in the endpoints for its public authorities, ant enablers of smart cities that provide the Global | 2018 . 14 AI & IOT ability to remotely monitor, manage and scope in the domain of healthcare, enabling key features these networks include the control devices and generate insights and cities to create a multitude of smart health- provision of real-time information about actionable information from real-time data. care solutions. Unified healthcare databas- traffic and road conditions as well as road es, for example, can enable the seamless construction activity, toll fares and parking The explosive growth of IoT architecture is movement of patients across hospitals and facilities. AI technologies can also be used allowing cities to adopt smarter access clinics. For patients, this can save time and to process the data gathered from sensors control systems that can be connected to a costs, while for doctors it can aid in installed at parking lots and traffic signals centralised network to track populations, effective diagnosis. to mitigate traffic density and accidents. vehicles and buildings. Technology is also enabling the focus of Integrated platforms for ticketing and Once the infrastructural foundation of a healthcare to shift from treatment to micropayments are hugely beneficial for smart city is laid, it can unlock doors to new prevention by enabling doctors to assess the citizens commuting via public transport, opportunities that will inevitably arise with health of patients through real-time data often enabling them to use their mobile further technological advancements. analysis, thus making healthcare delivery phones as a contactless payment and ticket- Artificial Intelligence (AI), for example, is more predictive and personalised. ing device. Vehicle telematics, which being hailed a game-changer in the smart Telehealth and telemedicine services are enables the monitoring of driver behaviour city movement, signifying a new era of further improving access to specialty and fuel consumption, is also a part of Kota evolution in technology. AI pattern recogni- services, while improving the ability of Digital Indonesia, which encourages safer tion technology is making the collection citizens to take control of their health and driving and energy efficient practices. and analysis of data, which lies at the core well-being needs. AI-based apps can also of a smart city system, more manageable. recommend the right course of action to Smart living Equipped with deep learning capabilities, patients based on their medical history. This AI technology can be put to use in a number is significant considering the prevalence of Technological interventions, when of urban aspects – whether it is in counting chronic illnesses, especially in urban designed correctly, can enhance citizen vehicles or pedestrians, reading license environments. engagement and create communities that plates, or tracking the speed and movement are more cohesive and participative. This is of vehicles – and extract patterns necessary Smart education an overriding objective for a smart city for city development. Combining AI and agenda as it is ultimately a citizen-centric IoT capabilities thus has immense potential Technology-driven solutions are the future project facilitated by technology. to improve almost every aspect of our of education, allowing for remote, adaptive, cities. These are a few areas in which these and blended learning that combines in-per- While there is no one-size-fits-all model to technologies are being implemented in son instruction with interactive digital increase citizen engagement, initiatives can smart cities around the world. tools. range from the provision of free public access Wi-Fi that encourages open-data Smart government Ooredoo Maldives’ Smart Campus project, sharing to citizen-led initiatives around for example, enables distance learning with urban rejuvenation or community develop- Digital services, which can be accessed unrestricted free Wi-Fi to schools. The ment projects. Ooredoo Maldives’ Smart through a smartphone, are an integral cloud-based platform is available to City project, for example, has set up an component of a smart city. These services students, lecturers and faculties on any “i-Library project” where members of the are designed to ease the day-to-day lives of smart devices, making it possible for community can access books through their citizens easier by creating systems that are students from over ninety different islands tablet or smartphone. accessible, more transparent and participa- to receive an education remotely. In tory. addition to course material, the platform The ultimate goal of such initiatives is to also includes features from human resource encourage citizens to interact with their Indosat Ooredoo’s integrated smart city and student profile management, to data on urban environment. platform, Kota Digital Indonesia, for student, cohort and lecture-wise perfor- example, includes a real-time e-tax collec- mance. Moreover, it hosts dashboards that Hailed as engines of economic growth and tion solution, which is making it easier for the heads of departments and higher cultural development, cities around the citizens to check how much they owe in management to receive real-time data about world are faced with the pressing need to property and building taxes.