UoB Discusses Development of Transport, Health, and Quality of Life in Smart Cities

University of Bahrain and a number of firms and governmental entities reviewed last Monday the opportunities availed to implement smart cities in the Kingdom of Bahrain, at the campus in Sakhir. Over 70 professors and representatives of 10 different vocational entities discussed means of developing transport, public health, and life quality to achieve services of smart cities.

Dr. Hisham Mohamed Al-Ammal, Dean of the Information Technology Department at UoB, said that participants in the “Hackathon” discussed major challenges encountered in the development of smart cities, in addition to the applicable solutions that may assist in the realisation of such cities.

Hackathon is an event where computer programmers and others converge to develop software, including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers, whereas they take part in intense software projects that may last for a few days to reach a solution for a software or incept a new one.

Dr. Al-Ammal said that one of the most important issues focused upon was “disposal methods of solid waste”, public health challenges, alternative transport methods to vehicles that may reduce pollution and carbon emissions, as well as ease the daily traffic congestions. He added: “the Hackathon concept was established as UoB colleges of Information Technology, Engineering, Sciences, and Health Sciences desire to increase the confidence of societal institutions at the research production level, in particular applied researches.

He also said that research projects will continue for three weeks by virtue of 12 teams that consist of university and institutional researchers, and thus a panel of judges will select the best three researches that may be utilised to achieve smart cities.

On his part, Sheikh Abdullah bin Khaled Al Khalifa, Zain CEO for Corporate Communications and Investors Relations (Bahrain Branch), said that Zain envisages the importance of results to be achieved by the research teams in developing smart cities by utilising modern technologies in communications. He also announced that Zain will allocate a prize for the best research. He added that we look forward to an expanded cooperation with UoB at the level of creative student projects that are commensurate with modern technologies.

On his part, Mohammed Al-Samahiji, First Engineering Manager of General Electric Middle East and North Africa (GE), who presented a working paper on security challenges solutions in smart cities, said: “GE has been active in Bahrain for 20 years, and is keen to serve the Bahraini society, as well as extend assistance to resolve the challenges it encounters, and develop the Bahraini economy”. He added that we signed an agreement with UoB in the past, and we look forward to activating its different aspects, hence we envisage the University as the scientific and intellectual weight of society.

Al-Samahiji reviewed in his paper the difficulties to convert traditional cities into smart cities; in addition to the solutions provided by GE in this context, especially in terms of adopting safe and practical security systems.

Dr. Abir Al-Ghawi, Acting Director of Promoting Health at the Health Ministry, presented a working paper also that focused on harmony between smart cities and healthy cities. She said that smart cities extend health programs that are in line with WHO standards that are entailed in the Healthy Cities Network Initiative launched in 1987.

Dr. Abir touched on the various challenges encountered by the Health Ministry, which may be subject to solutions provided by UoB competent faculty members, namely: provision of health data that assist the Ministry in accurate planning, availing information to citizens and patients easily by virtue of easy access applications and social media.

Research Hackathon, lasting for two days, is being supported by Zain as the platinum sponsor in which a number of governmental entities take part: WEA, Informatics and e-government, Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, ALBA and Microsoft.

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