Sharjah Forum: Data not just a tool but the very foundation of the cities of tomorrow

Sharjah: Three leading experts offered a fascinating peek into how cities will grow and function in the future harnessing the power of data at the inaugural Regional Data and Community Development Forum (DCDF 2024) in Sharjah on Thursday.

The engaging panel discussion titled Cities of Tomorrow: Data Integration for Sustainable Development featured Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Executive Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah; 

former Mayor of Stockholm Anna Jerlmyr and Robert Ndugwa from UN-Habitat, who discussed the role of data integration in shaping urban, global cities of the future.

Summing up what cities of the future must have, Sheikh Fahim noted that ‘security, society and opportunity’, are the key values that the growth of Sharjah is modelled on.

Decision making

“Our economy, valued at $45 billion and supporting 1.8 million people, thrives on our ability to gather and leverage granular data. This approach allows us to be surgical in decision making, ensuring we stay ahead in smart city planning. 

When we launched Digital Sharjah, we streamlined over 1,500 smart services of which roughly 33 per cent were digitised”, he said, reaffirming the emirate’s commitment to utilising data for urban planning and sustainable growth,” he explained.