DNRD wins 'Distinguished Technical Project' award

The annual awards, which were presented by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, at an illustrious function held recently in Dubai, singled out e-Gate for introducing hi-tech and secure innovations in the area of passport and immigration control and was received by Colonel Saeed bin Belailah, Director of DNRD.

'This top honour coming from the Government of Dubai is a salute to the team of young nationals in the IT division of DNRD who have been responsible for executing the project,' said Colonel Saeed bin Belailah, Director of DNRD. 'The team has displayed a strong commitment towards innovation and creativity. As a result, we have a fully automated passport and immigration control system that uses leading edge solutions to permit registered users to enter and exit the airport at a faster pace.'

Dubai International Airport is the third in the world and the first in the Middle East to implement the electronic screening system as part of immigration procedures. The user simply places the e-Card at the designated e-Gate and scans a fingerprint. The system identifies the user, verifies and checks the user for any irregularities and then allows access within a few seconds, eliminating the need for manual checking. It is a fail-safe, secure and reliable system aimed at preventing frauds and streamlining passport control.

'e-Gate encompasses Dubai government's vision to usher in the Digital Age in order to improve efficiency in all public sectors and ease the lives of its citizens,' continued Colonel bin Belailah. 'Dubai International Airport is the right place to implement such a hi-tech project with official estimates stating that the airport will see a dramatic increase in traffic flow within the next few years. Such a scenario calls for automated solutions as manual controls would require additional manpower at the immigration counters, which would significantly slow down the flow of passengers through passport control.'

'DNRD regards the award with great pride to be recognized for its contribution to streamline and accelerate passport controls at Dubai International Airport,' added Colonel bin Belailah. 'Such an achievement would not have been possible without the foresight and drive of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed who has personally been following the details of the projects that brings prestige to Dubai and positions it as the forefront of the Information Age. The award will inspire DNRD as a whole and drive the e-Gate project team to intensify their efforts to create further IT-driven solutions for the benefit of Dubai.'

Colonel bin Belailah said the e-Gate team was in the process of enhancing the e-Gate project by adding the latest technological features, to ensure that the facility is accessible to all sections of society, by leveraging next-generation technology used for identification purposes.

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