Latest news with #smartcities
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Nanta: Malaysia integrates AI into transport systems to enhance road safety and efficiency
KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — Malaysia continues to move forward in enhancing its road management by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology, thus increasing the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of road and infrastructure management. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said Malaysia is not only an observer of such technology but is currently among the countries implementing AI technology in road management. 'Through smart monitoring technologies like drones, sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), we can detect road damage in real time. AI helps us analyse this data to identify locations that need immediate attention and to predict potential future damage He said this when making a presentation on 'Malaysia's Future-Ready, Hyper-Connected Cities: Policies, Progress and the Path Ahead' at the 2025 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Asia Pacific Forum in Suwon, South Korea today. Nanta also shared the strategic direction of the Ministry of Works through the Malaysian ITS Roadmap 2030, which is driven by the vision to build safer, more connected and sustainable national mobility. 'The ITS is currently a basic requirement in the construction of future cities that are resilient, efficient and sustainable. The Malaysian ITS Roadmap 2030 being developed will be our main guide in transforming the country's ITS landscape,' he said. He added that five core policy pillars would be the backbone of the implementation of the plan, namely hyperconnected transportation through seamless smart mobility, a pathway towards green and sustainable mobility, strengthened public services through the digitalisation of transportation, a safe and secure transport ecosystem and the use of data for mobility and transportation planning. 'All these plans can be translated into action. Malaysia will continue to innovate, invest and collaborate to build a country that is hyperconnected,' he said. Nanta said many exciting revolutions are happening in the ITS landscape in Malaysia, including advancements in autonomous vehicles (AV), the use of electric vehicles in public transport, the introduction of the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system and the establishment of the National Intelligent Traffic Management Centre (NITMC). 'These transformation initiatives illustrate Malaysia's strong commitment to building a safer, more efficient and sustainable transport ecosystem, in line with our broader vision towards hyperconnected cities,' he said. — Bernama
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Milestone's video technology powers next-gen AI for smart cities
Dubai, UAE: Dubai is expanding its innovative work in developing artificial intelligence-powered traffic technology through its AI Strategy 2030, looking to transform urban mobility through advanced AI traffic control systems, directed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). A new opportunity is now emerging for smart cities like Dubai. Milestone Systems has launched Project Hafnia - a collaborative project aimed at building a compliant data library and creating high-performing AI models, so-called visual language models. The future of smart city technology and transformation of urban mobility and safety isn't being shaped in Silicon Valley — it's taking root in the small US city of Dubuque, Iowa. The city has become a live testbed for AI-driven traffic management thanks to the unique public-private collaboration led by Milestone Systems under Project Hafnia. Challenge: High-Potential AI, Low-Quality Data Despite extensive camera deployments, cities often struggle to derive real-time intelligence from video. AI models trained on synthetic or generic datasets frequently underperform in complex, real-world environments. High false-positive rates make them impractical for daily operations, especially in time-critical applications like traffic management, preventing municipalities from gaining the real-time insights needed to improve mobility, safety, and emergency response. Solution: Public-Private Innovation in Action Project Hafnia, led by Milestone Systems, develops a high-performance, real-world AI model. Milestone led the 12-month project from initial concept to full-scale deployment, investing in cloud-based AI training and professional video annotation. Unlike conventional vendor-customer setups, this collaboration was structured with shared value in mind: each party contributed expertise, resources, and infrastructure, aligning toward a common goal. At the heart of this success story is Milestone's investment in creating a secure, high-quality, and legally compliant data library that supports transparency and data traceability requirements in evolving AI regulations. Milestone transformed the city's raw traffic footage into valuable AI training material. This investment paid off dramatically, with model accuracy jumping from 80% to over 95%. Below that threshold, false positives are too frequent, undermining usability. Above it, cities unlock new levels of accuracy and insight. Results: Scalable, Transferable, Trusted With more than 100 traffic cameras participating in the trial, Project Hafnia validated AI performance in the field across a range of changing light, weather, and traffic patterns. The resulting platform is scalable and transferable, giving other cities a tested blueprint for AI-enhanced urban operations. AI models originally developed for traffic monitoring (vehicle classification, pedestrian tracking, anomaly detection) can now be repurposed to support public safety, emergency response, and infrastructure planning across departments. Louise Bou Rached, Director – Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Milestone Systems, expressed,"Project Hafnia shows how a collaborative strategy and a shared dedication to data integrity can contribute to transforming urban solutions. Milestone Systems and its partners have attained unmatched model accuracy of over 95% by using real-world traffic footage and careful data annotation, thus facilitating cities like Dubuque and Dubai to deploy artificial intelligence with confidence. This project not only shows scalable and transferable technology but also opens the door for more sustainable, safer, and smarter urban mobility worldwide." A New Framework for Public-Private Innovation Beyond the technical achievements, the project established a new template for collaboration between cities, technology vendors, and platform providers. Rather than a traditional vendor-customer relationship, the collaboration operated on balanced value exchange principles. The collaboration brought together diverse perspectives and created a forward-looking solution that evolved organically. From concept to working prototype to full-scale deployment, every participant helped shape the outcome. Thomas Jensen, CEO of Milestone Systems, emphasized the broader vision: 'At Milestone, we believe that AI innovation starts with trusted data and open collaboration. Project Hafnia proves that with the right platform, even mid-sized cities like Dubuque can lead the way in responsible, data-driven transformation. This is a blueprint for how cities everywhere can harness AI to improve safety, mobility, and quality of life — all while staying in control of their data.' Project Hafnia not only demonstrated that real-world AI can work, it showed that it can scale, ethically and collaboratively. Project Hafnia is more than a traffic management success story. It's a living prototype of how cities — big or small — can unlock the full potential of AI by investing in data, partnerships, and transparency. *Source: AETOSWire Contacts Namita Thakkar - namita@
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Green energy for Oman's smart city projects
MUSCAT: Oman's national grid will be suitably expanded and modernized to help meet a dramatic leap in the green energy requirements of a slate of Smart Cities and sustainable urban development schemes currently in various stages of early implementation in various parts of the Sultanate. According to Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), the majority-state-owned operator of the national grid, an upgrade of the Electricity Transmission Master-Plan for the 2025 – 2040 timeframe will factor in the clean energy demand projections of these landmark urban schemes. 'The plan ensures resilience, reliability, efficiency, and adaptability to future energy needs,' OETC – part of Nama Group – said. 'Additionally, the new plan will include, load forecasting, renewable energy integration plans, green hydrogen integration, transmission expansion planning, ancillary services analysis, economic and environmental assessments and potential cross-border interconnections,' it noted in its latest Annual Transmission Capability Statement. The master-plan envisions significant clean energy demand growth from, among other sectors, a large portfolio of sustainable smart cities being advanced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in alignment with Oman Vision 2040. 'These urban projects aim to enhance economic growth, sustainability, and quality of life by integrating smart infrastructure, green energy, and advanced technology,' said OETC in its statement. Topping the list in terms of anticipated energy demand is the Greater Muscat Structure Plan, an ambitious urban development scheme with a projected clean energy requirement of a hefty 5 gigawatts (GW) when it is fully implemented by 2040. A focused spatial development strategy for the sprawling 1360km² metropolitan region of the city also envisions investments in renewable energy, AI-driven urban services, and transport connectivity. Sultan Haitham City, the country's first fully smart city, is expected to have an energy demand of around 105 MW by 2040. Covering an area of 14.8 million square meters, the new city will comprise as many as 19 integrated neighborhoods to be built in four phases over a 22-year timeframe spanning the 2024 - 2045 period. When fully built out, it will accommodate over 100,000 inhabitants. The smart city will feature net-zero buildings, digital infrastructure, and electric transport. In Dhofar Governorate, the Greater Salalah Structure Plan envisions the development of a regional trade and tourism hub focusing on green infrastructure and wind energy integration. Energy demand is estimated at more than 200MW by 2040. A similar structure plan for Greater Nizwa entails the expansion of the historic city with an emphasis on water management and eco-tourism. Clean energy demand is projected at over 400 MW by 2040. Likewise, the Ibri Structural Plan – centring on the establishment of a logistics and renewable energy hub supporting solar and wind power projects – estimates clean energy demand at more than 350MW by 2040. In Suhar, a new smart industrial and residential city is envisaged with the goal of enhancing Oman's role as a trade and logistics center. The estimated energy demand of the city is more than 240MW by 2040. 'OETC plays a vital role in integrating these smart cities into a reliable, efficient, and future-ready power grid. The main areas of integration include renewable energy by expanding transmission networks to support solar, wind, and decentralized power generation, Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure by establishing smart EV charging networks across new urban areas and grid expansion via enhancing transmission lines and reactive power compensation to support urban growth,' the grid operator added. 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Khaleej Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Dubai's Dh35b robotics market gets closer to reality with new technology
Drone and robotics are evolving industry worldwide as well as in the Middle East where the UAE has taken a leadership role in gradually deploying them in government departments and public facilities – in addition to bringing in driverless vehicles and flying taxis – to transform its urban infrastructure into smart cities where drones, machines, robotics and AI will play a crucial role. In 2023, the Dubai Government announced that it aims to increase the robotics sector's contribution to Dubai's GDP to 9 per cent by 2032. The emirate wants to turn robotics into a Dh35 billion ($9.5 billion) industry. As part of the Dubai Robotics and Automation (R&A) Program, 200,000 robots will be provided over the next 10 years until 2032, to increase efficiency and productivity in various sectors including services, logistics, and the industrial sector, and enhance the competitiveness of Dubai's economy. The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), that regulates the drone industry, has registered nearly 24,000 industrial- and commercial-grade drones as well as more than 100 business licenses dealing with the use of drones including renting and offering drone display services. More than 20 billion robots will be serving 10 billion human beings by 2050, reshaping lifestyles, labour markets and societies, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs told delegates at the World Government Summit in February this year. Reflecting on the drastic changes in the last 25 years since the year 2000, Al Gergawi said, 'The world's population has grown to 8.2 billion today, and the global economy has expanded from $34 trillion to $115 trillion by 2024. International trade surged from $7 trillion to $33 trillion over the same period.' He highlighted the rapid growth of digital connectivity, with internet usage soaring from less than 7 per cent of the global population in 2000 to over 60 per cent today. 'In 2050, over 20 billion robots will assist humans, and the space economy is expected to reach $4 trillion,' he said. Private sector businesses have started to bring in some of the best technologies in drones, robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, etc, that will help the UAE to realise its Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy that aims to strengthen the UAE's position as a global hub for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to increase its contribution to the national economy by advancing innovation and future technologies. It also aims to position the UAE as a global model in adopting leading-edge technologies to serve society and achieve happiness and sustainability. While a number of global conglomerates are also entering and setting up their branches to introduce driverless cars, flying taxis and drone-led home delivery eco-system, others are appointing local companies as their sales and servicing agents who will deploy these technologies in the UAE and the region. With rapid transformation driven by the government's futuristic vision, the UAE will soon see large-scale deployment of robots across all public services ranging from courier to food delivery – that will push up the demand for robots and drones. Sigma Enterprises is bringing Swiss robots and drones for the GCC countries to protect critical infrastructure, assets and increase the flow of data for increased efficiency and cost reduction. Sigma Enterprises, a member of the Mazrui International, has taken a leadership role in bringing the latest Swiss robotics and drone technology to the GCC countries that are famous for precision data, surveillance supported by Artificial Intelligence that will play a crucial role in protecting critical infrastructure including oil and gas, utility, nuclear power plant, manufacturing industries, airport and aviation assets, among others. Sigma Enterprises showcased the Swiss precision robotics and drones solutions from Anybotics, Flyability and Wingtra at the First Swiss Future Tech event held in Abu Dhabi recently. Sigma, which represents a number of global technology and engineering products in the Gulf, has acquired exclusive distribution rights for Swiss based Anybotics, Flyability and Wingtra in the UAE. It is currently deploying them with its customers offering end-to-end solutions, training and after-sales service. The introduction of world's best robotic technology from ANYbotics with Swiss precision by Sigma Enterprises in the region will boost the revenue in the robotics market to $241.95 million in the UAE this year with service robotic dominating the market with projected market value of $223.75 million. This is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.45 per cent to $360.12 million by 2029. Bilateral trade between the UAE and Switzerland has exceeded $2.5 billion, according to Dr. Arthur Mattli, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE. 'In an ever-evolving world, we are witnessing a quiet revolution through the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data science, precision technology, innovation as well as he development of the drone technology,' Dr. Arthur Mattli said. 'With our shared ethics of precision and innovation, we can assure you that machines will not replace us but protect us. The accuracy of their data will determine the effectiveness of the new smart cities that are being built across the world. 'Sigma Enterprises' partnership with leading Swiss tech firms represents a significant collaboration between the two nations who share similar ideologies in innovation and technology. This partnership is a historic milestone in our relationship and marks the beginning of Emirati-Swiss collaboration that will strengthen the ties between the UAE and Switzerland. 'Today, we celebrate not just technology but also mission, collaboration, and the pioneering spirit that drives innovation forward. ANYbotics, Flyability, and Wingtra do not just build machines; rather, they are pioneers of the future. They combine innovation, artificial intelligence, and Swiss precision to develop smarter tools benefitting various industries,' Dr. Arthur Mattli concluded. ANYbotics is a fast-growing company with over 100 employees focused on supporting the inspection needs of workers in oil & gas, power, energy, mining, processing, chemicals, transportation, and construction. In 2023, SIGMA Enterprises signed an agreement to bring the latest robotics solutions from ANYbotics – one of the world's most renowned producers of industrial and commercial robots that play crucial role in protecting critical infrastructure. Since 2016, Swiss robotics company ANYbotics developed innovative, intelligent, and integrated robotic solutions that improve workers' lives, increase productivity, and support more sustainable industrial facilities. Partnering with global technology leaders, ANYbotics provides large asset operators with autonomous, automated, end-to-end robotic inspection solutions for complex, hazardous, and explosive industrial environments. Sigma Enterprises also has signed up with Flyability and Wingtra to deploy their latest drone technology that will play a great role in monitoring, surveillance, data analytics, preventive maintenance and help sustain the life-cycle of critical infrastructure and physical assets. Charbel Khoury, Group CEO of Mazrui International, said, 'Mazrui Group is a diversified business conglomerate with interests in trading, construction, services, real estate and oil and gas sector, with a legacy of more than five decades. We have been bringing the latest industrial solutions to help our economy with the best services and solutions. 'We are delighted to collaborate with ANYbotics, Flyability, and Wingtra to bring the latest improved technologies in challenging landscapes of industries like oil and gas, construction, chemicals, power and utilities, and metals in the UAE and broader GCC. Our partnership with these Swiss robotics and drone technology solutions providers will help us to strengthen the life-cycle of the region's critical infrastructure, reduce maintenance cost, and extend the life-cycle of assets and maximizing profitability of businesses.' Flyability is a pioneer in the development of indoor drones designed to access and inspect hard-to-reach, hazardous environments — eliminating the need to send humans into dangerous spaces. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Switzerland, the company leads the market in commercial indoor drone technology, driven by continuous innovation and a strong focus on research and development. Flyability is transforming traditional inspection methods by enabling safe, efficient, and cost-effective visual data collection across industries. On the other hand Wingtra, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the global leader in vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones for professional surveying. Since launching in 2017, Wingtra has built a strong global presence, partnering with over 80 major surveying equipment dealers across 50+ countries. With a team of 100+ employees — over 40 dedicated to research and development and many alumni of ETH Zurich — Wingtra designs, manufactures, and supports its products in-house. The WingtraOne drone, equipped with best-in-class sensors and PPK technology, delivers survey-grade aerial data with exceptional accuracy and efficiency, serving industries from construction and mining to environmental monitoring. Globally, 8.2 million drones were active in 2024, which is expected to grow to 9.5 million by 2029. In 2025, the global revenue in the drones market worldwide will reach $4.4 billion, according to Statista, a global market intelligence provider. The global market for connected commercial drones is forecast to grow from $18.6 billion in 2024 at a CAGR of 15 per cent to reach $37.3 billion in 2029, according to a research report.
Trade Arabia
21-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
TMG Holding to develop $4.7bn real estate projects in Oman
Leading Egyptian developer Talaat Moustafa Group Holding (TMG Holding) said it has entered into an agreement with Oman's Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to develop two large-scale projects in the sultanate at an investment of RO1.8 billion ($4.7 billion). The agreement marks TMG Holding's first venture into Oman and aligns with the company's regional expansion strategy focused on developing integrated smart cities across the Middle East. Announcing the key projects, TMG Holding said the first one will cover 2.7 million sq m in Sultan Haitham City, west of Muscat. Strategically located near Muscat International Airport, the mixed-use development will include villas, apartment buildings, a 190,000 sqm social and sports club, and 140,000 sqm of commercial and service areas. The second development will span 2.2 million sq m in Al Shakheekhit, a coastal area west of Muscat and near Beit Al Baraka Palace. It will boast luxury seafront villas connected to a lagoon, a luxury hotel, residential units, a yacht marina, and chalets along a 1,760-m-long beachfront on the Gulf of Oman. The project will also include the 215,000 sqm Al Naseem Heritage Park, a large green space with views across the development. The deal was signed by Omani Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, Dr Khalfan Al Shueili and TMG Holding Chairman Hisham Talaat Moustafa in the presence of senior officials. Both the projects will be carried out by the group's Oman-based development arm - Talaat Moustafa Group Muscat for Real Estate Development. TMG Holding aims to deliver around 12,900 residential units across the two projects, including approximately 9,200 conventional and serviced apartments. The developments will be executed concurrently, it stated. "Both these projects aim to replicate TMG Holding's successful integrated community model established in Egypt through its flagship developments Madinaty, Noor, and Al Rehab, as well as its recent expansion into Saudi Arabia," said a company spokesman.
