News | Ministry of Transport

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Qatar Digital Government signs MoU with Huawei Technologies

DOHA-In its bid to further support the national digital strategies and policies developed and promoted by the State of Qatar, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), through its Qatar Digital Government Training Programme (QDGTP) initiative, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies.The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) held in Doha recently.Under the terms of the MoU, Huawei Technologies is partnering with QDGTP to provide advance technology training programme for the IT national talents in government as part of the QDGTP Training Plan. The company will also provide information and guidance on national ICT initiatives that fall under its mandate and provide the necessary support in the fulfilment of joint initiatives.Huawei will support initiatives in government, local research centres, academia and startup incubators that develop the capabilities and expertise. It will also support initiatives aimed at developing the capabilities of Qatar’s digital workforce, so the nation can better meet the demands of digital revolution that is transforming different sectors of local and global economy.Reem al Mansoori, assistant undersecretary of Digital Society Development Sector at the MoTC, said, “MoTC is focused on developing highly skilled ICT professionals in all sectors, including the government, and we are leaving no stone unturned in our commitment to the Smart Qatar initiative. We believe all entities in Qatar will benefit from this agreement as Qatar’s digital ecosystem continues to evolve.”Huawei Technologies will also provide consultation and advices to relevant departments to identify pertinent opportunities to digital growth.Trevor Liu Yan, CEO Gulf North Region, Huawei Technologies, said, “Development of the ICT ecosystem is essential in order to bring digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. By working with the Ministry of Transport and Communication to digitally empower its employees through a comprehensive training programme, we are providing them with the tools required to continue building Qatar’s digitally-driven society.”The Qatar Digital Government initiative is aimed at enhancing customer experience, provide greater access to government services and improve efficiency thus leading to better outcomes for the nation.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

MOTC Holds Pre Drill for 7th National Cyber Drill Star-7

Monday, November 11, 2019

MOTC Holds Adoption Service Provider program Workshop

Doha-The Ministry of Transport and Communications organised a workshop for the cybersecurity service providers accreditation programme as part of the ministry's keenness to strengthen the cybersecurity system in the country.The workshop, which was attended by a large number of representatives of the public and private sectors, aims to raise the efficiency in various parts of the country by activating the joint responsibility between the two sectors.Director of Compliance and Data Protection at the Ministry Engineer Dana al-Abdullah stressed the importance of working with the National Information Security Standards Framework within the National Cybersecurity Strategy and its role in assisting organisations and institutions from all sectors in securing information systems and raising the level of maturity in the applications of information security policies.She added that accreditation contributes to raising the efficiency of the supply chain in the field of cybersecurity as it enables accredited service providers to build trust and confirms the ability and professionalism of the accredited provider, including all accredited service providers, as this guide provides an updated list of all credits issued by the Compliance and Data Protection Department, allowing organisations to verify the validity of accreditation.The accreditation programme is a catalyst for the private sector, as the service provider accredited by the Ministry receives multiple advantages that facilitate access to new markets for audit services for the system of certificates of compliance. It also provides new marketing opportunities to accredited service providers by including its name in the online platform for the Compliance and Data Protection Department.The programme is divided into several key pathways for accreditation: audit services, advisory services, penetration testing services, cloud services, and cyber security operations center services.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

QDGTP showcases 8 AI use-cases from six entities at QITCOM 2019

Doha-Eight Artificial Intelligence (AI) use-cases from six entities in Qatar were showcased during the Digital Transformation Workshop organised by the Qatar Digital Government Training Program (QDGTP) in partnership with Microsoft, an initiative by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) , on the sidelines of the recently concluded Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019).The six entities are General Authority of Customs (GAC), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Aljazeera, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Aspetar and Aspire. Ali El Sheshtawi from GAC presented a machine learning module, developed by the Authority, to help in document processing by reducing risk of human error and time taken in handling documents while HMC, represented by Ramez Raafat and Babu Ramesamy, presented the chatbot and auto coding usecases respectively.Through the chatbot use case, intelligent agent within the organization will help shorten the path and time to get the needed information and understand the correct actions needed. By using machine learning to automate the code assignment, on the other hand, many support and logistic departments within HMC will benefited as it helps in assigning the right medical code to the right case.Other use-cases include the Injury Prevention case presented by Rodney Whiteley from Aspetar which showcased how the hospital is using machine learning to track athlete movement during the rehabilitation phase thereby preventing further injuries and longer treatment time.Aspire’s Saleh Msleh presented the Player Posture use-case which highlighted how Aspire is using machine learning to help athletes succeed in their journey by ensuring they have the right posture at the right moment. Additionally, Al Jazeera highlighted how AI is helping the organisation via content moderation and chatbot respectively.Grant Totten showed how the organisation is using AI to moderate the content being aired to ensure compliance with international standards and how the HR and Support Services department has developed an intelligent agent to respond to employee enquires and provide better response rate considering the huge growth of Al Jazeera worldwide.Laith Khrisat from MoCI, on the other hand, highlighted how the ministry is handling its document processing by using AI to digitize and extract the needed content and speed up the internal processes from the huge volume of documents being uploaded to the ministry database daily.Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary for the Digital Society Development Sector at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said: “We are delighted with the various presentations from the participating organisations which showcased how Artificial Intelligence is helping them overcome challenges in the line of duty. Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly important in government’s effort at building an efficient and sustainable digital society and MoTC aims to continue to keep abreast of all developments in the digital technology sector in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. We believe the use-cases presented during this event will be of great value in achieving the vision.”

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

MoTC Announces Winners of Entrepreneurship Zone Awards

Doha – QatarThe Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has announced the list of winners of the Entrepreneurship Zone Awards held on the sidelines of the Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) from October 29 to November 1 at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) in Doha.The Entrepreneurial Zone Awards comprised of three distinct awards: the "Programming Camp" (Codecamp), the "Creative Ideas Camp" and the "Startup Hub" awards.Five teams - Hey Qatar, BareMetal, Beyond Barriers, Cereal Killers and NAZARIYA - won the CodeCamp Award out of 47 teams that came up with smart solutions to challenges put forward by companies and institutions such as the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), Ooredoo, Mada, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar Airways, and Hamad International Airport (HIA). Each team received a cash prize of QR 25,000.The “Creative Ideas Camp” award went to Retail AR (1st place), Educarso (2nd place), Skip Cash (3rd place), Smart Shuttle (4th place), while Noor ranked fifth. The winners were awarded cash prizes of QR125,000, QR100,000, QR75,000, QR50,000 and QR25,000 respectively.About 50 companies out of about 200 innovative ideas, who initially applied, were selected to compete in the camp. The Creative Ideas Camp included a series of workshops, training sessions and coaching programs over a period of six weeks, delivered by 20 international experts and mentors to help participants develop their ideas.In addition to the cash prizes, technical and operational support will also be provided to the winners of the Creative Ideas Camp, as well as a free workspace to enable them to transform their digital ideas into reality.The results of the voting-based "Startup Hub" award were as follows: the first place went to "Carts" from Qatar with 964 votes, the second place to "Bleems" from Qatar with 410 votes, and the third place to "UpSales" from Sudan with 369 votes. Live Caller from Georgia was fourth with 351 votes and Wastezon from Rwanda came fifth with 297 votes.The five winners were selected from 100 companies out of the initial 675 applications. The 100 companies had the opportunity to present their ideas and plans to investors and entrepreneurs at the Innovation Theater, opening opportunities for building partnerships and investment bids.Commenting on the occasion, Her Excellency Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary for the Digital Society Development Sector at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said: “Entrepreneurship is a key component in building a vibrant ICT sector and building a knowledge-based economy. We are therefore keen to promote a culture of innovation, learning and entrepreneurship. This year, we have received very appreciable and high-quality participation from aspiring developers and entrepreneurs. Some winning companies and teams have had opportunities to receive incubation and finance as well as build strong relationships with potential partners. We congratulate all the winners and encourage them to continue to innovate and excel."Duha Ali Al Buhendi, Digital Incubation Center Manager said: “This year, the Innovation Theater has attracted more people and achieved more results than the previous edition. It has become an integrated platform that brings together entrepreneurs, experts and investors to showcase ideas, connect, build relationships, encourage innovation and share experiences. All entries were outstanding, and we hope this years’ experience will spur further innovation.”The Innovation Theater zone provided an opportunity for the audience to listen to a panel of experts in the field of digital entrepreneurship and learn from their experiences. It featured start-up presentations and speeches by keynote speakers, as well as serious discussions on the latest smart solutions that will further Qatar's digital transformation.The zone encouraged startups and entrepreneurs to develop their innovative ideas, projects, prototypes and digital solutions that Qatar's smart future requires. It also supported startups to work on their ideas through hackathons, coaching programs, business reconciliation sessions, and brainstorming sessions.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

MoTC Announces Next Phase of Digital Transformation Program at QITCOM 2019

DOHA- QATARThe Digital Transformation for Small and Medium Business Enterprises (DTSME), an initiative of the Ministry of Transport & Communications (MoTC) has today announced the digital accelerator program - the next phase of its digital transformation objective of transforming businesses in Qatar. The announcement took place on the sidelines of the Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019), which wrapped up at QNCC on Nov. 1, under the theme “Safe Smart Cities.”The digital accelerator program will be an enriched version of the DTSME program, with a realigned focus on sector, business establishment segments and technology domains. It is targeted at increasing the overall ranking of the country in utilizing Emerging Technologies, such as: Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. The program will commence in early 2020 with a niche focus on business maturity levels and approaching the transformation of SMEs in Qatar through both physical in-site transformations as well as online.With the extension of the DTSME programme, MoTC further aims to strengthen the ecosystem of business establishments through digital empowerment in key sectors by creating value for all stakeholders in Qatar's digital economy.Officially launched in 2018, the DTSME program enabled technology partners to connect with SMEs easily over a set of interactive sessions detailed on the online portal www.GoDigital.qa. The program’s portal served a dual purpose of transferring knowledge, tools, and opportunities; and it also provides a physical and virtual space for businesses and SMEs to network. The program has executed around 250 interactive sessions till date.Partners of the DTSME include the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Qatar Development Bank, Communications Regulatory Authority, Ooredoo and Microsoft. All partners are committed to delivering the importance of Digital Transformation to SMEs through offering digital solutions utilizing the support of over 40 service providers. Since its launch, DTSME has empowered SMEs to optimize their business models through digital solutions and facilitate digital partnerships between SMEs, government entities and technology enablers.The ecommerce domain workshop organized by the program guided SMEs in utilizing different platforms to ease the process of payments online. One of the workshops - “Collect payments efficiently: An Efficient and Quick Way for Business Owners to Get Rid of the Hassle of Payments Collection” - was executed by MaktApp, a DTSME’s local service providers, to support SMEs in collecting their payments online using the cloud based invoicing platform. Other eCommerce service providers and payment integrators in Qatar were constantly executing sessions throughout the duration of the program. Some key service providers in the ecommerce domain are: DohaBank, QPay, Tess Systems among many others.A set of different interactive sessions on Web Enablement and Cloud were also executed to support SMEs with the process of building websites and integrating Automated Intelligence (AI) in their business models with the use of cloud platforms. Sessions include: “Creating an Unforgettable Customer Experience” conducted by the service provider “Bright Information Systems W.L.L” which provided a transformative experience for SMEs by showcasing why customers are businesses’ top priority. A wide range of service providers also supported in delivering the required tools and platforms for businesses to adopt to cloud and have an online presence like: Deloitte, Cisco, NewWaves, BlueLynx, Excelledia, LEDD Technologies, Advanced Computing Company, SAP and among many others.Commenting on the occasion, Her Excellency Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary for the Digital Society Development Sector at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said: “The Digital Transformation of SMEs will support Qatar’s digital economy by enhancing the level of digital maturity through digital enablement, innovation and incubation. We believe that SMEs are one of the engines of a thriving digital sector in Qatar, and for this reason we are focusing our efforts to enable them with the right technology tools.”She also added, “We are proud to announce that the execution of the DTSME workshops has led to reaching 6000 unique SMEs and digitally transforming over 600 SMEs across all three focus domains of web enablement, ecommerce and cloud. We are humbled to witness constant increase in market demand for digital transformation workshops as well as an increase in formed digital partnerships. With the current target reach of businesses in the digital field through the networking platform ‘Godigital.qa,’ we are extending our support to the digital ecosystem with the end-to-end digital transformation of the business value chain”The DTSME program has created positive impact on the overall business community in Qatar through fresh initiatives and series which enabled the business community to understand and appreciate the digital ecosystem and trends globally. The first of these is a series launched as the Emerging Tech Series, which focused on discovering and exploring the best and most innovative technologies newly available in the market and how businesses can benefit from such tech. The use of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and other trending technologies in the industry were explored with the support of speakers and professors from different companies and universities such as: Texas A & M University, PwC, A101 and others. The series event on “AI and Machine Learning” had speakers from Microsoft, QCRI, IBM & Integration XPERTS introduced businesses in different sectors like Retail, Energy, Transport and Healthcare to different emerging technology platform and showcased how those technologies can be utilized as a developmental tool. The Arab Women in Tech Series, the first of its kind in Qatar, focuses on successful women leaders in technology who shared their experiences and insights which has been well appreciated by the Qatar business community. The Arab Women in Tech was launched earlier this year in partnership with the Digital Incubation Centre (DIC) - an incubator under the purview of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The series kicked off with IBM CTO and Microsoft Country Manager as panellists, shedding light on opportunities for women in the technology field.“The relaunch of the program will support the initial vision of promoting digital innovation, competitiveness and growth of business establishments to enhance Qatar’s digital ecosystem in key sectors through digital enablement, furthermore creating value for all stakeholders in Qatar’s digital economy,” added Ms. Noor Al Malki, the Project Manager.