Dubai eGovernment gears to deliver messages on mobile devices via dedicated portal

An insight into m-Dubai was given by Rihab Lootah, eServices Provisioning Manager, Dubai eGovernment, at a seminar recently organized by Dubai eGovernment in Dubai and attended by key representatives from 12 government departments that are actively participating in the project.

The m-Dubai project ultimately aims to deliver messages via mobile phones, PDAs or the Internet. In the first stage, the service will concentrate on SMS (short message service) via mobile phones. Each participating government will be given a name and a password to allow them to send SMS to their database of customers using special software, through a new portal www.mdubai.ae which will go live shortly.

"Dubai eGovernment is committed to using every new technology to enrich the eGovernment experience for end-users. m-Dubai is a project that will leverage the increasing popularity of mobile phones to building communication channels with the people. SMS is today one of the most effective ways of communication in both business and personal life. We are pleased to offer m-Dubai, which will allow government departments to communicate with their customers through mobile phones, PDAs and the Web, using advanced technology. The response from the departments indicates that we are on the right track as we move towards an advanced stage of e-governance." said Salem Al-Shair, Director of eServices, Dubai eGovernment.

"m-Dubai is yet another exciting development at Dubai eGovernment. It provides the government departments a powerful new channel to deliver tailored messages to their target audience within seconds," said Rihab Lootah. "It is a user-friendly system. We have identified the requirements of the various departments through an advance questionnaire and a statistical analysis. We now see indications that the departments are keenly waiting to use the system."

"The first phase will see basic SMS being used for one-way communication. In due course, we will migrate to two-way messaging via the push and pull models, allowing each department to receive feedback from the customers. We are working closely with Etisalat to ensure the project functions smoothly and delivers expected results. The m-Dubai project has been developed by Dubai eGovernment in association with Ducont, a leading company specializing in mobile messaging," Lootah added.

The 12 departments participating in the m-Dubai project are Department of Civil Defence, Department of Health & Medical Services, Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority, Dubai Development Board, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai Information Department, Dubai Naturalisation & Residency Department, Dubai Police, Dubai Ship Docking Yard, Land Department and Dubai Municipality.

Kamal Nawfal, Project Manager, IT Section, Dubai Naturalisation & Residency Department (DNRD), said: "m-Dubai is one of the most ambitious projects of Dubai eGovernment that will help government departments deliver instant messages using leading technology. We will use the SMS service for answering customer queries, sending visa expiry reminders, intimation of visa collection and other alerts."

Khalid Abdulla, Head of Customer Service Section, Administrative Affairs Department, Dubai Municipality, commented: "This project marks a new era for Dubai Municipality because it will cut on administrative time in routine matters. We will use m-Mobile to inform public library members about new titles, send new public transport tariffs to commuters and send information about new bus routes. We have developed a database of mobile phone users to keep them updated on events of interest to them."

"We are positive this project will boost interaction between Dubai Civil Defence and the community as well as businesses," said Ayman Abu Al Hnoud, Technical Support Coordinator, Dubai Civil Defence. "Initially, we will use this service in our safety programme for sending notifications on safety regulation and notices to companies that violate safety rules. It will be used by our purchase section to notify contractors and suppliers about cheque collection."

Each department will have a separate account with Dubai eGovernment. The quantum of monthly messaging for each department has provisionally been worked out. Dubai Police will send the highest number of messages (190,000), followed by Department of Civil Defence (98,940), DNRD (77,900), Dubai World Trade Centre (50,000) and Dubai Information Department (40,000).