The Sustainabilist - Future Cities by Dubai Carbon

The Sustainabilist ISSUE 07

The Future is Smart

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

PIONEERING TRANSPORT

INDUSTRY 4.0

Hyperloop

Virtual Revolution

DISRUPTIVE BANKING

INNOVATIVE HOTSPOT Dubai Design District

Emirates NBD

WWW.THESUSTAINABILIST.AE WWW.THESUSTAINABILIST.AE

Issue 07 | May 2018

Letter from the Editor in Chief

In today’s world, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

emissions.Smart sensors that control street

and Digitalisation is allowing us to become

lights based on pedestrian and road traffic.

efficient, conserve more energy, and thereby,

Dubai was not built in a day and, of course,

reduce our carbon footprint. But Dubai has, to

when Dubai promises, it delivers.

no-one’s surprise, gone several steps further and added the human angle – happiness.

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister

This city is shaping the future.

of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ruler of Dubai emphasised that our collective goal is

Eng. Waleed Bin Salman

Chairman, Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence

The Sustainabilist Follow Us On

The heads of this metropolis have set several

to harness technology to improve the quality of

milestones to fast track towards their goal of

life. Services provided in Dubai are structured

attaining ‘the smartest city in the world’ trophy.

as experiences, regardless if this means

And this issue of The Sustainabilist gathers

getting paperwork done or organising a

some key strategies, highlights and news.The

taxi to the restaurant.

Department of Health, in collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation, is finalising a

The city joined the world’s C40 Cities

firm to install health pods in business parks

Climate Leadership Group in 2015, becoming

and, following that, hopefully soon all over the

part of an elite group of the world’s cities

city. These pods have the capability of giving

committed to fighting climate change.

your body a full work up (blood pressure, sugar

This is a recognition of Dubai’s advanced

levels, BMI and more). The results can also be

role in environmental protection, and an

synced to your Fitbit and android devices, and

acknowledgement of its plans and programmes

shared directly with hospitals, should you need.

to reduce GHG emissions that pose a threat to the climate worldwide. Dubai does so in

Dubai Design District, or d3 as it is commonly

leading by example.

called, has already become one of the most

The Sustainabilist is published by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence PSC. Articles reprinted in this issue are copyrighted 2018 by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence PSC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, without prior written permission of Dubai Carbon is expressively prohibited. Printed by: Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC P.O. Box - 5613, Dubai, UAE. Nothing in this magazine shall be taken as technical or advice and DCCE waives any liability with respect to any representations made.

technologically advanced business districts

Many green programmes and initiatives

in the region. And Dubai Silicon Oasis is the

were launched, including Dubai’s Carbon

proverbial ‘laboratory’ for other government

Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon

authorities to implement and testhhh smart

emissions by 16 per cent by 2021, Dubai

government initiatives.

Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to ensure 75 per cent of Dubai’s energy from clean energy

Take for instance, bus services that work on

sources by 2050, and the Demand Side

demand and load, rather than a fixed schedule,

Management Strategy, to reduce energy and

thereby saving unnecessary fuel and fuel

water demand by 30 per cent by 2030.

“

The heads of this metropolis have set several milestones to fast track towards their goal of attaining ‘the smartest city in the world’ trophy.

“

Editorial: fomo@thesustainabilist.ae Commercial: getinvolved@thesustainabilist.ae

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The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

Contents The Sustainabilist

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S LETTER

SCHOOL Eco literacy at Arbor

YOUTH Sustainability workshop

TOP TIPS Smart living

NEWS ROOM Latest news

FEATURE Futuristic transport

EXPO 2020 DUBAI Smart site

FEATURE ENOC’s smart fueling

COVER STORY Interview with Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi

CASE STUDY Smart city solutions

THE GREEN ECONOMIST Smart contracts

FEATURE Focusing on IoT

FEATURE Green building evolution

DISRUPTOR Ecoisme

FEATURE Dubai, smart and happy

CASE STUDY Smart home technology

FEATURE Diamond Developers

INNOVATION Delivery robots

FEATURE AI for smart cities

INTERVIEW Virgin mobile

CASE STUDY Aqueous ozone technology

RESEARCH

CASE STUDY Dubai Design District

CASE STUDY Optimising electric vehicles

CASE STUDY The Wastenizer

FEATURE Dubai Silicon Oasis

CENTREFOLD Industry 4.0

PERSON Prabhu Ramachandran

FEATURE Dubai Future Accelerators

PROJECT DEWA Earth Hour

FEATURE Digital currencies

PRODUCT Health Pod

CASE STUDY Sustainable smart banking

INDEX

ISSUE 07

The Future is Smart

PIONEERING TRANSPORT

INDUSTRY 4.0

Hyperloop

Virtual Revolution

DISRUPTIVE BANKING

INNOVATIVE HOTSPOT

Emirates NBD

Dubai Design District

ON THE COVER

Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Executive Director, Dubai Science Park

FEATURE Sypron Solutions plan to create a sustainable, futuristic and super-fast passenger transport system between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

YOUR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC ENABLER Get your green on.

Let your green credentials be the tool to your optimization.

SCAN HERE to check out our latest projects

P +971 4 322 9853| F +971 4 3854295, PO Box 333992, Dubai | Email yalla@dcce.ae

www.dcce.ae #decarbonize #greeneconomy

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YOUTH

We Believe the Youth is Our Future

The Youth Hub and Dubai Carbon join hands on a series of sustainability workshops to empower the youth of this city.

he Youth Hub has collaborated with Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence to produce a series of workshops on the current hot topic on all responsible minds today – sustainability. The Sustainability Workshop held in March was the first in a series of interactive and practical workshops that cover a diverse range of topics circling the broader subject of sustainability. The focus, however, will be on areas that are of interest to the youth of today, and how they relate to the local, national and global challenges facing us all in working towards a sustainable and greener future.The first workshop, led by Ivano Iannelli, CEO of Dubai Carbon, introduced the discipline of sustainability and its relevance to the audience and to this country. The young participants were later invited to discuss and suggest further topics of interest within sustainability for future workshops. The participants were given a green economy challenge (a scenario each

group needed to consider and solve), and solutions. Their feedback was based on the knowledge they gained from the workshop as well supporting documentation and information provided. When the participants were hit with the key question on the importance of sustainability in their lives, their answers were surprisingly astute and ‘aware’. “As civilised youngsters, it is our duty to create awareness, pitch in ideas, and implement them in order to live salubriously,” said one, while another ensured that this (living sustainably) was a voluntary commitment at work and in community activities. “I think it is the future for all of us to save our universe,” was the collective mindset. These Sustainability workshops are an important first step taken by Dubai Carbon in working with the youth, the talent of the tomorrow. The master plan is to create and implement a programme of quarterly workshops at

Youth Hub, and each theme discussed will be in line with the main topic of that particular issue of The Sustainabilist (a monthly magazine published by Dubai Carbon). The point of these workshops is to engage and inspire the youth to adapt green and energy efficient practices in their workplace. To inspire them to innovate and brainstorm a sustainability and energy efficiency challenge. “Once we can ignite their passion and enthusiasm in the field, it is possible to create relationships that can be nurtured and built upon in the future,” says Ianelli. “Furthermore, this programme hopes to pique their curiosity and interest to pursue a possible career in the green and sustainable sciences.” This effort also ties in nicely with the Youth Empowerment Strategy, of harnessing the talent and ideas of the youth of today to take us closer to the Government’s Vision 2021 – to have a developed city of happy, creative and empowered people.

Issue 07 | May 2018

NEWS ROOM

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Tracking your water bottles

Smart City University aims to increase digitally skilled talent to 10 per cent by 2020 Smart Dubai in collaboration with ConsenSys is developing a blockchain-powered decentralised platform to support the development of digital skills in the UAE. The platform enables individuals to build their own educational paths and also includes a range of digital certifications.

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Beginning 1st April 2018, producers of the five-gallon drinking water bottles will have to implement a smart control system. A smart sticker will be placed on the lid of each bottle, linked to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;WaterSmarTraceâ&#x20AC;? app, which will enable consumers and Dubai Municipality inspectors to check the usage of these bottles.

AI pods in Dubai to help residents get a full body scan for free DHA, in collaboration with Bodyo, as part of the Dubai Future Accelerators initiative, will set up at least 44 free to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Heath Pods by mid-August, that will do quick health scans for the public and give immediate results. The pods will be set up across all areas in Dubai with high footfall. For the full story, please turn to page 59

Government transactions through blockchain leads to savings Using blockchain for 50 per cent of government transactions as part of Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021, could lead to potential savings of Dhs 11 billion over the next three years. The initiative is also expected to save 398 million printed documents and 77 million work hours annually.

Dubai Airports will open its smart tunnel, which utilises Artificial Intelligence (AI), a first of its kind in the world. The smart tunnel technology is a biometric system that allows passengers to walk through while employing technologies such as facial and iris recognition.

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Smart tunnel in Dubai Airport by the end of May

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

EXPO 2020 DUBAI

From Smart Site to Smart City Expo 2020 Dubai will not only showcase innovation but also lay the foundation for one of the most sustainable developments in the region. Mohammed Alhashmi Senior Vice President – Information and Communication Technology, Expo 2020 Dubai

rom the way we monitor our energy use to climate conditioning and the efficient movement of people, Expo 2020 Dubai is finding smart solutions that will create one of the most sustainable events in the world. ‘Sustainability’ is one of Expo 2020’s three key subthemes. Our aim is not only to be one of the most sustainable World Expos ever, but also to raise public awareness, and inform and empower visitors on the benefits of living

sustainable lives. Central to this goal is the creation of a ‘smart site’ for the event itself, that will also serve as the foundation for a ‘smart city’ in the form of District 2020 after the event. At least 75 per cent of buildings built for Expo will be smart, with features such as smart metering with digital feedback for energy and water consumption, as well as sensors to monitor the efficiency of utilities, climate conditioning, occupancy and even the level of waste in bins. ‘Just-in-Time’ waste management systems are an efficient way to ensure waste remains under control during Expo, while saving costs.

Building a smart site extends beyond the digital realm. Informed choices during the design phase enhance a site’s adaptability and lay the foundation for what is to come. It is this ‘future-proofing’ that makes a site truly smart. After all, who knows what novel technologies will emerge between now and 2020? Expo 2020’s smart site is the culmination of countless passive, active and innovative design choices. Take temperature control, as an example. The provision of shaded areas is a passive design decision. The implementation of efficient climate conditioning systems is an active design strategy, and the use of data analysis to enhance visitors’ thermal

Issue 07 | May 2018

Involving visitors in Expo 2020’s sustainable goals is also vital to ensure not only that Expo achieves its goals but also that we instill a greater sense of responsibility in our visitors to look after our planet. From the moment they purchase tickets online, millions of visitors will begin their sustainable Expo 2020 journey. Based on the information visitors provide when they purchase their tickets, we can help them plan their trip to the Expo 2020 site and, in conjunction with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), customise their means of transport. This could include public transport or possibly even smart vehicles. At the site, using the same information, we can help create a seamless and energy-efficient experience for visitors, using the most effective technology to navigate the 4.38 square kilometre site, and enable more efficient use of climate conditioning, utilities and other services. With an average of 150,000 visitors expected per day, plus participants, volunteers and employees, Expo 2020 and its partners will use specialist simulation software to model crowd behaviour, video analytics to monitor

visitor numbers, and anonymous tracking software to ensure a seamless flow of people. Nobody likes to queue, so Expo 2020 will use smart technology to get visitors through the gate and into pavilions as quickly as possible. Our 30,000 plus

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Our aim is not only to be one of the most sustainable World Expos ever, but also to raise public awareness, and inform and empower visitors on the benefits of living sustainable lives.

“

comfort is an example of innovative design.We believe people will be surprised by the level of automation and digitisation across the Expo 2020 site, even though much of the technology will not be visible. We know that the expectations of visitors and participants are high, and technology will be vital in helping to create the ‘wow’ factor to meet, or even exceed, their expectations.

volunteers will be equipped with the latest smart screens to help provide visitors with a personalised ‘concierge’ service. Visitors will also contribute to our sustainability goals when they buy food and beverages. They will save time by ordering and paying for meals online via a smart phone app, while we will encourage our F&B retailers to have a diverse range of serving sizes and packaging to help minimise waste. Through all of these measures, Expo

2020’s smart site will create a unique and memorable experience for visitors, while setting an example for sustainable mega events and, more importantly, raising public awareness on sustainability. These benefits will live on long after the World Expo as part of District 2020. Our goal is for District 2020 to be one of the most connected and tech-enabled destinations for working, living and relaxing. To ensure that we future-proof both Expo and District 2020, we are working with several stakeholders, including some of our Official Premier Partners – Accenture, CISCO, Etisalat, SAP and Siemens – plus others yet to be announced. District 2020’s advanced technology, such as resilient utilities, the Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed telecommunications links, is expected to attract large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, and entrepreneurs who want to be at the forefront of the future. To minimise the need for additional investment, we are designing a flexible, scalable and future-proof network infrastructure. Expo 2020’s smart buildings will become offices, educational facilities, a Children and Science Centre, and more, while built-in facilities, such as sensors and smart car parking, will be repurposed for District 2020. Beyond Expo, our smart site will grow into a smart city, enabling innovators, original thinkers and pioneers to Connect, Create and Innovate for years to come. 7

Issue 07 | May 2018

COVER STORY

Dubai – The City of the Future “This city is a dynamic testbed for entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders,” says Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Executive Director, Dubai Science Park.

hat is your advice for start-ups? And how strong a role do they play in the R&D sector of Dubai? Entrepreneurship, particularly within research and development (R&D), plays a vital role in a country’s transition to an innovation-led economy. Introducing new ideas and cutting-edge technologies, while

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

Dubai has grown into a major regional start-up hub that offers vast opportunities for entrepreneurs. Start-ups bring new ideas to the table – they are the nuts and bolts of successful R&D activities. My advice to them is to take advantage of this enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem. It has a favourable policy framework, with an impeccable infrastructure and affordable co-working spaces (such as TECOM Group’s in5). There is also access to funding plus proximity to emerging markets. What is your ultimate vision for Dubai Science Park? Where do you see it at its best? Our ultimate goal is to be the number one science community in the region and to serve as a one-stop shop for everything relating to life sciences, energy and the environment, whilst simultaneously branching out into new segments that help facilitate the growth of our business partners. Today, Dubai Science Park is home to more than 350 companies of all sizes, from start-ups and small medium enterprises to multinational corporations, that together employ over 3,600 industry professionals. We provide offices, private labs and warehouses to entities such as Pfizer, First Solar and PepsiCo. With an occupancy rate that is nearing full capacity, our goal is to continue our growth trajectory and expand our portfolio of facilities. We hope to inaugurate our new headquarters this year, marking yet another successful milestone. 10

Apart from physical infrastructure, we want to confirm our status as an industry enabler. We are in a unique position where we enjoy close relationships with key players from the government, academia and business. Therefore, our stakeholders view our regular events, such as our Business Partner Breakfasts, Green

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In the past few decades, Dubai has undergone an unprecedented transformation, and is now well on its way to becoming the most innovative, sustainable and smartest city in the world.

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fostering innovation and creativity, is essential for economic diversification.

Leadership Series, DSP Career Fair and Arab Health Gala Dinners, as welcome networking opportunities that allow them to forge synergies with a wide spectrum of relevant entities. One of my proudest achievements is our participation in the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 – a strategy focused on diversifying Dubai’s income and really putting it on the map of manufacturing

activities. The mission is to shift away from being a serviced economy to a more robust industrial economy. Out of the six major sectors within the strategy, namely Aerospace, Aluminium and Fabricated Metals, FMCG, Machinery and Equipment, Maritime and Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment, I was incredibly privileged to be appointed Chairing Member of the Pharmaceuticals Taskforce. Dubai Science Park is mandated to identify, develop and promote key opportunities in the local healthcare sector that will help transform Dubai into an international healthcare hub. In this context, we have some exciting announcements coming up soon. Are there any major hurdles that you are currently facing with clients and investors? Dubai is an ideal destination for investors. This city offers a wealth of business and infrastructure benefits. In fact, the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 report ranked the United Arab Emirates as 21 out of 190 countries in ease of doing business (up five places from 26th place in 2017). Meanwhile, cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UAE increased from around $109 billion by end 2015 to $117.9 billion by end 2016 – a growth rate of 8.2 per cent, driven by higher investments in manufacturing and other heavy industries. So, despite volatilities in the global investment landscape, Dubai has fared very well in terms of attracting new business. On the ground, intellectual property protection and talent availability remain among the key concerns. This is particularly important to companies

Issue 07 | May 2018

operating in the field of life sciences, where the protection of unique properties and compositions is vital to business success. My role as the Chairing Member of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment Taskforce of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 is to make these concerns heard and to ensure we create an enabling environment that protects the ideas and innovations of our business partners. Can you tell us about the link between Dubai Science Park and academia? How valuable an investment is this into our future as a smart city? As important an element as entrepreneurship and innovation, talent

plays a key role in determining the success of Dubai as a smart city. Our youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our future â&#x20AC;&#x201C; possesses a wealth of talent. However, this talent needs to be discovered and nurtured. To achieve this, we are committed to building and maintaining close relationships with universities and other educational institutions based in the UAE. It is true that there is currently a gap between the skill set that students graduate with and the professional requirements of the life science, energy and environment sectors. The overwhelming feedback from industry leaders highlights the importance of promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programmes, and stimulating

interest in these subjects among the young generation. At Dubai Science Park, we seek to bring together the science sector and academia to identify these gaps and develop policies to address them. In the recent past, we have engaged with representatives of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Amity University Dubai, the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the British University in Dubai (BUiD), to name a few, resulting in some close collaborations. In addition, we host the DSP Career Fair, an annual recruitment event that connects our business partners with university graduates in relevant disciplines. Every year, the fair draws participation from 11

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

way to becoming the most innovative, sustainable and smartest city in the world. Take transportation, for example. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that driverless flying taxis carrying individual passengers could begin regular operations as early as July 2018. Other examples include the upcoming Hyperloop connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi in as little as 12 minutes, and the muchanticipated self-driving pods.

hundreds of students with a passion for life sciences, energy and the environment. Have you always been involved in science and innovation? What piqued your interest in this field? Ironically, although I have always felt passionate about the subject of science and technology, I did not find my way into this field until only after I started working for Dubai Science Park (then DuBiotech). This is when I was truly immersed in the wonderful world of science. I have always been a learner and here, we meet so many companies and entities from different fields and backgrounds. Being curious about what they do and how they do it, is what makes my job interesting. I am a father of three; two girls and one boy all still relatively young. It is very important 12

for me to inspire my kids. The oldest one once said to me, “I like it that when you decide you want something, you go ahead and do it”. I have seen people chase a path they may not believe in, just because societal pressures dictate them to do so. And then they end up not being happy. I think what’s important is for you to believe in what you want and be happy about it, because if you are not… what’s the point? In your opinion, how do we fare as a developing city, and how long is our road to achieving a global smart city status? I think we have already achieved this status. In the past few decades, Dubai has undergone an unprecedented transformation, and is now well on its

In the wake of its Expo 2020 win, the government launched the Smart Dubai initiative with the aim of transforming Dubai into one of the world’s most connected and sustainable cities. The project will leverage the Internet of Things, in other words, enhanced communication and intelligent connections between machines, people and data, to develop smart infrastructure that spans all aspects of life – from mobility to the environment and economy. Also, by 2030, 25 per cent of Dubai’s buildings will be 3D printed! Launched in 2016, the Dubai Future Accelerators programme invites the world’s top innovators, in partnership with the government, to help implement ground breaking concepts in the city. And scheduled for a 2019 opening is the Museum of the Future, which will showcase futuristic inventions in health, science, education, energy and technology. As the Executive Director of one of Dubai’s thriving business communities, I can only confirm that the city has become a dynamic testbed for entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders.

In fact, I would go so far as to calling it the ‘City of the Future’.

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The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

#THEGREENECONOMIST

Smart Contracts, Leveraging Blockchain By Ivano Iannelli CEO, Dubai Carbon

Smart Contract leverages the language of blockchain to create an auditable trail that enables automation in contract management. Automated payment methods have always existed, but currently they are being conducted with pen and paper, and through escrow accounts. The process can also prove very costly. Smart contracts make it much easier to implement, monitor and streamline the process. And because everything is in open view, the approach is transparent and a lot more interactive, and hence much more reliable. Blockgeeks give a fantastic example on their site. They compare the 14

technology in smart contracts to a vending machine. Where for instance, ordinarily, you would go to a lawyer or a notary, pay them, and wait while you get the document. With smart contracts, you simply drop a bitcoin into the ‘vending machine’ and your escrow, driver’s license, or whatever drops into your account. Smart contracts are a lot safer in that not only do they clearly define the rules and penalties around a traditional agreement, but they also automatically enforce them. In a smart contract, everything happens concurrently, and it does this in a check box type approach. Once you have submitted your end of the bargain, it automatically marks it done. It is open, transparent, and in full view of everyone, whereby you can tell where the holdup is, or if anyone has defaulted on their end of the bargain. If any party backs out or does

not carry through their end, the contract automatically ‘refunds’ the faulted party. Nowadays, the value of blockchain is created in the system in a way that does not require as many nodes of verification because everything is streamlined and just needs boxes to be ticked off. The system is able to do it involving lesser people and lesser time. From a sustainability point of view, this means less resources. So, for example, instead of having ten people handle 100 contracts, you would probably just need two. This system is based more on verification rather than being a paperwork heavy framework. From our point of view, the ability to integrate it with new services, innovation and other related elements is what creates a green economy. In fact, one could say, this is the democratisation of processes.

Issue 07 | May 2018

FEATURE

The Next Evolution In Smart Cities and Green Building Focusing on the performance of existing buildings.

By Mahesh Ramanujam President and CEO U.S. Green Building Council

t the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), we believe that data and performance are the next frontier of green building and an integral component of smart city development. Over the past two decades, data and technology have transformed the market and changed nearly every aspect of life, increasing the rate and ease with which we connect with each other, improving operational performance and creating engagement opportunities through the tracking of data in real-time. This has had a profound impact on sustainability, education, business, healthcare, financial institutions, social engagement, impact investments, innovation, research and productivity around the world. The advancement of technology and data science is only going to continue to accelerate at a rapid pace, and those who fail to adopt these will be left behind. This is true for the building industry. Today, more than ever, the green building and sustainability movement relies on technology and data, and the next evolution of the marketplace will be focused on performance. It is critical that the market takes on a leadership role in data and performance so we can continue

to deliver the smart cities and communities of tomorrow. USGBC has led the global green building movement for the past 25 years with a simple but powerful vision that buildings, communities and cities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. We work towards achieving these goals through our LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, green building program. Created nearly two decades ago as a way to measure and define green building, LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. It is an internationally recognized symbol of sustainability leadership, signifying that a building is saving energy, resources and water, and is healthier for occupants and the community.

The introduction of LEED helped transform the building sector and contributed to launching the trilliondollar green building industry, spurring explosive growth in green buildings across the globe. LEED has become the most widely used green building program in the world. Today, there are more than 93,000 projects totalling nearly 1.84 billion gross square metres of space, participating in LEED across 167 countries and territories, including the United Arab Emirates. Every day, more than 205,800 square metres of space certifies to LEED, and it is estimated that millions of people experience a LEED-certified building. LEED has helped transform building practices and continues to push the top performers. But we recognise that in order to prepare for the future, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the other 90 plus per cent of buildings behind. We must get all buildings on a path to sustainability if we want to achieve a sustainable future for all and realise true market transformation. And we know the way to do that is by focusing on the performance of an often untapped resource â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our existing buildings. Historically, though the largest market share for green building has been in the new construction sector in major metropolitan areas, it is only roughly two percent of the global real estate portfolio as a whole. Existing buildings, on the other hand, are by far the largest 15

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

It is hard to overstate the potential and necessity of greening our existing building stock. Buildings are responsible for an enormous amount of global energy use, resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UNEP Buildings and Climate Change Report, buildings are responsible for more than 40 per cent of global energy use and onethird of global greenhouse gas emissions. Imagine the dent we could make in these statistics, and the implications this could have on our cities, just by adding efficiency in this sector at an environmental and economic level? Existing buildings hold incredible promise. Many older buildings are energy hogs and water sieves, but with some keen attention to building operations, this can be turned around drastically. Consider that it can take up to 80 years to make up for the environmental impacts of demolishing an old building and constructing a new one, even if the resulting building is extremely energy efficient. You may have heard of the phrase, “The greenest building is the one already built”. We believe we can maximise the efficiency of existing buildings through a renewed focus on performance. Increasing the transparency around the performance of our existing buildings has the potential to revolutionise the way our buildings, communities and cities are planned, developed and operated, while improving the quality of life of millions around the world and stimulating a robust, green economy. Over the last several years, USGBC has been focused on performance and how it relates to the green building movement 16

and the development of smart cities and communities. In December 2016, we introduced an online performance platform called Arc in an effort to take LEED and the green building movement to the next level. Arc helps existing buildings around the world become more resource efficient, sustainable and healthy for their occupants by calculating building performance scores based on global building data and action-oriented strategies across five categories: energy, water, waste, transportation and human experience. The real estate and building industry

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The real estate and building industry thrives on the spirit of compare and compete.

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real estate market, eager to participate in sustainability transformation.

thrives on the spirit of compare and compete. As an existing building tracks its performance and makes continuous improvements to become more sustainable, it can eventually achieve LEED certification. Existing buildings in the UAE can benefit from using the Arc platform to pursue certification, thereby vastly increasing the pipeline of possible projects in the Middle East. By focusing on performance, benchmarking and improvements, we can broaden LEED’s reach into the global market and make substantial progress towards our goal of market transformation.

LEED certified buildings can also use Arc to track their building’s performance and confirm they are performing at or above their certified levels. Iconic LEED projects in the UAE can track performance and benchmark against one another. Even buildings not yet ready for certification can track their performance to simply make improvements and increase their sustainability. The platform has total flexibility to start small – with the performance data you already have – and make incremental progress towards achieving your sustainability goals. So far, the Arc platform is tracking more than 92 million square metres of space. We’re seeing substantial progress, with existing buildings all over the world striving to increase their performance and become more sustainable. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in India has announced that it will monitor the performance of metro stations in Delhi NCR and other states in India through Arc, allowing their operational transit facilities to benchmark efficiencies, demonstrate continual improvement and reduce their environmental footprint. Their Metro Bhawan headquarters became the first project in the world to achieve LEED certification by leveraging the new LEED performance pathway through Arc. The challenges our cities face as they prepare for the future are great and many, but we are determined to meet them. At USGBC, we are fully committed to driving a new way forward for our cities by focusing on the performance of our existing buildings. We are excited about the future because we know city leaders across the globe are ready to meet this challenge and deliver the community and cities of tomorrow. They are relentlessly building towards a future where everyone can thrive.

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Issue 07 | May 2018

FEATURE

The Happiest City on Earth How smart is my city? Turns out, a lot.

y definition, a smart city is a municipality that uses information and communication technologies to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public, and improve both the quality of government services and citizen welfare.

focus of a smart city is to conserve energy and improve efficiency, with the implementation of smart sensors and a smart grid. For example, street lights can be dimmed when there is no traffic on the roads, and the grid can be used to improve operations, maintenance and planning, and supply power on demand.

This is how the worldwide Internet of Things Agenda describe a truly smart functioning metropolis.The major

Enter Smart Dubai, a city-wide initiative to transform Dubai into the world’s smartest city. But Smart Dubai is not just looking

to improve technologically. The aim is to be the happiest city in the world. Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai Office, says, “Our main objective at Smart Dubai is not technology itself, but rather its potential to improve people’s lives. Our vision is to build a smart city centred around the happiness of its citizens.” The leadership of Dubai is renowned for its forward-thinking vision and its 17

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

So how do they do this? By several varied smart initiatives, including going paperless and embedding pioneering technology into the city’s infrastructure. However, one of their key initiatives, one that has even disrupted the world, is blockchain. Smart Dubai launched the citywide “Dubai Blockchain Strategy” in October 2016, with the objective of executing

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Several steps have also been taken to support the creation of a blockchain industry, by providing an enabling ecosystem that empowers start-ups and businesses.

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all applicable government transactions using blockchain by 2020. The strategy establishes a roadmap for the introduction of blockchain technology to Dubai, but also creates an open platform to share this technology with cities across the globe. First on their agenda is to increase efficiency. The use of blockchain will enable a paperless digital layer for all city transactions, converting millions of documents, from visa applications to bill payments and license renewals, into digital, blockchain-secured form. In 2017, over 20 government use cases were identified and designed. These cases included daily life experiences, such as purchasing or renting a property, registering your child into a school, obtaining medical treatment, and more. The intention is to first pilot these cases on blockchain before proceeding to full implementation towards the end of 2018. Several steps have also been taken to support the creation of a blockchain industry, by providing an enabling ecosystem that empowers start-ups and businesses. This year in May, selected start-ups from around the world, participated in the second Dubai Blockchain Challenge. The 2018 Smart Dubai Blockchain Challenge saw 200 applicants submitting Blockchain solution ideas across 53 industries! The top 17 applications were flown into Dubai to present their ideas at the Future Blockchain Summit. According to Dr. Aisha, start-ups are the catalysts of the Dubai Blockchain Strategy. Dubai’s numerous smart initiatives are propelling the city with breakneck speed into the future. But how are the

Dubai’s “numerous

smart initiatives are propelling the city with breakneck speed into the future.

“

investment into the ‘future’. Currently, Dubai has a roster of 1,000 plus e-services and is embracing technological innovation with open arms to reach its aim of making Dubai the most efficient, seamless, safe and personalised experience for its visitors and residents.

gatekeepers of Dubai measuring their success? With a Happiness Meter. Physical Happiness Meters have already been installed in various government service centres to interactively measure the satisfaction level of residents and visitors, particularly when dealing with government transactional services. However, this meter can just as easily be integrated into existing websites as a standalone app or as part of their feedback collection. The data can remain completely anonymous and private to the host, and/ or shared on a central ‘Happiness Portal’. Since its launch over two years ago, the Happiness Meter recorded over 14 million votes till end 2017! This feedback provides immense help in outlining the requirements for both government and private sector entities to further their goal of participating in the Government’s Happiness Initiative. To that we say, God Speed!

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE

A Living Lab for Future Technologies Past and future projects in The Sustainable City in Dubai are proof of how a smart, sustainable infrastructure can build a healthy, affordable and low-carbon community. By SEE NEXUS Institute

he Sustainable City (TSC) in Dubai is deploying new technologies and management systems to achieve social, economic and environmental outcomes. These systems include grid-edge technologies, driverless transport, vertical farming, and smart metering to name a few. Deploying, testing, and integrating these systems in The Sustainable City – or any other community – requires an innovation ecosystem and public engagement. The goal is to achieve societal and planetary value, cost-effectively.

Aerial view of the photovoltaic panels in The Sustainable City.

Distributed production and storage

Smart metering and solutions

The Sustainable City incorporates several grid-edge technologies. For starters, the community aims to become the first operational net zero energy development in the region. Through distributed generation, villas and public areas generate solar energy from 6.4 MWp of photovoltaic panels (this will reach 10 MWp when Phase 2 is completed). DEWA’s net metering program allows individual units to generate electricity, consume it directly, and export the surplus to the grid. The accumulated surplus is deducted from utility bills at the end of the billing cycle. In anticipation of distributed storage in the future, villas in The Sustainable City already have space provision for storage systems. Also, working with ENGIE and Heliatek, The Sustainable City is testing organic thin-film solar cell technology to harness energy on non-conventional surfaces and facilities.

Grid-edge technologies is also about smart appliances, and smart metering. Air conditioning systems in The Sustainable City use VRF technology which are not only more energy efficient but can also be operated remotely with LG’s smart AC app. The community uses nonintrusive load monitoring at the villa level to measure electricity consumption and production, with real-time data displayed on end users’ smart phones. Such displays edit behaviors by helping end users become more energy conscious and achieve lower carbon footprints. To help detect and prevent leaks, The Sustainable City has deployed noninvasive smart meters on internal water and wastewater networks using pulse technology. Deployed in strategic locations, these smart meters emit accurate flow data every minute, and help inform maintenance teams. Public street lighting is also the focus of a retrofit

May 2018 07rd |October 2017 Issue 01Issue | 23

program that will reduce light pollution and electricity consumption. Using artificial intelligent lighting, street lights will operate based on motion detection. Clean and autonomous transportation The Sustainable City was designed to anticipate the Electric Vehicle (EV) uptake. Charging stations have been deployed inside the community, near mixed use facilities, and soon in every residential cluster, to make EV charging convenient and attractive for all residents. From an infrastructure planning perspective, the deployment requires spare load provision and close coordination with DEWA. Through educational events, including EV test drives and activation days, residents are taking part in the EV transformation. An EV car sharing program will be deployed in the future to further accelerate the EV transition. Driverless or autonomous cars have been in existence for decades. However, only recently have policy moves been made towards supporting their use on public roads. Dubai has announced that by 2030, 25 per cent of all transportation trips will be smart and driverless. The Sustainable City, working in partnership with RTA and EasyMile, has introduced an autonomous and driverless shuttle in the community on a trial basis. The EZ10 shuttle follows a pre-mapped route around the urban farm providing a comfortable air-conditioned ride for up to 11 passengers. Powered from renewables, the shuttle offers zeroemission transport. End user perception and interaction with the EZ10 shuttle is the focus of a research project with the University of California, Davis. Other mobility features in The Sustainable City include car-free clusters and a buggy-

RTA pilot project demonstrating the EZ10 driverless shuttle in The Sustainable City.

sharing program. Specifically, residents above 14 years of age have access to a fleet of 63 shared buggies which are speed restricted and geo fenced to ensure safety. Residents can monitor the location of the buggies on their smartphones and find the nearest available buggy. In 2017, the cumulative distance travelled by all the buggies was 73,500 km, almost 2 times around the equator!

energy, water, and mobility. In many ways, you could say that TSC is a living lab, with ongoing pilots in various disciplines impacting urban sustainability.

Vertical farming Urban farming has created a unique lifestyle for residents of The Sustainable City. Bio domes and community gardening produce a growing selection of leafy greens and vegetables, while a productive landscape produces fruits, such as dates, papayas, pomegranates, almonds, mangoes and more. The Sustainable City innovation team has been exploring emerging technologies in vertical farming and will be deploying a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cooltainerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in partnership with Agricool of France. Powered from renewables, this repurposed freight container will produce strawberries under a controlled environment. The produce will be zero pesticide, zero GMO, and zero energy. Now that is smart! The Sustainable City innovation team is designing a sustainability dashboard with live data and use cases from multiple sources, including weather, air quality,

Inside view of strawberry container with Agricool.

Contributes to Sustainable Development Goal:

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE

Using AI For a Smarter City The advancing revolution is unlocking the doors to opportunities and leading the way to unprecedented advancement. Mostafa Al Guezeri Country Managing Director ABB, in the United Arab Emirates and Gulf countries

s urban populations grow, forward-looking governments and industries strive to create more sustainable and efficient cities, not only to lessen their impact on the environment, but also to create a better quality of life for its citizens. Digitalisation of a city’s infrastructure enables the optimised use of energy – from transport, buildings, and industry through to the power grid itself. Devices and sensors embedded in our infrastructure facilitate more efficient management of our precious resources, and also help cut costs. Today, buildings are smart, and are becoming smarter and

more energy efficient. Residential solar developments like Dubai’s Sustainable City, the 600-villas project, which offers free solar panel installation across 600 villas to all UAE nationals in Hatta, or even ABB’s factory in Al Quoz, enable clean sustainable power with the added benefit of excess electricity being fed back into the grid. With the integration of renewables, the grid is becoming more complex. Solutions like ABB’s digital distribution transformer, which has builtin sensing technology, provides real-time information on when maintenance is needed or when there are fluctuations in power on the grid, so that action can be taken to enable a more reliable grid. According to the Institute for Energy Research, building technology is the largest consumer of energy after transport

and power generation. Heating, cooling and lighting in residential and office buildings make up about 40 per cent of the energy consumed in a building. Building and home automation is having an impact on the efficient use of energy in this sector. In homes and offices, technologies that make lights go on with a gesture, a voice command, or simply by identifying a presence in a room, are helping to make our buildings more energy efficient. For more than 20 years, ABB has provided Intelligent Building Control systems to residential and non-residential buildings, creating energy savings of up to 50 per cent. ABB is also investing in PointGrab, a company that has developed a ground-breaking solution, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance commercial building automation by sensing and analysing information about where and how people use the space, while at the same time maintaining high standards for privacy and data security. PointGrab’s sensing platform uses highly intelligent image-based sensors connected to a cloud-based management system. It optimises the use of workstations, meeting rooms, lighting as well as heating, ventilation and airconditioning in office spaces. On the utility side, the technology enables organisations to only activate, for example, lighting and heating, when it is needed. ABB has long been involved in helping governments and industries create smarter, more connected energy ecosystems. The future of sustainable cities lies in the ability to adapt and react to an ever-changing energy landscape.

Issue 07 | May 2018

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

CASE STUDY

Smart Technology for a Smart City Aqueous Ozone, an innovative technology by Green Touches cleans gray water ‘cleanly’ and without toxins.

reen Touches brings to the region an innovative technology that infuses cold water with ozone to create Aqueous Ozone, a water-based cleaning solution that is completely free of toxins and chemicals. Made using electricity and oxygen, the Aqueous Ozone technology is a green product that reverts safely back to water and oxygen over time. Even better, with this technology, there is absolutely no fear of polluting drainage systems. One could go so far as to say that it’s Mother Nature’s natural cleaner.

And where better to implement this CleanCoreTM Technology than at The Sustainable City. “Working closely with the CEO of The Sustainable City, Mr. Faris Saeed, and SEE NEXUS management, the consulting and knowledge arm of the TSC, we introduced Aqueous Ozone, the innovative sustainable technology 24

that infuses cold water with ozone to create Aqueous Ozone, an effective, general purpose cleaner that reverts back to oxygen and water leaving zero chemical residue entering the waterways,” says Adrienne Doolan, CEO of Green Touches. This technology will certainly be a game changer in ecologically sustainable cleaning. Fill stations were installed in various areas of The Sustainable City, allowing the community easy access to the cleaning solution and thereby eliminating the use of traditional cleaning chemicals. “What distinguishes our project is that whilst we are targeting the cleaning industry, we have been allowed the opportunity to introduce it to a community at large, enabling it to be the only place in the world to offer its residents and business holders a sustainable cleaning solution absolutely free,” says Doolan. Before implementing Aqueous Ozone, Green Touches carried out an awareness

campaign at The Sustainable City to educate everyone on the dangers of traditional chemical cleaning products. In addition, all residents, business owners and site cleaning staff were trained to use the technology. Furthermore, the results are completely measurable. The environmental impact alone is staggering. First off, 110,000 square metres of chemical free water took away any toxins from 10,000 trees that were watered daily. And the clean water allowed for more than 40 types of herbs and vegetables to be farmed organically. Community involvement also grew. Residents and businesses took ownership and responsibility for their role in sustainability. A little social media world sprouted to help spread knowledge and enthusiasm amongst the community. Not to mention the relief on their bank balances with annual savings of more than Dhs 1,546,080 otherwise spent on cleaning supplies.

Leader in the Energy Transition Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been the GCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading energy partner for 30 years, offering expert solutions in the field of low-carbon energy and transformational energy services. With our customers, we forge ahead together in building a sustainable future for the region.

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

CASE STUDY

d3: The Smartest Spot on Earth The Sustainabilist takes a look at the creative neighborhood offering digital connectivity to create an innovation-led economy.

Issue 07 | May 2018

he Dubai Design District, or d3, prides itself in being a district that nurtures emerging local talent and providing a home for the region’s creative thinkers. Their premises are slick, their clientele equally so, and their events, arty, hip and happening.

implementing the following: Interactive Services, Personal Dashboards, Solar Roofs, Operation and Maintenance Enhancements, Energy Analytics System Optimisation, Visitor Management, WiFi Connect and Electric Vehicle Power and Charging,” said Mohammad Saeed Al-Shehhi, Chief Executive of d3.

The district has been developed through careful consultation with the design community in order to provide an ecosystem that is beyond a typical creative neighbourhood. It forges inspiring, authentic and relevant ideas shaping Dubai’s future as a leading destination of design, art, and culture. It has its own beating heart, its own spirit and its own very personal style.

These all sound very interesting and technologically advanced, and they are, plus they are energy conserving and therefore, smart. The investment made on solar by d3 will be recovered within six years. The solar project at d3 will generate up to

20 per cent of the common area energy requirements, and this solution is DEWA Shams compliant. However, these services are not a standalone. They are integrated into the entire smart infrastructure offered by the district, creating a journey – one that is efficient, conserves energy, and makes the experience of visiting d3 a pleasant one. The smart Wifi system installed allows for monitoring crowd location and movement, which is extremely useful in events management. This WiFi connectivity is supplemented by LiFi,

d3 is fast becoming home to the region’s growing community of creative thinkers. It is being built as part of the Dubai Plan 2021, using the smart city principles that offer digital connectivity to create an innovation-led economy. However, they have an even bigger claim to fame. The Dubai Design District is moving at a hectic pace with one singular aim – to become the ‘smartest spot on Earth’. Their many and varied smart initiatives are mega hi-tech, futuristic, clever and incredibly impressive. They have successfully implemented the first set of these initiatives within the region, and are intent on delivering a further 21 initiatives and 45 smart services in the next five years, with a view to generate savings of an estimated $98 million for their business partners and visitors. A tall claim, and one they are very likely to achieve. “So far, we are already in the process of 27

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

Furthermore, when your car enters the district, the app and car park sensors are aware of its arrival and, if you are the first person in your office to enter the parking lot, it will be a cue for the lighting and air conditioning units to switch on. The underground carparks in the district all have automatic number plate recognition, so there is no need for parking beepers or cards to be waved at a sensor. Building entrances are kitted out with biometrics and facial recognition software, doing away with key cards to clock in and out. A truly 360 degree experience. Dubai Design District’s adaption of Smart Dubai’s directives translates through three key avenues – transformation, convergence and foundation. 28

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The Dubai Design District is moving at a hectic pace with one singular aim – to become the ‘smartest spot on Earth’.

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used to provide an interactive guide of the design district via the d3 mobile app.

Transformation offers a contextual experience, anticipating the needs of visitors and tenants while still offering a personalised service in an efficient way. Next comes the act of converging information, communication and building technologies, and lastly, foundation. Building the next generation infrastructure for enabling smart services. What is most commendable is d3’s holistic approach to developing this smart city. All the information and communication technologies (ICT) will be converged to create a comprehensive set of guidelines, the first of its kind in the world, called the ICT Masterplan Design Guidelines and Developer Guidelines. These guidelines will provide a blueprint, which can used by master planners and governments worldwide to design certifiable smart districts. Kudos!

shutterstock.com/yalayama

Issue 07 | May 2018

CASE STUDY

Here’s to a Waste-Free City Dubai Municipality’s Wastenizer project aims to convert 100 per cent of Dubai’s waste into clean energy by 2030.

magine using all your waste for good. Dubai Municipality has launched a super ambitious project, and the first of its kind in the world – the Wastenizer. The eventual aim of this project is to make Dubai 100 per cent waste free. Currently, Dubai has the highest waste generation per capita, generating 3.5 million tonnes of waste annually. Around 7,560 square metres of land is used for landfills with 3,850 garbage trucks on the roads, collecting waste from various points in the city. That is a lot of fuel and energy resources, and manpower, not to mention added pollution from the trucks and landfills.These are issues addressed by the Wastenizer project, developed by the Applied Sustainability and Renewable Energy Department at the Dubai Municipality. It is a system which will turn the city’s solid waste into a source of energy using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Integrated treatment units within buildings and residential communities will use artificial intelligence to segregate and sort waste. These decentralised units will

raise the temperature of the waste, thereby breaking down its chemical components and producing clean electrical energy that will be exported to the local electricity grid. There will be no more need for garbage trucks clogging traffic and polluting the city. And removing these vehicles from operation alone will result in a sizeable drop in carbon emissions. It will also result in savings of Dhs 2 million a day for the government. The Wastenizer system will also produce 17,500 tons of good ash for the production of green concrete. Furthermore, autonomous, solar-powered smart bins will replace the regular garbage bins, initially at selected sites during the implementation period and eventually, all over the city. The goal, according to the officials at Dubai Municipality, is to create an ecosystem that embraces change and disruption, and a smart, flexible environment that engages both the public and private sectors, as well as the general public. Part of the project is the world’s largest waste to energy plant, under construction

in the Warsan area of Dubai. It is being built over two hectares and costs a whopping Dhs 2.5 billion. However, once completed and operational (plans are to go online at Expo 2020), the plant will consume more than 60 per cent of the city’s solid, industrial and commercial waste (at least 5,000 tonnes of its total daily 8,000 tonnes) which, when converted, will be enough to generate 185MW daily. To put this amount in perspective, the electricity generated could power 120,000 homes, or 2,000 skyscrapers the size of Burj Khalifa. The number is also equivalent to two per cent of Dubai’s total annual energy consumption. According to the officials at Dubai Municipality, this project is a true disruptor of sorts, completely altering the current waste management network. The pilot phase of the project will be rolled out by end 2018, with full implementation in selected regions just before the opening of Expo 2020. However, according to the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Master Plan, the eventual goal is to convert 100 per cent of the city’s waste away from landfills by 2030. Dubai’s 3,500,000 tonnes of waste generated annually will contribute to: • 17,500 tonnes of reusable ash • Dhs 2.30 million saved in operating costs • 7,560 square metres of landfills to be recovered • 3,850 fewer garbage trucks, dramatically reducing traffic congestion and pollution in the city

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s write the future by building the transport infrastructure of tomorrow. ABBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to the e-mobility revolution goes far beyond technological innovation. By installing, maintaining and managing nationwide charger networks, we enable countries and consumers to make the transition to electric transportation. Together, we are laying the global foundations for a future of reliable, accessible and emission-free mobility. To discover more, visit abb.com

shutterstock.com/Suwin

Issue 07 | May 2018

CENTREFOLD

Industry 4.0 Alain Kaddoum, General Manager of Swisslog Middle East, talks about the virtual world and how it is shaping the future of sustainable business operations.

ndustry 4.0 is the intelligence behind the maximum efficiency of tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. But how does collecting data today help businesses stay sustainable while predicting what will happen tomorrow? Intralogistics experts, Swisslog, have the answer. The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is connecting companies to the virtual world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a world in which information technology is fully incorporated into business processes. The Middle East and African markets for augmented and virtual reality are expected to grow to $6 billion by 2020, according

to the International Data Corporation, and as the digital trend continues to innovate, it will transform the future of sustainable business. Industry 4.0 has revolutionised the way a modern warehouse or distribution centre operates, and it is only a matter of time before other sectors start to recognise the advantages. Energy efficient automation solutions While Industry 4.0 concepts and automation have offered endless sustainability benefits to operations around the globe, there are concerns regarding the increased energy demands

required to run these systems. New reports show that refrigerated warehousing, while an expanding sector, is the most energy intensive. Energy is one of the largest expenses for this sector, second only to labour costs. Goods-to-person solutions can recuperate energy from the braking and lifting of carrier vehicles and this, combined with sustainable energy sharing technologies, can see energy use reduced by almost 20 per cent. The most efficient shuttle and robotics systems have been engineered to reduce carrier weight and optimise weight/ payload ratios for lessened energy 31

The Sustainabilist ||SUSTAINABLE. SMART CITIES BUSINESS. & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Smart energy management Another interesting system at play in automated distribution centres uses Industry 4.0 concepts in integrated energy management controls. Once power consumption values have been established for each automated system, subsystem and I/O, integrated energy management controls link the energy performance of these automated warehouse material handling systems – like Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) cranes, conveying systems, lifts and shuttle systems – to these systems’ actual real time energy needs. Basically, these different systems and subsystems are connected via Ethernet or the Internet of Things, and they are communicating and sharing a power budget. Their controllers are looking ahead to the next five seconds, and they can tell each other what amount of energy each system, subsystem and axis is producing or using. The controllers can then improve sustainability by coordinating and optimising the distribution (sharing) of harvested power from one system, subsystem or axis to another. They can also coordinate the delay and start functions of associated systems to again optimise the use of harvested energy, as well as minimise peaks in power draw caused by simultaneous machine starts. 32

High-bay robotic pallet shuttles When compared to energy use of ASRS cranes, factoring in energy recuperation and energy sharing, high-bay robotic pallet shuttle systems consume 70 per cent less energy, making them highly energy efficient for high-bay pallet storage and retrieval.

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The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is connecting companies to the virtual world – a world in which information technology is fully incorporated into business processes.

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requirements. Since these systems provide dense storage capacity, they are also ideal for minimising refrigeration energy costs, when compared to manual, small quantity picking in traditional refrigerated warehouses.

Energy consumption rates are a top-level consideration in high-bay warehouses. ASRS cranes have been the longstanding workhorse for high throughput automated pallet movement in these facilities, as well as the biggest users of power. Robotic pallet shuttle systems, like the Swisslog PowerStore® system, employ sustainable, low footprint pallet lifts, instead of aisles, and enable pallet

locations to store 20 pallets deep. Consequently, these systems provide the industry’s most dense automated pallet storage, which delivers improved cold retention in high-bay, cold storage facilities. These pallet shuttle systems present an alternative option for high-bay distribution that greatly reduces energy requirements. The future of sustainable warehouse robotics These energy efficient developments being integrated into material handling systems enable a truly optimised capability for maintaining high throughput production, coupled with smart energy management. Aside from the use of future ready technologies, there are other things that can be implemented in existing automated facilities in the Middle East to increase sustainability and energy efficiency. For instance, by reducing conveyor speeds during low throughput periods, significant energy savings can be realised. Another factor to consider is weight reduction. Reducing the weight loads of solutions, while maintaining the systems’ structural integrity and load carrying ratings, can go a long way in contributing towards minimising energy consumption. Some manufacturers have cut their automated guided vehicle weight by 30 per cent without any reduction in load-carrying capability. There is no question that a combination of these factors coupled with Industry 4.0 energy saving concepts will be a winner for any Middle East distribution operation aiming to reduce their energy consumption. As for other business sectors, we foresee a world of opportunities.

May 2018 07rd |October 2017 Issue 01Issue | 23

FEATURE

technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, machine learning, big data, blockchain, biometric identification, energy and digital transformation.

One Team, Co-creating the Future

An example of a challenge is enhanced safety management – the use of advanced health technologies to raise patients’ awareness on diseases and to help prevent chronic conditions at an early stage. Another challenge is to improve electricity and water supply services using technology to significantly change the behavior of the consumers. To develop smart, digital solutions for telecommunication services through artificial intelligence, in order to enrich customers’ experience. Moreover, it encourages innovative solutions put forward to speed up services and provide a seamless experience.

37 companies enter into the futuretech, cutting-edge challenges laid out by this year’s Dubai Future Accelerators programme. By Saeed Al Falasi Executive Director of Future Platforms, Dubai Future Foundation

ubai Future Accelerators (DFA), a first of its kind program, was launched in 2016 by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the Chairman of Dubai Future Foundation under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. The purpose was to create a space for the world’s most innovative companies to collaborate with government sectors in an effort to overcome the challenges they may face in the future. This unique program runs for nine weeks, twice a year.

Each year, DFA opens its doors for new cutting-edge technologies to be tested in Dubai, and then turns these ideas to tangible projects and solutions. This year, saw the launch of the fourth edition of DFA. The cohort witnessed the participation of 37 companies from all walks of life, in which 11 were from the United Arab Emirates. This is the highest number to date of UAE-based participants. The companies are developing and implementing various solutions in response to different challenges proposed by the 12 government entities. And the tools they are using include the latest

A new internship program was introduced this year at the DFA targeting students. The program encourages exploration and learning about Dubai’s future initiatives, projects and latest trends, in an effort to push them to innovate and become entrepreneurs of the future. The intention was to create a mindset that proves that entrepreneurship can never be taught, only experienced. Dubai Future Accelerators aims to change perceptions and cultivate the spirit of the entrepreneur amongst government sectors. It also breaks down barriers by creating an agile and accelerated environment. DFA is a platform for governments to move forward with their ideas, and projects, as well as their ability to experiment. Their mission – to create and shape the future by facilitating partnerships between forward-thinking entrepreneurs and the government using the city of Dubai as a living testbed. 33

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

Andreas Tsindos, CEO of MWANChain, and Andrew Rippon, Partner at 4Blocks Capital Partners talk about cryptocurrencies in the region.

FEATURE

Is Digital the Future of Money in the GCC?

great deal of attention has been paid in the last year to Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Some global leaders have decried these new cryptocurrencies as fraud, while others believe it is the future of money. Countries such as Switzerland and Malta are doing everything they can to promote and attract activity in digital currencies, while others, such as China, have banned them outright.

shutterstock.com/ Igor Batrakov

Meanwhile, in the GCC region, most countries have bought into the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies, which is blockchain. Dubai is leading the way by stating all government documents will be on blockchain by 2020. However, the picture on the usage of digital currencies as a formal method of exchange or investment is still mixed, with little legislation enacted. In fact, the regulation of Bitcoin et al is the hottest topic in the fintech governance field globally. In the GCC region, regulators are addressing the issue with due care and attention.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The digital currency revolution, like many technological ones, will not happen all at once, and will be managed by regulators, as most financial instruments are,â&#x20AC;? says Andrew Rippon, partner at 4Blocks Capital Partners.

Issue 07 | May 2018

In the region, there have been contradictory signals as a preliminary run up to formal recognition. The Central Bank of the UAE, for example, has a formal framework that impedes any electronic transactions outside its regulated industry. Equally, in 2017 the Dubai Financial Services Authority opined that cryptocurrencies are not regulated and are therefore high risk investments. On the other hand, cryptocurrency and blockchain interest continues to gather steam in the region. The Dubai Government has announced that the first use case of its blockchain strategy to go live will be inter-government payments. While not strictly a cryptocurrency, this is about exchange of value. Likewise, both Saudi and the UAE have declared intentions to issue sovereign backed crypto currencies. Together the two countries hope to start a world first, cross border, sovereign use of the technology. In December 2017, Mubarak Rashid Al Mansouri, Governor of the Central Bank of UAE, announced a broad collaboration between the countries. The driver behind this initiative is clearly to reduce the complexities and cost of cross border settlements, especially between governments who do regular business with each other. So finally,

money could actually have an intrinsic value. After all, printed paper has limited uses and gold was revealed to hold value in electronics manufacturing relatively recently. Yet cryptocurrencies all have an underlying usefulness to society and business. Bitcoin is a permanent digital record keeper with over 10,000 copies of the ledger globally. Likewise, Ethereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency, is a distributed computing engine that allows companies, governments and individuals to have resilient application instantly running on 15,000 servers on every continent. As an example, imagine the elimination of all the papers that you need to take to a government office to, say, get a driving license. This is exactly what the Smart Dubai strategy aims to achieve. Following on from that initiative, many government and private sector entities in the region are exploring the use of blockchain and its principal current use case, cryptocurrencies.This could very well be the future of investing.

for local companies through ICOs. However, several of the Free Zones in the UAE are working to legalise and host this new investment vehicle. This is a promising avenue which local entrepreneurs and established companies, big and small, can look at equally. Today, in the UAE and even GCC, cryptocurrencies are not legal tender nor are they fully regulated. However, some existing legal structures do exist that allow investment in digital assets and the platforms they empower. Initiatives in the region are currently mostly focused on the underlying technology and processes of blockchain, which shows good promise in government and private sector activities.

shutterstock.com/ shutterlk

Still, regulation in the region is not yet mature. While a formal definition of cryptocurrencies has been given in many jurisdictions, there is no single, let alone consistent, view amongst GCC governments. The European Union and the United States have tended towards minimising the role of cryptocurrencies as not true money, limiting their use as high risk investments. On the other hand, Japan and Australia have recognised “crypto” as real money.

And it is this intrinsic utility that is driving investment into digital currencies. As the number of cryptocurrencies proliferates, the main question being asked is, “Why so many?” The simple answer is that each of them have different underlying utilities. Entrepreneurs are proliferating disruptive solutions to everyday problems, everything from accelerating real estate purchases to assuring the provenance of halal foods. Another factor driving investment is the new fundraising paradigm of the Initial Coin Offering, or ICO. In the region, multiple ICOs have been run for foreign based companies, and foreign service providers can raise funds 35

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

smart city, by definition, is an urban area that uses a wide range of digital and communication technologies to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public, and improve both the quality of services and citizen welfare. Smart cities aren’t just a dream of the future. Some of us are living it in the UAE, where the will and power to transform the country, to ensure happy experiences for residents and visitors, have resulted in improved efficiency and convenience. Emirates NBD has been a prominent partner in supporting and enabling these initiatives. The bank is a leader in digitisation and innovation in the region, pioneering many new services and technologies, that are married intelligently with a human touch, to make the lives of customers simpler. Payments for all government services, starting with DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) and extending to telecom, Salik, road fines and a variety of others, are easily possible through the online or mobile platforms with the click of a button. The bank’s Go4It Card, offered in partnership with the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), is a credit card and a Nol Card rolled into one, and can be used for shopping or for making payments on the RTA transport network – the metro, road and water buses.

FEATURE

Banking on Disruption Emirates NBD tells The Sustainabilist how rapid advancement in innovation is transforming customer services. 36

DirectRemit, the bank’s flagship remittance service, helps customers to transfer money instantly to accounts in their home country free of charge and at competitive rates. Its FaceBanking video banking service helps customers to talk to a bank agent round the clock through a state-of-the-art online banking platform and apply for a personal loan from the comfort of one’s home. Customers calling the bank’s call centre will be greeted by

Issue 07 | May 2018

EVA (Emirates NBD Virtual Assistant) who will assist them with their queries quickly without having to navigate an IVR maze. Additionally, paperless tablet banking services allow customers to sign up for a card or a loan completely digitally, with similar services for account opening and wealth products coming soon. The UAE is home to a large and growing youth population, and last year, the bank launched Liv., the first digital bank in the UAE targeted at millennials. This mobileonly bank allows customers to open an account instantly on their smartphones, while also being a buddy in helping customers with spend-tracking widgets, curated deals and personalised offers. This is in addition to other cool features such as bill split and social media-based money transfers. Emirates NBD’s Branch of the Future, located in Emirates Towers Dubai, offers a glimpse into the smart technologies planned for the near future, such as the

Visa Connected Car that will enable customers to make payments, from parking to pizza, from the console of their cars; augmented reality solutions that will help customers choose a house and sign up for a mortgage seamlessly; or the MasterCard virtual shopping experience that allows convenient purchases. Last but not the least, customers can also shake hands and converse, in English or in Arabic, with Pepper, the region’s first banking humanoid robot, and obtain queueing tickets or product information. However, a truly smart city goes beyond digitalisation – it aspires to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable to provide an overall improved quality of life for all. Emirates NBD is working on all fronts to help foster a greener, more inclusive society and a sustainable future. The bank pioneered the Green Auto Loan in the UAE to offer preferential pricing for the purchase of electric vehicles, encouraging adoption of electric cars, in addition to being the first bank to open an electric vehicle charging

station in the country. Close to 90 per cent of the bank’s customer base of over a million customers, have opted to receive e-statements, helping make the planet greener. Close to one-third of the bank’s branches provides disability friendly access. The bank was the first in the world to pilot KinTrans, a technology that enables easy communication for sign language communicators with hearing disabilities. It is also introducing Hearing Loops to help customers with hearing disabilities have an improved and superior branch experience. Last but not the least, the bank’s employees are active participants in the Exchangers volunteering program that engages on a variety of social and community initiatives. Emirates NBD continues to be a key contributor and partner with the government and the wider community to build smart cities of the future, making customers’ lives simpler and richer while helping to build a sustainable future for all.

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL

Ecological Literacy for a Better Tomorrow The Arbor School aims to inspire students to be innovative citizens with a culture and curriculum integrated with sustainability. Emily Bretl

Director of Education for Sustainability The Arbor School

ur world stands at the point of change. All around us, there is an increasing need for humankind to recognise and enact solutions to the greatest issue of our age – learning to live sustainably on our planet. From ocean plastics and waste disposal to global climate change and habitat loss, a paradigm shift is required. At the Arbor School, we believe that the youth of today stands at the vanguard of this movement. They are inheriting a situation of such complexity, that only an ecologically mindful education could arm them with the understanding, skills and motivation to tackle the challenges ahead. At the heart of the Arbor School lies a curriculum focused on creating ‘ecoliterate’ students. Traditionally, literacy is the ability to read and write, to express oneself through the written word. Ecological literacy is an expansion of this view beyond books and paper to a world where we live, play and learn. By becoming 38

ecologically literate, we learn not only to read the world, but also to integrate our innate love of the planet into our words and actions, in order to create a more beautiful, sustainable and just society. At the Arbor School, we accomplish this by employing experiential, place-based and project-based approaches to teaching and learning. This nurtures the curiosity, creativity, compassion, and courage our students will need to address the ecological issues they are inheriting. Students also learn to recognise and understand how nature sustains life on earth, exploring ecological concepts like cycles, interdependence, resilience, and diversity through project-based learning. For example, they may examine how goods are produced and used throughout the world, asking, “Where does this stuff come from, where does it go, and is this the best way?” As students’ ecological knowledge develops, they become ever more curious, applying ecological concepts to better understand more complex issues. Our three climatecontrolled bio-domes and learning garden

are ideal settings for creativity to blossom, with indoor and outdoor spaces dedicated to observation, play, and experimentation. Guided by wonder and curiosity, students practice thinking outside the box. However, our school campus is just a starting place. Age appropriate field trips and adventures allow students to learn from the people, places, environment and cultures that make the UAE, and the larger world, a place worth caring about. But thinking green is not enough. We must also help our students cultivate the skills, knowledge, and motivation to take action to create real change. This means encouraging students to ask tough questions and seek answers to the issues at the heart of sustainability and environmental justice, such as environmental health, gender and resource equity, and ecological wellbeing. Eventually ecologically literate students, full of wonder and resolve, will walk forward with curiosity, creativity, compassion and courage paving a path to a better, sustainable tomorrow.

Issue 07 | May 2018

TOP TIPS

Top 5 Tips for Smart Living Save Electricity Implementing smart home automation can have significant impacts on your electricity consumption and subsequent utility bills. Installing smart lighting, thermostats and climate control that can be remotely controlled and optimised, can dramatically reduce your electricity usage.

Stay Safe Smart security systems allow you to remotely and securely connect to security cameras and check in on your home from anywhere in the world. Smart alarm systems can directly notify the police if they detect motion in your empty home, and motion activated cameras can send a notification to your phone when triggered while you’re out. Pet Care Automated feeding bowls that release a certain amount of dry food at intermittent intervals take this daily task off your hands. Missing your pet while you’re at work? Smart pet cameras can be activated by your smart phone to allow you to see and talk to your pet remotely. You can even play fetch with an automated ball thrower that you control remotely from your smart phone over Wi-Fi.

Transportation Dubai Metro is the world’s longest driverless rapid transit rail network. These fully automated smart trains run for up to 17 hours a day, making stops for passengers to embark and disembark along the two operational lines. Why not save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and use the city’s smartest transportation system to get around?

Smart Apps From paying to park with an RTA app that auto locates the zone you are in, to reporting a traffic accident directly to the Dubai Police, the UAE government is constantly developing new apps to make life easier for the residents of this country. And if you’re pressed for time, download ‘Dubai Now’ and have one portal for all of your bill paying, information gathering and reporting needs. 39

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE

The Future of Smart City Commuting Sypron Solutions plans to create a sustainable, futuristic and smart Hyperloop transport system in the Middle East. Samar AbdelFattah Hyperloop Project Director Sypron Solutions

Along with industries like Energy, Construction, Real Estate and Transportation, Sustainability too is becoming a key aspect of Smart City initiatives. The Hyperloop technology, part of the new wave of transportation for people and goods can massively impact 40

environment-friendly transportation in the cities of the future. The Hyperloop system is composed of a capsule or ‘pod’ that can carry passengers or goods. It levitates or ‘floats’ inside a tube between stations using electromagnetic motors and a vacuum/no vacuum concept, and can travel faster than an aircraft, surpassing speeds of 1,000 kilometres per hour! Elon Musk first introduced the “Hyperloop” in 2013, basing it on the legendary vac-train system without clearly

elaborating the values of having a new transportation system. This ‘wild’ vision along with the latest advancements in technology is likely to position the Hyperloop as the optimum solution for green transportation. Not only being the fastest and the easiest mode of transportation, the Hyperloop is expected to be the future of safe, smart, automated, fast, interactive, and energy- efficient transport. Today, there are around 750 million cars in the world, most of which consume petrol and diesel fuel, and their emissions negatively impact the environment. A reduction in our carbon footprint and emissions is one of the key benefits

Issue 07 | May 2018

of the Hyperloop, setting a frame of reference for green urban transportation. Sustainable by design, the Hyperloop can drive the advancements of future, clean infrastructure and set model guidelines to be followed in the transportation domain. Furthermore, the uniqueness and beauty of different regions should dictate corresponding environmental specifications prior to any construction plans. As such, all Hyperloop projectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; designs should reveal the cultural and natural features surrounding them. Sypron Solutions, an Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Robotics & Internet-of-Things Company, is the first Hyperloop company in the Middle

East, to develop the HTP project. The HTP project focuses on user experience and innovative design achieved through developing and integrating smart technologies in the Hyperloop pod, station and tube. Intelligent and interactive technologies are also used, such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) tools, virtual platforms, and interactive exhibitions. In addition, Sypron Solutionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; innovative Artificial Intelligence engine optimises tasks related to control, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, scheduling and adaptive routing of the Hyperloop system, as well as smart navigation experiences through customised stations for different types of

system users. The UAE and surrounding region represents a fertile ground for implementing smart cities and new and sustainable transportation systems like the Hyperloop. In fact, the UAE is taking its place at the forefront with Dubai Smart City and Expo 2020, and hence can shape the future of transportation, as well as set global standards of communication and transportation. Sypron Solutions has recently signed an MOU with the UAE Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, to launch the first international Hyperloop Summer school in collaboration with Dubai Future Foundation. 41

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE

Fueling A Smart City’s Sustainable Growth Zaid Alqufaidi, Managing Director at ENOC Retail, discusses the importance of convenience and collaboration to the development of smart cities.

report by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry states that retail and wholesale trade contributes about 30 per cent of Dubai’s gross domestic product, demonstrating the relevance of the sector to the economy. As Dubai continues to shift gears to facilitate its transformation into a ‘smart city,’ it is imperative for the retail sector to complement this evolution, focusing on digitising the retail supply chain. This builds on the smart Dubai vision announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which places people – not technology – at the heart of its narrative. 42

With business footprints in fuel retail, convenience stores, automotive services and F&B, ENOC offers a strong example of how companies can move towards this digital evolution. To complement the four core pillars of the Smart Dubai initiative – efficient, seamless, safe and impactful – we steer our retail initiatives to become smarter and therefore support the larger vision of the government to enhance the happiness of people by bringing greater efficiency to everyday services. Convenience must be on the minds of any company that is pushing ahead with smart strategies. Customers must find this convenience at every touchpoint – a notion that we have weaved into various

Zaid Alqufaidi, Managing Director, ENOC Retail

initiatives. These include our Vehicle Identification Pass (ViP) cashless and cardless payment facility for refuelling, the recently introduced PIN-less and paperless debit and credit card transactions at ENOC’s service stations, and ENOCPay, a service platform that unifies all current and future technologies to allow for easy cardless and cashless payments. We have also collaborated with Dubai Now to ensure that customers can use the application to pay for fuel, and partnered with RTA to allow customers to use their NoL cards to pay for fuel and convenience store services across our entire retail network. Individual efforts must come together with the aim of enhancing the customer experience. This will help to channel

Issue 07 | May 2018

A smart city is also one where services of multiple entities are seamlessly integrated – collaborating for the benefit of the customer. For example, people can pay their utility bills, credit card payments and traffic fines at our service stations, and can even pay for airline tickets or buy event tickets as they fuel their vehicles. But the smart city vision is not just about digitising retail operations – it is also about broader efficiencies. A smart city must be truly integrated and connected, focusing on being sustainable with its resources. As such, the Dubai Plan 2021 outlines the emirate’s ambitions to transform into a smart and sustainable city, while the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 has set a roadmap for diversifying energy

“

A smart

city must be truly integrated and connected, focussing on being

“

sustainable with its resources.

resources. Companies and organisations must take note and work towards these goals.

At ENOC we do this by complementing the goals of both energy diversity and demand management through our green initiatives, which are also building blocks to achieving a smart Dubai. As an example, we launched the UAE’s first solar-powered service station earlier in 2017 – a significant step in our journey to support the government’s vision to cut CO2 emissions by 70 per cent by 2050. Since then, we have launched two additional service stations that are powered by solar PV panels, and will continue to use solar in all our future service stations. We anticipate that more than 23 GWh of solar energy will be generated to power the new stations by 2020, minimising the load on DEWA’s grid and power generating stations. This innovative venture aligns ENOC and Dubai in enhancing awareness among the public on the issue of sustainable development, making the company and the emirate itself active partners in promoting positive change. Initiatives such as this diminish the load on the national grid, helping to create a template for a smart city of the future. A further example of this type of partnership are the electric vehicle charging stations in 10 of our service stations. This is a collaboration with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and encourages more people to use electric cars that reduce the burden on natural resources. We have also been encouraging the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered vehicles – another key step in promoting alternative fuels. Vehicles powered by alternate forms of energy have tremendous potential and will be central in the Smart Dubai that the leadership envisions.

“

At ENOC

we do this by complementing the goals of both energy diversity and demand management through our green initiatives, which are also building

“

their retail experience into the ‘smart’ zone.

blocks to achieving a smart Dubai.

The focus of economic and energy diversification is important, especially in a low oil price environment. It is important to realise that fuel subsidies are not to be taken for granted, and as responsible citizens, greater emphasis must be placed on conserving and optimising energy use. This is why smart cities are not just about embracing digital solutions. A smart city is one that innovates and introduces solutions that foster sustainable growth, and promotes connectivity and mobility. Whether it’s a new way to use automobiles, making all your cashless transactions at a convenience store, or something else, smart cities touch people’s lives positively through paradigm shifts in efficiency across all touch points of everyday life. 43

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

CASE STUDY

Designed in the UAE, Made For the World Pierre Samaties, Managing Partner & CEO of innogy International Middle East talks to The Sustainabilist about Manarati’s smart initiatives.

t Manarati, we believe a smart city is one that improves the quality of life and happiness of its citizens by providing a smart infrastructure that enables connectivity and other smart use cases based on the utilisation of data. The key criteria for a successful smart city is that it should blend digital connectivity with the city’s infrastructure in a seamless way. One of the oldest examples of a smart building is a lighthouse. Lighthouses go back in history to hundreds, even thousands of years, and are the root definition of a smart city solution. A lighthouse helps guide ships and sailors to a safe passage into the harbour, providing a service to the public. The brand name ‘Manarati’ is derived from the Arabic for ‘My Lighthouse’ because, just like a lighthouse, our mission is to create smart city solutions with the sole purpose of improving the day-to-day lives of its citizens. Before creating any product, we always ask ourselves two questions. The first is, how can our use cases and analytics to help create a more sustainable and happy life for citizens and businesses? And the second, what is the best way to integrate this experience into the existing city infrastructure? To be, or not to be smart, that is the question! So, what exactly should a smart city include? Currently, two schools of thought dominate in this debate. The first wants the city and its infrastructure to be as smart as possible. The second wants the city to be bland, but have the smartness in individual devices, such as phones and care.

The answer to that question will determine who is leading the direction of smart cities, who will set the standards, and who will ultimately benefit from a financial point of view. Our view is that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. City municipalities should take this unique opportunity by laying the groundwork for a smart city. Municipalities that have a smart infrastructure in place can provide something we call ‘Smart City as a Service’. Smart City as a Service will allow cities to monetise their smart infrastructure with autonomous cars, drones, research, security and other services. For example, in the upcoming machine-to-machine economy, a potential revenue stream for the governing authority of the future would be to monetise vehicleto-infrastructure communication by providing live data on traffic and parking spaces for a nominal fee. Manarati Smart City solutions design unique products and experiences for the Smart City of tomorrow. We use our aesthetically pleasing hardware, such as a smart street lighting pole or a smart node, to enable our AI-based software to provide services, such as Smart Parking, Green Mobility, Traffic Management, Environmental Intelligence, Emergency Support, Security and Connectivity (WiFi/Mesh), and Infotainment. Manarati allows for ‘Smart City as a Service’ including optional blockchain-based payment systems. Manarati is inspired by the visionary leadership of the UAE. Setting goals and creating the frameworks for sustainable and innovative cities, our vision is to create a Smart City innovation that is designed in the UAE and made for the world!

Issue 07 | May 2018

FEATURE

Measuring Energy Through Innovation bit.B is a new initiative that will help boost Dubai’s green economy efforts.

it.B, an innovative startup backed by Innogy, focuses on the Internet of Things (IoT). The company uses a new wireless protocol, Lemonbeat, which allows connectivity across multiple thirdparty sensors. This cost-efficient, energy monitoring system will be incorporated into the Hatta Rooftop Solar Project, marking the company’s official arrival in the region. The software will initially be installed on pilot villas to measure their photovoltaic (PV) production and performance. After its successful implementation, it will be placed on Safaqat, a portal that offers holistic, sustainable lifestyle solutions. The system has been launched as part of a bigger picture, to contribute to the massive ongoing sustainability and green economy efforts in Dubai. bit.B is designed in such a way as to connect to every sensor available in the

market today, effectively measuring output signals, air quality and humidity. It works by collecting production, environmental and energy data, from individual machines or mains, for insight and analysis. bit.B’s main objective is to provide new valuable knowledge for operational optimisation within a company or organisation. “You cannot manage what you cannot measure,” says Ivano Iannelli, CEO of DCCE. “This is a mantra often used in management circles. It is important for our projects to be capable of leveraging a strong dataset to demonstrate the value of technological maturity. By integrating bit.B into the Hatta Rooftop Solar initiative, we will leverage a new potential technology to allow the Internet of Things to help us gather essential data. In this way, we can boost our initiatives aimed at conserving energy, fully optimising production, and enhancing efficiency in accordance

with the government’s environmental goals. We can fast-track our key environmental agendas and make informed decisions that will help advance our sustainability goals, thanks to these collaborative efforts with our new renowned partner institution.” “This value-added partnership signals another important stage in the allencompassing renewable energy initiatives in Dubai, the UAE, and the rest of the region,” says Pierre Samaties, Managing Partner & CEO of innogy International Middle East. “The features and modern capabilities of this innovative and cost-efficient software solution will pave the way for transparency, and a variety of evaluations and analyses, by combining all the data collected from sensors and meters. Such a system will allow for a detailed overview, and open the door to new approaches in saving energy and achieving optimised production.” 45

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The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

DISRUPTOR

Smart Energy Hubs Will Become the Key to our Smart Living Experience Nadim Shahbandar, Senior Consultant, innogy International Middle East

An industry shift It is interesting to see the smart home industry shifting from a centralized, fullfledged solution to a de-centralised mix and match of smart gadgets. Remember the days when, if you wanted to smartify your home, you needed to call a guy who would come, consult, and offer you a solution that costed you anywhere between the price of a Tesla Model 3 and the net wealth of Elon Musk? Well, today, you 46

can go and buy a Smart plug that allows you to turn off your PlayStation using an app for less than US$100, and for an extra US$50, you can connect it to a virtual assistant and turn off your PlayStation by simply uttering “Hey x, turn off my PlayStation”. It’s simple, beautiful, easy and cool. ‘Nice to have’ vs ‘Must have’ We cannot deny that, with the progression of different technologies, smart home gadgets have become abundant. However, the market segment remains occupied by a small percentage of tech-savvy customers. So what is the next big thing in smart home technology that shifts the categorisation of

products from ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’? Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring In our quest to find the next big thing in the smart home domain, we came across a device that uses a technology called Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring or NILM for short. This technology is comprised of algorithms that detect, record and compare noise signatures of different appliances. In summary, every time you turn on your ‘simple’ microwave, this device detects that the microwave is on by measuring the change in the electricity load. This means that without having to spend thousands of dollars to smartify

Issue 07 | May 2018

all your appliances, you are able to understand when each of your appliances is turned on/off, how much electricity it consumes, how much each appliance is costing you to run, and receive personalised tips on how to decrease consumption of that specific appliance. Cool. This technology might just disrupt the industry because now we have a use case that is appealing to the vast majority.

a leader in the smart home energy manager, which would be required by the ‘energy customer of the future’, a time where every household owns a PV, a home battery, an EV charger and have the choice to buy/sell electricity from/to utility providers or even neighbours. Believe me folks, this time is near.

Home Energy Manager

The team thought further and realised the opportunity to utilise the amount of data they are receiving by creating a database of appliance noise signatures to provide further services. The device can detect the noise signature of your appliance and compare your appliance’s performance to the average performance of an appliance

One company innovating in this domain is Ecoisme. Ecoisme is a London-based start-up comprising of 17 employees working on developing a smart home energy monitoring device. Apart from the apparent use case mentioned earlier, they looked into further application of this technology to create a device that is appealing to the conventional pool and the new customers that we like to call as the ‘energy customer of the future’. They introduced the ability to integrate a solar PV, home battery, and home EV charger into the system so that one device that costs around US$250 becomes your home manager and intuitively manages your full home ecosystem. It is also able to inform you how much it would cost to buy or sell energy from the grid, based on your existing and forecasted consumption. Being an early adopter to this technology, Ecoisme might just position themselves as

Take my money

within the same category and tell you if your appliance is overperforming or underperforming. Personally, If I knew my washing machine consumed above the average consumption of a ‘typical washing machine’ which results in costing me hard-earned money, I’d have a good case of payback value to go shop for a new one. Ecoisme confirmed its position as the next smart home device every connected household should have. After being acclaimed as the best smart home innovation of CES 2016, Ecoisme took off to Europe and was voted the best smart living innovative product by EDF – one of Europe’s largest electricity producers. By 2017, Ecoisme had launched 25 pilots with companies around the world, including EDF, DEWA, T-Mobile, innogy and others. Ecoisme and DEWA The company came to attention in November 2016, when they approached Dubai Future Accelerators, completed the program, and signed an MOU with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to conduct a pilot study for the technology. The pilot included software and hardware testing to understand the potential benefits for end-customers and utilities at a large adoption scale.

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

CASE STUDY

shutterstock.com/zhu difeng

It’s About Being Really Lazy

vano Iannelli, CEO of Dubai Carbon (DCCE) has been using his personal Dubai home as a testing ground for any commercial grade smart home technology hitting the Dubai market. He staunchly believes that, in his current role at Dubai Carbon, he cannot recommend a product or a service unless he himself wholeheartedly approves of it. Therein launched a trial journey of many years and many more dirhams spent, leading to Safaqat, the Dubai borne Green Deal When Iannelli converted his regular Dubai villa property into an integrated tech-enabled home in 2011, he used the a smart home system from ABB, which was then, the most mature smart home infrastructure available, and used widely in the hotel and hospitality industry. However, technology then was obviously very different from technology now. Nowadays, rather than having a wired backbone infrastructure, which is basically where most of the money goes, the market is flooded with a lot of mix and match 48

products that can be bought online and integrated. So, while Iannelli’s villa was an Dhs 250,000 plus investment, the same infrastructure can now be replicated for approximately Dhs 10,000, making a smart home dream a definite reality for residents.

potato’. When I say that to Alexa, she closes the curtains, turns on the mood lighting, television, selects the movie library page, dims the overhead lights, sets the AC to my preferred temperature, and turns on the ambient lighting function on the TV.”

According to Iannelli, all that is needed to start with is a master processing unit – a sort of ‘Siri’ for your home. This central component can guide all the other linked elements to trigger on and off. You could choose from Google Home, Apple’s Homepod or Amazon’s Alexa.

However, smart home technology, as most of us know by now, is not just about the luxury of having everything done for you at the press of a button. Along with the massive convenience comes one of the biggest advantages – it is a fantastic way to conserve energy and thereby utterly necessary from a sustainability viewpoint.

Iannelli opted for the Alexa and recommends the ‘Works with Alexa’ section on Amazon, which is filled with a wide range of compatible products to control everything from lighting to curtains and air conditioning, really anything that can be operated remotely or through a set of instructions. “You can create a list of tasks that kick off a trigger and create a personalised ambience,” says Iannelli. “One of the funniest ones I programmed is ‘couch

“Alexa can be informed of your timings to know when to switch on the AC and the lights, rather than keep them running all day,” says Iannelli. “When I leave my office and start heading home, my geographical location sets off the ‘go home’ trigger. In this way, we retain our habits and creature comforts whilst simultaneously reducing our usage of resources. This is the key component of sustainability.”

shutterstock.com/ Phonlamai Photo

Issue 07 | May 2018

INNOVATION

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Delivery Bot Cutting-edge drones will soon replace your home delivery service.

ans of sci-fi in Dubai will soon be living these cinematic escapes in real time. Imagine flying contraptions that drop off your morning bagel and coffee at your doorstep. And they make it well in time too, as they bypass all traffic jams and signals. It’s not a bad thought, even if they don’t wish you a cheery good morning! Mid last year, Dubai startup Eniverse, along with San Francisco-based drones

company, Skycart, announced a partnership to create Space Autonomous Drones. The technology introduced in these drones allows a range of customers to ship goods and products weighing five kg or less to locations across Dubai. These autonomous, self-flying drones run on cutting-edge technology through a mobile application that enables businesses to manage and

track their orders. This technology is the first of its kind in the world and promises to adhere to the highest quality and safety standards. They have a self-steering and controlling mechanism, with safety sensors to avoid obstacles (buildings, etc), and they are completely autonomous, in that they do not require any human intervention (no controllers). Most importantly, drone delivery will drastically cut down standard delivery times, with drones delivering 24/7 throughout the year. No off day. To add to this ground-breaking technology, earlier this year, Eniverse showcased their latest addition to their drone delivery concepts, the Doorbox – a fully automated receiving box placed outside of the delivery destination. The Door Box is connected to the recipient’s mobile and allows delivery and logistics operators, or any courier service, to open and unlock the box as soon as the drone arrives at its destination.The company is currently waiting for the green light from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) to conduct its first proof of concept in Dubai for a real drone delivery test. Once approval is granted, Eniverse will officially collaborate with Fetchr and RTA to form the first drone delivery system in the region. Eniverse hopes its fully autonomous delivery drones will revolutionise the traditional supply chain model by reducing costs and increasing efficiency, guaranteeing an air delivery time of thirty minutes or less. The company claims that by eliminating the need for motor vehicles, drivers, and the costs associated with being on the road, this delivery service will lower operating costs down, thereby reducing purchase price for the customer as well. 49

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

INTERVIEW

Disrupting the Telecom World Karim Benkirane, Managing Director of Virgin Mobile UAE, talks to The Sustainabilist about their new app-based mobile service.

What is Virgin Mobile offering to the UAE that makes it stand apart from existing service providers? Virgin Mobile is the first fully app-based mobile brand, designed to make the mobile experience simpler, fairer and better for the consumer. We built our offerings around the consumer, in order to deliver a mobile brand that fits seamlessly into their busy lives. Digital innovation is at the core of our brand, and our hope is that Virgin Mobile will do for the telco sector what Uber did for public transport and Netflix for entertainment – forcing companies to re50

evaluate the customer experience for the digital, ‘always on’ age. In what way will it contribute to Dubai’s move towards becoming a smart city? Smart Dubai’s vision for this city is one optimised for maximum efficiency, where services are integrated seamlessly into our daily lives to create the most enriched life experience possible for all. In line with this vision, the UAE is the first market globally to have a completely appbased acquisition, verification and delivery proposition. As one of the world’s fastest growing markets, with an increasingly

tech-savvy consumer base, the UAE was the perfect choice to launch Virgin Mobile’s digital strategy. Our digital service goes beyond just the provision of the right infrastructure and focuses on making mobile better for everyone in the country. By changing the approach to mobile in the UAE, Virgin Mobile uses innovation to help the connectivity of the community in new and better ways to deliver an experience that fits seamlessly into their lives. Can we know a bit more about the Virgin Mobile app? How is this a game changer? Our fully digital offering is a first in the

Issue 07 | May 2018

telco world in that we are an app. Where other brands have an app, with Virgin Mobile all that the customer needs is the app itself to enjoy the service. Designed to make our customers’ lives simpler, Virgin Mobile’s unique distribution model allows customers to download the app and have their SIM card delivered within one hour, wherever they are. In addition, customers can use the Virgin Mobile app to address a wide range of common customer service issues themselves, at any time and from anywhere. We work on a subscription model, so there are no contracts, thereby enabling our customers to design their own package according to their needs, change or pause their plan whenever they like, apply spend limits, and even select a favourite mobile number, or port their current number, all at the touch of a button. There is absolutely no need to visit a store or go through a lengthy customer care call. Virgin Mobile’s digital service is ground breaking in the telecom world. Our customers can communicate with our customer service team directly through

the in-app help center, without the need to spend ages speaking to a call center, choosing from numerous, time consuming automated options, or stand in line at a branch. This all ties back to our commitment to making mobile better, from registration and activation through to billing and customer service. Would you say that Virgin Mobile is a disruptor of sorts for the Mobile world? Virgin Mobile is part of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), launched to deliver more choice for UAE customers when it comes to selecting a mobile brand that caters to their needs. New and exciting digital channels and experiences, and importantly the consumers’ desire for ‘always on’, ondemand services means that the telecom industry, along with all other industries, needs to become digitally agile and responsive, and Virgin Mobile fills this space perfectly. In launching Virgin Mobile’s fully

digital proposition, we sought to reimagine the way our customers interact with our brand and to disrupt the telecommunications industry. By reimagining the mobile onboarding process to allow customers to download our app, choose their plan on their terms, and then provide fast, efficient home delivery of SIM cards and onthe-spot verification, we completely revolutionised the customer experience and set a benchmark for the industry. Is there any ground breaking news and projects we can expect from Virgin Mobile this year? In addition to their current offerings? As the first fully digital mobile service, technology is at the heart of everything Virgin Mobile does, and innovation is in our DNA. We are constantly listening to our customers and looking for ways to improve the customer experience, so you can definitely expect some exciting news from us over the course of 2018. Watch this space!

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH

Smart Solutions for Smart Cities Smart monitors and controls across all aspects of city life are set to transform the urban landscape Transport Infrastructure Environment

Utilities Buildings Life

GREEN BUILDINGS

Rooftop gardens or vegetation on the side of the buildings to help hinsulation, absorb CO2 and produce oxygen

BUILDING MANAGEMENT

Automation and optimisation of services, such as heating, energy usage, lighting and ventilation

FIRE SAFETY Fire detection and intelligent extinguishing tailored to each room

STRUCTURAL HEALTH Monitoring vibrations/material conditions in buildings and infrastructure

ELECTRIC TRANSPORT Electric vehicles and public transport, with charging stations across the city

SMART LIGHTING

Intelligent and weather-adaptive streetlights

TRAFFIC CONTROL/SMART ROADS

Monitoring vehicles/pedestrian levels to optimise or divert traffic according to conditions

FAST LANES

Intelligent, adaptive fast and slow lanes for walking and cycling

LANDSLIDE AND AVALANCHE PREVENTION

Monitoring soil moisture, vibrations and earth densityh

16 WATER LEAKAGE DETECTION Detecting liquid presence outside tanks and pressure variations along pipes

WIFI

Citywide free wifi for public use, including wifi on the Tube/Metro

Issue 07 | May 2018

PERIMETER ACCESS CONTROL

Controlling access and monitoring of restricted areas with CCTV, intruder detection and alarms

ROOFTOP WIND TURBINES

Wind turbines built on top of high rise buildings or integrated into the building design itself

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

Controlling CO2 emissions of factories and monitoring car pollution

BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTO VOLTAICS

Solar panels integrated into the building fabric to replace conventional materials

SMART GRID

Energy consumption monitoring and management

08 CHEMICAL LEAKAGE DETECTION Detecting leakages and waste of factories in rivers

08 REAL TIME UPDATES Instant traffic updates sent to smartphones to help route planning and to avoid congestion

Source:www.visualcapitalist.com

09 VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINES Hellical twisted wind turbine towers across the city for efficient use of space

10 WASTE MANAGEMENT Monitoring rubbish levels in containers to optimise refuse collection routes

14 POTABLE WATER MONITORING Monitoring the quality of tap water across the city

EARTHQUAKE EARLY DETECTION

Monitoring specific places susceptible to tremors

12 SMART PARKING Monitoring availability of parking spaces across the city

CASE STUDY

Smart Energy Management With World’s First Vehicle to-Everything Technology Integrated energy company ENGIE, Hitachi Europe Ltd. and automobile company Mitsubishi Motors partnered in a pioneering project to explore the potential of electric vehicles for the optimisation of building and grid energy management. By ENGIE

or this demonstration, Hitachi’s innovative vehicle-to-everything (V2X) charger was linked to ENGIE’s office building in the city of Zaandam in The Netherlands. A V2X charger enables an electric vehicle (EV) to charge from the grid, as well as to discharge energy to meet supply demand on the grid. The V2X was connected to the building’s energy supply systems, the main grid and onsite solar panels. The integration allowed excess energy generated from solar to be stored in the battery of the electric car. This energy could then be discharged back into the grid when appropriate. The car battery acts as an energy storage source, as well as an emergency power supply providing energy to meet the building’s energy requirements during low solar energy generation or when ENGIE wanted to avoid high tariffs on the main grid during peak periods. The three partners claim that, in future, vehicle-to-building technology will help

Contributions from the partners included the following capabilities. •

Hitachi provided its V2X charger, which enabled bi-directional charging between the electric car battery and the building or electricity grid. It also supplied the technology enabling the integration of energy between the vehicle and the building, and the vehicle and the grid.

•

ENGIE created a Smart Building by connecting the battery inside the electric car via a V2X Charger to the building’s energy supply system, and integrated it with the solar panels within the smart grid.

•

Mitsubishi Motors provided its Outlander PHEV SUV to act as an energy storage centre that the building power systems utilised to access a stable supply of renewable energy.

companies reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions through improved energy management. “This project by our Dutch colleagues provides a powerful demonstration of the outstanding effectiveness of energy storage technology,” says Sebastien Arbola, CEO of ENGIE Middle East, South & Central Asia and Turkey. “Smart energy technologies will increasingly help cities to breathe by reducing their carbon-intensive peak energy use, and will improve the resilience of their energy systems. In the GCC, where urbanisation is expected to rise to 90 per cent by 2050, these technologies are key to sustaining livability.” For the next stage of the project, the consortium will examine how EVs, renewable energy and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) can work together to enable buildings to become energy-neutral. This leads to intelligent and more efficient micro-grids that can interact with BEMS.

shutterstock.com/ By SHINJONGHO

The Sustainabilist ||SUSTAINABLE. SMART CITIES BUSINESS. & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

May 2018 07rd |October 2017 Issue 01Issue | 23

FEATURE

A Smart Silicon Oasis DSOA is building Dubai’s first integrated smart city project – the very high-tech Silicon Park.

ubai Silicon Oasis Authority is the Dubai Government’s proverbial laboratory for technology and smart initiatives. Over the years, many projects, in collaboration with other government entities, such as the RTA and DEWA, have been launched and successfully implemented, with resounding success. So, it came as no surprise that expectations ran high when DSOA announced their latest smart city project in February last year. Silicon Park is a Dhs1.3 billion project spanning an area of 150,000 square metres, and due for completion by early 2019. It is also touted to be the first, fully integrated smart city in Dubai. Designed to offer an efficient, seamless, safe, and impactful city experience for residents and visitors, the project will incorporate 60 smart services, leveraging sustainable and energy-efficient technologies in compliance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, including solar photovoltaic panels covering 34 per cent of the roof surface area. Furthermore, a series of services have been introduced to increase safety and security, such as measuring the noise and water levels, and air quality. A tracking system identifies the location of children and minors to ensure their safety, along with the Child Online Protection

initiative, established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to protect children worldwide against cyber threats. On the integrated front, Silicon Park will include smart street solutions and smart building technology that will enable efficient and sustainable energy consumption, thereby conserving the environment and reducing operational costs. Currently at 40 per cent completion, the entire project will eventually comprise offices, commercial spaces, a residential area and a furnished apartment complex, and a shopping center. Health and fitness centres too will be littered across, encouraging residents to prioritise their heath as much as possible. The residential units will be true smart homes, boasting remote-controlled systems that can regulate lighting, air conditioning and electrical appliances, as well as control the movement of windows and curtains. Overall, the Park will have a web of integrated intelligent solutions, from charging docks on the streets for smart devices, to smart pop-up furniture and digital play tables, as well as optimally designed bus shelters, piazza-shading and other public amenities.

Green materials will be used in its construction as well as solar panels and double-glazed windows to reduce heat absorption. The project will optimise the use of renewable energy resources and adopt measures to achieve efficiency in energy consumption. The smart lighting systems with motion sensor controls, for example, will respond in accordance with traffic and pedestrian load. The Park itself will be completely free of regular vehicles, using only electricitypowered alternatives as the primary mode of transportation. All residents and visitors owning electric vehicles will be able to access the charging stations set up across the premises. Their other alternative will be smart rechargeable electric bikes. For this project, DSOA and NXN, formerly neXgen, received the ‘Best Infrastructure Innovation Award’ at the annual Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Awards held in London. 55

DISCOVER ALL THAT IS POSSIBLE. www.visitdubai.com

Issue 07 | May 2018

PERSON

Sustaining Sustainability Prabhu Ramachandran, CEO of US funded startup, Facilio Inc, tells us how an IoT-based, software-led approach can enable sustainability.

ost city dwellers spend much of their time indoors, inside a building. Buildings consume nearly 40 per cent of all global energy, and are both heavy on people and assets, affecting the environment at large. Despite the fact that the global facilities management industry is close to a trillion dollars, buildings continue to operate as complex machines, minimally benefitting from the advancements in technology that other industries have enjoyed. Low visibility of building performance, low accountability for energy spend, and decentralised operations, have been some of the issues plaguing building efficiency. There is a shift towards the mindset of improving on energy usage and overall efficiency, with heavy investments in retrofits and added hardware. But what if instead, we could include simple yet powerful software over the existing building management systems? What if we could harness the potential of technologies, such as SaaS, IoT and AI, to drive multifold efficiencies in building operations? What if we could create a central data core that would mine through piles of insights buried under traditional closed systems, and provide actionable

intelligence in real time to everyday building stakeholders across the world? The answer is software technology driven solutions that could help customers (building owners/operators) generate value from existing data cost efficiently. It would put them in the driver’s seat with better control of operations through real time building performance, while keeping buildings sustainably sustainable. This is where Facilio Inc. comes in. Founded in March last year, Facilio Inc. harnesses IoT and Machine Learning to help commercial real estate professionals centrally manage building operations, maintenance, and sustainability performance. One of the greatest benefits of this is creating greater visibility in real time, and this method also puts the owners in the driver’s seat, providing them with central control over their workforce, assets, and energy efficiency. Because everything is interconnected within a single interface, no information gets lost and owners get a bird’s eye view of their portfolio’s performance. Facilio Inc. offers the whole cycle, from data analytics to insights to actions,

across all building functions, such as maintenance, asset operations and energy performance. It helps operators and facilities management companies go beyond endless cycles of chasing down maintenance, asset and energy data across multiple automation systems, by unifying static data and converting it into actionable intelligence. Commercial real estate owners can therefore answer pressing questions like, ‘Do I know which of my buildings have more productive facility teams? Why did my site consume more energy than the previous month? Do I have to replace my HVAC vendor because most of their equipment fail fast? Energy efficiency, asset health, and occupant experience are all major revenue drivers, and they all manifest in operating costs. Facilio improves the return on investment by increasing the lifecycle of an asset by 20 to 25 per cent, and enables energy savings of up to 30 per cent. Part of our social responsibility is respecting the world we live in, and the environment is a key cog in that space. An IoT based approach like Facilio’s helps sustainability stick by embedding it into daily operations and making it a habit. 57

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

PROJECT

Connect to Earth

DEWA’s Earth Hour 2018 educated the masses on the importance of conservation, and also saved 323MW in electricity consumption.

ubai was the first Arab city to organise Earth Hour in 2008. Ten years on, once again DEWA organised Earth Hour 2018 on the 24th of March. The theme was ‘Connect to Earth’, and as the national strategic partner for Earth Hour UAE, DEWA urged the public to switch off unnecessary lights and appliances between 8:30pm and 9:30pm, UAE time. Both government and tourist landmarks, along with the local populace, were participants in the event, resulting in a record savings of 323MW in electricity consumption – a 32 per cent reduction from last year! This is equivalent to a reduction of 140 tonnes in CO2 emissions. “Our celebration of this global environmental event is particularly important in the Year of Zayed, which honours the centennial of the birth of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,” said the Minister of Climate Change and

Environment, HE Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi. “He was a pioneer in the process of sustainability.” Al Zeyoudi mentioned that Earth Hour also supported the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, making it a city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world. “With this event, DEWA aims to raise environmental awareness and promote a culture of rational consumption,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. “It also aims to emphasise the importance of climate action, and support the UAE’s efforts to achieve sustainable development, thereby contributing to the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart and sustainable city.” For Earth Hour this year, DEWA organised a family fun event during the day at Marasi Promenade, Business

Bay. Several government and private organisations, universities and schools also participated. The event focused on activities that raised environmental awareness, and DEWA’s very own conservation mascots, Noor and Hayat, were also present. It also featured a heritage village, and a bazaar to support young Emiratis’ projects. The Earth Hour Walk, the most prominent activity at the event, started at 8:30pm with several high profile dignitaries in attendance, including HE Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, HE Saeed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, HE Ahmed Abdul Karim Julfar, Director General of Dubai Community Development Authority (CDA), HE Ahmad Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, HE Saif Al Falasi, CEO of ENOC, HE Khalifa Al Darrai, Executive Director of the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Dr. Essa Bastaki, President of the University of Dubai, and Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group. Thousands of people of all ages and nationalities carried candles and ecofriendly lanterns to express their solidarity with the global efforts being taken to protect this planet.

Issue 07 | May 2018

PRODUCT

Artificial Intelligence and Your Health Bodyo’s Health Pods connect, advise and monitor your life on the go.

ay goodbye to long waits in doctors’ lounges. Artificial intelligence-based health monitoring pods appear to be the next big thing in general health services.

And they keep track of these results through an internal ecosystem: a health kiosk (the AiPod), a secure private cloud with IOS and Android apps, and a home health monitoring system.

Bodyo AiPods look super futuristic with a neo-organic design akin to Zaha Hadid’s architecture. However, these pods are not just about sleek looks. They also cover a vast array of health services in one compact space.

When an individual enters the pod and is health scanned and tested, the inbuilt software then runs the results through an algorithm to provide the user with a health score and charts. Further alarms and notifications also help the user to stay on track, with intuitive suggestions for training and nutrition, all of which are stored in the Bodyo Private Cloud.

The makers of these pods had a singular mission – to drive the average citizen towards a healthy lifestyle by providing convenient and instant access to health, nutrition and fitness expertise. Bodyo have created a patent pending Artificial Intelligence Health Capsule experience made up of FDA/CE approved sensors that monitor blood pressure, blood sugar levels, weight, height, muscle and fat mass, bone density, water retention, daily calorie needs, and a combined wellness score.

‘health pod web’ citywide, with capsules located in easy, walk-in places, such as pharmacies, mass retail outlets, clinics, malls, gyms and even the work place.

What’s more, a desktop and mobile dashboard enables supervisors to track and monitor data, and engage with their customers by sending them notifications to keep them motivated, or by suggesting best practices to reach their objectives.

“Our mission is to constantly empower people and communities to better take care of themselves,” says Tariq Hussein, CEO of Bodyo. “We do this by providing free and easy access to personal health monitoring, helping them to reach their health and fitness goals. This information can also be shared with health care professionals to manage obesity, monitor and prevent serious illnesses such as chronic heart disease and early detection of diabetes.” Bodyo have been selected by the Dubai Future Foundation to participate in Cohort 4, part of the Dubai Future Accelerators. Bodyo is one of 4 companies chosen by the Department of Health (DHA) out of 677 companies that applied this year.

Bodyo capsules are already being set up in the Dubai Design District (d3). However, the company aims to create a

Looks like we will soon be seeing pods sprouting all over the city. Here’s to better health and happiness. 59

The Sustainabilist | SMART CITIES & TECHNOLOGY

INDEX

The Top 20 Global City Performance by Index, 2017 Rank

Mobility

Health

Safety

Productivity

Singapore

San Francisco

Seoul

New York

London

Chicago

New York

Tokyo

Seoul

San Francisco

Barcelona

Berlin

Dubai

Berlin

New York

Tokyo

New York

Chicago

San Francisco

London

Barcelona

Portland

Melbourne

San Francisco

Melbourne

Tokyo

Barcelona

Rio de Janeiro

Seoul

Melbourne

Chicago

Nice

Dubai

San Diego

Portland

San Diego

Seoul

Dubai

Melbourne

Nice

Bhubaneswar

Portland

Dubai

San Diego

Barcelona

Tokyo

Mexico City

Wuxi

Berlin

Wuxi

Mexico city

Portland

Mexico City

Rio de Janeiro

Yinchuan

Mexico City

Rio de Janeiro

Yinchuan

Hangzhou

Wuxi

Yinchuan

Hangzhou

Rio de Janeiro

Yinchuan

Hangzhou

Bhubaneswar

Hangzhou

Bhubaneswar

Sources: Juniper research, gufnews.com, arabianbusiness.com

First solar-powered petrol station in the UAE

ENABLING THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION IN SCIENCE In the city with progress in its DNA, there is a place where great minds gravitate to search for new answers and stretch the boundaries of science and technology. An enriching space where new frontiers are explored, Dubai Science Park is a vibrant business hub where science companies harness the power of pioneering minds to innovate.

A member of TECOM Group www.dsp.ae