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Blockchain, IoT, and Big Data are tools of the future, experts say

Today, if you want to be ahead of the game, you need to master how you can utilise the tools of the future, says Dr. Aisha bin Bishr, director general of the Smart Dubai Office.
Blockchain, she said, is one of these tools. "We have been doing a lot of research into what type of technologies are out there today that can take Dubai ahead of the game. And, we have found that blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are some of the nascent technologies that have been present in the market for the past five or six years. They are still relatively new and need a mature approach, where they can be shaped to fit a citywide implementation."
Blockchain, she said, used to only fall under the financial industry, but is now being actively implemented by the government towards its smart city vision. "We see it making an impact across several sectors including the healthcare sector, the education sector, and energy sector."
She added: "In Dubai, we are not only bringing in the tools, but we are also bringing in the whole ecosystem and frameworks. We are also inviting the private sector to come and work with us in utilising these tools, all the while ensuring that the educational element remains an option for those stakeholders that are not aware of what is happening."
Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, also spoke about different institutions in the emirate utilising the latest technologies.
"We believe very strongly in creating an ecosystem for these new technologies, so much so that it is one of our pillars of strategy," he said. "We aim to make Dubai one of the leading global cities powered by blockchain technology. We have been very active in bringing together experts, investors, and officials from different sectors such as energy, real estate, technology, and retail to meet with potential customers as part of this active ecosystem. This is very important as it allows the market to mature and gives us the impact that we are aiming for."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com