Dubai – Mubasher: The UAE’s Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) on Monday announced signing nearly a dozen memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and strategic partnership agreements with various institutions during the first day of the United Nations World Data Forum 2018.
Through these agreements, FCSA seeks to develop national capabilities in the field of statistics and increase effort to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs).
The UN World Data Forum 2018 kicked off earlier on Monday in Dubai, coming as a continuation of the event’s first edition which was launched in Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2017.
“The MoUs aim to promote coordination, harmonise efforts and strengthen partnerships among various government and private entities to improve statistical practices in the UAE, in addition to developing a database using state-of-the-art data-collection technology, and developing indices that reflect the UAE’s achievements towards meeting the SDGs 2030,” the FCSA said in a statement.
FCSA signed deals with the UAE’s Ministry of Interior, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), Cloudera, Nielsen Media Survey Foundation, and Delta Technology and Management Services Pvt. Ltd.
In addition, the UAE authority inked an MoU with DeepAI to use artificial intelligence technology to provide accurate statistical data. Under the deal, “DeepAI will provide technological services and develop prototypes of automated learning and population forecasting tools,” FCSA revealed.
It also noted that it signed a deal with Esri, which will create the first-of-its-kind Geographic Information System (GIS) road map in the field of national statistics.
FCSA also signed a deal with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) in a bid to support the UAE’s National Innovation Strategy.
As per the agreement, the two bodies will help bolster partnerships between public and private entities and institutions, support innovation incubators, build specialised national capabilities, stimulate the private sector and build global research partnerships to change the government’s work ecosystem towards further innovation, the statement showed.
The UN World Data Forum 2018 runs from Monday, 22 October until Wednesday, 24 October.
