Smart Government Sets In as UAVs Get Pilot Tested for Customer Service

The UAE pilot tested UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), also known as drones. The aim of prospective UAV deployment would be to make government services more efficient, responsive and worthwhile for the Emiratis.

Although mostly used in the military fields but now drones would be used by the UAE government to carry out customer service and many other functions as well. Delivering documents to the public, traffic and infrastructure monitoring and geographic surveys would be a part of their activities. The initiative is a part of Smart Government and is all about making customer service efficient.

The remotely controlled UAVs allow pilots to perform real-time tracking and monitoring through hi-definition video feed. Fingerprint recognition system would be used to confirm customers’ identity when delivering government documents to them. Moreover, Google map would be used to find the location of delivery as well as the area for survey.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the pilot tests himself. Also present was H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. While expressing his partiality to the project, Sheikh Mohammed emphasised the role of technology in delivering best customer service. “We want to reach to people before they reach us. We want to save time, to shorten distances, to increase effectiveness and to make services easier,” he said.

Moreover, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, told how the pilot testing had immense potential to improve services. “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has given the instruction to proceed quickly with final testing and to widen the range of these experiments to encompass new services and broader geographical areas,” Al Gergawi said. He also told, “This initiative is part of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s integrated vision for a smart government, a smart society and global innovation in the use of technology to enhance government services.” “His vision is that technology should be used for the good of people and in the service of the people, and that governments should be the first to adopt the latest technologies.”