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Beyond smart cities

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Can Qatar build for the future?

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April 2015 | QCN

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M ajor cities are witnessing rapid urbanisation and are increasingly turning onto smart city module, to not only run their day-to-day city functioning more efficiently but also to make the living of their

future habitants free of hassle. The smart city, in fact, is no more an option or concept but more of a necessity today. And Doha is no exception. There could be a debate about how it could be transformed, but not why it should be transformed into a smart city.

Middle East began adopting smart city practices much later than European or Western countries, but it now has that last-movers’ advantage. How? Unlike their Western counterparts that had most of their smart city experiences coming in from the brownfield developments, major cities of this region have the opportunity to try out new technology, and implement the latest solutions from the initial stage. It is elementary that the process of integrating aged system with the latest ones in the typical brownfield scenario is always challenging, not only from the complexity, compatibility and adaptability point of view, but also from the viability and cost effectiveness perspective.

In a greenfield project, tech-architects and project owners have the luxury to test new innovations, and further develop previously tested solutions, at

BEYOND

CITIESSMART

With many of its projects being greenfield in nature, Qatar has the opportunity to incorporate latest smart city technologies and solutions right from the initial stage. But is the country prepared to capitalise on this opportunity? QCN’s Syed Ameen Kader finds out.

HOW QATAR CAN LEARN AND INNOVATE TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE

Middle East began adopting smart city practices much later than European or Western countries, but it now has that last-movers’ advantage. This makes such projects far more exciting and continuously evolving.

The smart cities are looking at almost every aspect of

human lifestyle – right from the mobility, entertainment,

environment and health to energy efficiency in a

cityscape scenario.

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much lower cost, as opposed to the expensive retrofitting that is required in a brownfield project. This makes greenfield projects more exciting and continuously evolving.

However, places such as Qatar have to deal with greenfield projects such as the Lusail City and the Msheireb Downtown Doha; and then, it has the task of integrating city’s existing networks of utilities with the latest smart city solutions. But, true to its name, smart city solutions are smart enough to integrate both. Just take the example of IBM, which has partnered with the Qatar Public Works Authority (Ashghal) to offer smart city solutions. The IT firm is providing an Enterprise Asset Management Solution (EAMS) that enables the government body to rapidly evaluate and respond to any defects or incidents reported by citizens. The system can anticipate and prevent any city problems besides effectively managing the operation and maintenance of the country’s road and drainage networks, and multiple effluent and water treatment plants.

“Qatar Public Works Authority will play a key role in supporting Qatar National Vision 2030, and also the crucial FIFA 2022 World Cup related infrastructure development,” says Nadim Nakkash, branch leader, IBM Qatar, adding, “Ashghal needed to make sure that the country’s entire infrastructure – both old and new – is as state of the art and intelligent as possible, featuring a geographic information system (GIS), predictive capabilities, high levels of mobility and more.”

Currently, the project is in the first phase of the solution, and the IBM team is developing standards of operation, and registering all of Ashghal’s assets. “The new IBM system will enhance the quality of services, safety and environmental sustainability for citizens in the country,” Nakkash adds.

He points out that creating an advanced new infrastructure while maintaining an existing one is no small task, “but with the help of its intelligent new enterprise asset management system, Ashghal is making it work”.

Schneider Electric’s senior vice president, Charbel Aoun, who looks after the Smart Cities division, agrees that establishing a smart city can be a daunting task because it consists of several challenges. “Particularly in the Gulf where much of the smart city opportunity is new construction, the focus on good governance and overall strategy is the key – both in the very beginning vision of what the end goal would be and additional goals during the construction phase,” he says.

“It is not simply a design and engineering process. The fundamentals of commercial success must be at the beginning of the planning, you want to be able to get it right the first time and share this vision with all necessary stakeholders,” Aoun adds.

Qatar’s smart city projectsThe ongoing Lusail City project is a prime example of a greenfield development. It gives developers an opportunity to incorporate latest elements of smart city right from the design and planning stage. The 38 square kilometres project includes four islands and multipurpose residential, mixed-use, entertainment and commercial district. The developers are looking to build a future city of Qatar by delivering efficient and sustainable services through an

Smart city planners are looking to address traffic congestion which is one of the major issues for growing cities such as Doha.

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integrated Information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure. Lusail City, which will also feature an 86,000-seat soccer stadium, will use a common network to integrate various services and systems, and control them from a command and control centre.

Another new development that is looking beyond smart city parameters, and trying to build a sustainable and green project is Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD). The QAR20 billion project is spread over an area of 76 acres and it will be a blend of traditional Qatari heritage and modern technology.

Msheireb Properties’ chief executive officer, Engineer Abdulla Hassan Al Mehshadi says, “The technological solutions that will be provided to MDD will ensure that Msheireb is recognised for its innovative leadership in the use of these technologies to deliver a great place to live and work, while pioneering the development of a smart community and city.”

Some of the ICT solutions that are being incorporated within MDD include citizen contact, multiplay and communication infrastructure, community portal, city services and access to external services.

Al Mehshadi says all buildings within the development will also target an average Gold rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system developed by the United States (US) Green Building Council, while several will aim for a Platinum rating.

Since smart city solutions have a major role to play in sustainable and green developments, the developer is embedding latest ICT features into the project. “The entire project features sustainable design that consumes fewer resources, generates less waste, costs less to operate, and achieves a reduced carbon footprint. This is completely in line with the smart city concept,” says Al Mehshadi.

Being a greenfield project, which is currently reporting an overall work-in-place assessment of 52 percent, has also worked to its advantage as this allows developers to keep improving the designs, while incorporating latest technological solutions. “Considering that the initial masterplan was completed seven years ago, smart city initiatives have required a constant review process to ensure that new technologies are accommodated during the lifespan of the Project,” Al Mehshadi says, adding that numerous project technologies have been developed both internally and in conjunction with their local authority partners to ensure that the highest standards are met.

Today, cities are incorporating smart solutions

such as driverless cars and city sensors that can give you

instant updates about traffic condition, air quality

and weather forecast, to name a few.

Some of the ICT solutions that are being incorporated within Msheireb Downtown Doha include citizen contact, multiplay and communication infrastructure, community portal, city services and access to external services. (Image Msheireb Properties)

Msheireb Properties’ chief executive officer, Engineer Abdulla Hassan Al Mehshadi, says, “Considering that the initial masterplan was completed seven years ago, smart city initiatives have required a constant review process to ensure that new technologies are accommodated during the lifespan of the project.”

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Beyond civic management Moving beyond the civic management, today, city planners and administrators are aspiring to build smart cities in the true sense – a place that is futuristic in its thinking and planning; that can sustain in a resource-constrained environment, and that can be liveable for future generations. Smart cities look at almost every aspect of human lifestyle – right from the mobility, entertainment, environment and health to energy efficiency in a cityscape scenario.

“Smart cities not only have a goal of improved quality of life for citizens,” says Aoun of Schneider Electric, “but a focus on increasing the efficiency of its operations.” In improving efficiency of a city, he continues, whether through advanced mobility enhancements or energy reduction, the achieved savings can be transferred to focus areas of the city’s priorities.

In addition, Aoun elaborates, a smart infrastructure can increase the long-term sustainability and resiliency of a city. “An intelligent electricity grid can reduce power losses, reduce the demand of power, and as a result increase the attractiveness and eco-friendliness of the city. The attractiveness of the city not only draws the attention of potential future citizens, but investment and businesses alike,” he explains.

Today, cities are incorporating smart solutions such as driverless cars and city sensors that can give you instant updates about traffic condition, air quality and weather forecast, to name a few.

Where does Qatar stand?Qatar has made some early strides in the direction of transforming Doha into a smart city. With some of its prominent projects under development, such as the Lusail City, the Pearl Qatar, the Energy City Qatar, and Msheireb Downtown Doha, incorporating elements of a smart city, the country has made the beginning.

The work of integrating civic utilities with the ICT infrastructure is also on; and has already started

“The onset of the cloud is changing everything. We are seeing the rise of platforms which can house older technology and make it compatible with new systems,” says Mohammad Hammoudi, general manager, Cisco Qatar.

Bristol: The smartest city?As constant innovations and experiments taking place across the world, one place that could claim to be the smartest city in the world is Bristol. The most populous city in Southern England outside London is faced with similar challenges that come with urbanisation but the city has virtually turned itself into a platform for all the technological experiments and innovations. One of its latest experiments launched earlier this year is connecting the entire city’s 30 gigabits per second fibre broadband with Bristol University’s supercomputer. The

multimillion pound project that involves Bristol City Council, the University of Bristol and a number of commercial partners including Japanese firm NEC, will equip the city with the latest sensor and connectivity technology. Termed as ‘Bristol is Open’, the project will look at how big data can be collected from various sources and used to address some of the city’s challenges such as air pollution, traffic congestion, etcetera. The experiment also involves using this network to collect and understand data from the city’s driverless car, pictured above. (Image Bristol City Council)

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to show some results in the form of improvement in services.

On the policy front, the government has recently drafted an Open Data Policy document, which is at present up for a public consultation and feedback. The big data is very crucial for Qatar as the country is preparing to host major international events such as the 2022 World Cup. Such documented policies can be useful in developing solutions that can deal with the large numbers of visitors.

The country has also put in place its National Broadband Plan (NBP) that was introduced in 2013, and is targeting 95 percent household penetration. Qatar’s telecom operators, Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar, have already started taking benefits of the NBP by investing considerably in fibre rollout. This is expected to improve the quality and efficiency of ICT services, which is an integral part of smart city development.

According to Deloitte’s latest report, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions 2015, Middle East, Qatar alongside Saudi Arabia is among the top 40 governments in the world that is investing heavily in research and development. “Qatar’s level of investment at 2.8 percent of its gross domestic product makes it comparable to advanced Western economies such as the US and Germany,” noted the report which was released in March this year.

Clearly, the intent and dedication is there; but Qatar still has a long way to go. The country needs a futuristic roadmap and planning to make this happen. The Qatar National Vision 2030 looks to cover

Unlike their Western counterparts, major cities

of the Middle East have the opportunity to try out new

technology, and implement the latest solutions from the

initial stage.

“Qatar Public Works Authority will play a key role in supporting Qatar National Vision 2030, and also the crucial 2022 World Cup related infrastructure development,” says Nadim Nakkash, branch leader, IBM Qatar.

Pictured here is a rendering of the Lusail City – a project formally known as Qatar’s smart city.

a lot of that but Doha still does not have a broad smart city plan. The Deloitte report also pointed out that “Doha does not have a defined vision for its transformation into a smart city, or deliverables against which its drive to become smarter can be judged”.

“If governments going forward want to rank among the smartest in the world (as, for example, Dubai has stated), they will have to develop this smart soft infrastructure, in addition to the physical smart solutions,” the report stated.

New developments in smart citiesThe smart city concept has been around for quite sometimes now. It is also going

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through rapid technological and business developments. The ICT industry is seeing a great deal of advancements in the areas of mobile connectivity, big data management, cloud computing and smart devices.

The core issue to smart city development is the connectivity. While cities are currently more reliant on fixed and wireless ICT networks, experts say the future cities will mostly have access to ubiquitous broadband coverage and 5G mobile technology. This will revolutionise the way smart city functions.

Safder Nazir, regional vice president – Smart City & IoT at Huawei Technologies, agrees, “The ubiquitous coverage of mobile broadband will enable seamless interconnection of systems, multi-agency sharing of all relevant city data, and consistently high-quality service delivery to end users. This is what we call a smart city.”

The company has developed an extensive range of mobile broadband technology including 4G (LTE, long-term evolution) across the world for nearly 40 telecom operators. “This includes the roll out of a 4G high-speed network on Mount Everest that now gives explorers access to 4G wireless coverage at 5200 metres above sea level,” says Nazir, adding that they are also currently a leading contributor to the development of 5G.

Huawei is investing heavily in 5G innovation, and it has already committed to pump in USD600 million (QAR2.18 billion) in the research and innovation of 5G technology by 2018. “Without these initiatives, the future of smart cities enabled with concepts such as driverless vehicles will be much more difficult to realise,” he adds.

Cisco, another technology expert in this space, says that in the future, smart cities will provide Wi-Fi and fibre optic networks that will fuel millions of sensors embedded in virtually everything.

“Open architecture apps and technology solutions such as mobility, security, cloud computing, virtualisation, collaboration, and video transform interaction with the urban landscape will become mainstream and everyday phenomena,” says Mohammad Hammoudi, general manager, Cisco Qatar.

The industry experts say the future of smart cities technology resides on the premise of an open and flexible configuration. So it is important to make sure that new technologies have the backward integration capabilities to take these older technologies into account. Hammoudi adds, “With that said, the onset of the cloud is changing everything. We are seeing the rise of platforms which can house older technology and make it compatible with new systems.”

A picture of Doha city which is seeing phenomenal transformation in its landscape with the ongoing construction.

Smart cities in numbers

USD1.5 trillion

The expected value of global smart

cities market by 2020. GCC’s smart city developments are expected to double in the next two to three years.

2nd The Middle East is the second largest region in the world for mobile government services.

Top 40-clubQatar’s high investment in R&D for technology puts it among the top 40 governments worldwide. 64th

Qatar’s ranking in the open

data barometer (ODB), 2014,

that tracked 86 countries.

+3 timesExpected growth rate of smart city technology market from 2012 to 2020.

95% The target of Qatar’s National Broadband Plan for household penetration.

2.8%The percentage of GDP Qatar invests in R&D for IT ecosystem.

Source: Deloitte’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions 2015, Middle East.