​Objective:
To raise and spread awareness of the importance of future challenges in the era of the Internet of Things (loT) and big data, and how to address such challenges; establish regulatory frameworks and take measures to help cope with the rapid changes in the field of telecommunications and information technology; and work to ensure the transition to smart cities and communities (SCCs).
Expected results:
Assisting countries to:
- Formulate strategic and operational plans and regulatory frameworks to cope with loT and big data technology and formulate a roadmap for the Arab region for the transition to SCCs by developing the telecommunication infrastructure to deliver the broadband services to support their various applications and services;
- Promote technical cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the Arab countries in the area of lot, big data and secs,study the impact thereof, whether positive or negative, and take advantage of global experience;
- Organize a high-level forum on loT and big data to discuss the main challenges, such as security, privacy and system compatibility, and the most prominent solutions, including digital object architecture; invite experts from industry to address the forum, and hold a side meeting on the fringes of the forum with industry and the private sector;
- Get access to key studies, research and expertise on loT and smart cities, including big data for Arab States, on a page devoted to the initiative on the website of the Arab Regional Office, and help those Arab States that so wish to obtain advice in this area;
- Build Arab capacities in the use of big data as a supplementary or alternative method and low-cost resource for measuring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, while enhancing the capacities of stakeholders to implement and analyse big data to measure key development indicators;
- Construct secure infrastructures to store the enormous amounts of data needed to create a smart environment;
- Identify and make use of existing centers of excellence and research and study centers in the Arab States to provide experts and expertise in the areas of the initiative; enter into cooperative partnerships and agreements to help raise the level of availability of broad band services i n the Arab States; and use loT and big data for development, formulate smart city indicators and measure progress on a regular basis.
