News | Ministry of Transport

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Global Innovation Index 2016: Qatar Makes Significant Headway

Qatar is ranked first in the world on two indicators, Ease of Paying Taxes and Tertiary Inbound Mobility of International Students in the Global Innovation Index 2016 released at a Geneva media briefing last week.The Index, which measured performance of 128 countries on 82 indicators, placed Qatar in the third position in the Arab world and 50th globally in the overall performance.Recording progress on innovation input sub-indexes, Qatar advanced 6 positions on Infrastructure pillar (ICT access and use), 10 positions on Market Sophistication pillar and 28 positions on Business Sophistication pillar, thus ranking 16th, 68th and 78th globally, respectively.Other strong indicators for Qatar are - Electricity output (6th), University/industry research collaboration(8th), State of cluster development (8th), Joint venture/strategic alliance deals (8th) and Foreign direct investment outflows (16th).Nine ranks gain has been also reported for Qatar’s Creative Outputs pillar– globally ranked 49th.The 2016 report highlights that, globally, gains from global innovation can be shared more widely as cross-border flows of knowledge and talent are on the rise. It highlights that there is ample scope to expand global corporate and public R&D cooperation to foster future economic growth.As per Qatar’s ICT Landscape Report 2016: Business, thirteen percent of multinational ICT companies invested in R&D, with 8 percent of the local ICT companies investing in R&D activities in 2014. Among the ICT enterprises investing in R&D in Qatar, a majority (63%) of them spent less than 5 percent of their annual revenue for R&D in 2014 in Qatar.Recording progress, Qatar is now ranked 52nd on Wikipedia edits and 46th on Video uploads on YouTube indicators within Online creativity sub-pillar. Qatar gained 5 ranks in Generic top-level domains and is now ranked 56th globally.Global Innovation Index 2016 report observes that the Northern Africa and West Asia region shows its highest average scores in ICT access, ICT-driven business model creation and e-Government and productivity growth. Less notable performances are seen in high-tech exports, patents, and the quality of publications across the region. The report also said many of the GCC countries are diversifying their economies following a decades-long dependence on oil, turning their focus towards more innovation-driven and diverse sources of growth and overcoming relative shortcomings in areas, such as Institutions, market and business sophistication.2016 Global Innovation Index explores rising share of innovation carried out via globalized innovation networks and is themed - Winning with Global Innovation. It is published by U.N.'s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), INSEAD Business School and Cornell University.Switzerland emerged as the global leader among innovative economies followed by Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Finland. China first time joins the ranks of the world’s 25 most-innovative economies. At the Arab level, the UAE ranked first, followed by Saudi Arabia.The detailed report is available at: https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/gii-2016-report.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

25 New Teams Join Digital Incubation Center in August

The Digital Incubation Center (DIC) at the Ministry of Transport and Communications once again opened its doors to a new group of young, tech-savvy entrepreneurs who have innovative technology-related ideas, fledgling ICT start-ups, or who are ready to start an ICT company. 11 new startup teams and 14 Idea Stage teams have joined the incubation center this August, 2016.The 25 teams were chosen after a rigorous selection process. The judges for the final selection of the startups were Abdulaziz Al Khal from QMIC, Mahmoud Abdellatif Khalil from Qatar University, Najat Abdulraheem from Ooredoo, Dr. Munir Tag from QNRF and a representative from QDB. With this new intake the total number of Tech Startup teams that are incubated at DIC has reached 44.In its new intake of May 2016, the DIC was looking for both aspiring and current entrepreneurs who are capable of harnessing emerging technologies to create innovative products, solutions, and services that will contribute to Qatar’s thriving digital sector, and the tech solutions being incubated from the 25 new teams are in the areas of Cyber Security, Edutainment, e-commerce, Gaming, Digital Content and Smart City Solutions.Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary - Digital Society Sector of MOTC, speaking on the new intake said; “We are excited with the new batch that has joined the DIC. The new teams are working on innovative technologies and much needed solutions for Qatar. The objective of the DIC has been to provide the necessary support for new tech start-ups to emerge from Qatar. Developing the technology sector in the country plays a key role in our transformation towards a smart society. We believe the youth of Qatar has the capacity to achieve great success if given the right support mechanisms, such as these incubation programs.”The Center offers two tracks: the Launchpad, a 6-month program that helps entrepreneurs nurture their ICT ideas and turn them into business opportunities; and the 2-year Start-up track for early stage start-ups and potential start-ups that need help in accelerating the development of their business. DIC offers expertise and professional guidance in technology and business, access to workspace, business planning, education and training, mentors, legal advice, software/hardware and office space. Even though the center does not fund the startups directly, the different services that each startup receives during the 2 year period amounts to around QR 400,000 in indirect support.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Qatar Ranks 3rd on 2016 Online Service Index

Qatar ranked among the top 10 Asian economies, on the Online Service Index of the biannual E-Government Development Index (EGDI) released on Friday by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, ranked third among GCC states scoring 0.67391.On the e-participation index, Qatar ranked third along with Kuwait, among Gulf countries and 55th globally with a score of 0.6441.Qatar Digital Government reported that 144 e-services have been launched in the first half of 2016, taking the total number of e-services to 1030 exceeding the set target of 1000 e-services.H.E. the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, launched “Qatar Digital Government Strategy 2020” in May 2014 with the objective to ascertain the principle of transparency, and increase the efficiency of e-services provided to the public and businesses.Qatar Digital Government has three strategic objectives, better services for individuals and businesses, enhance efficiency in government administration and encourage financial prudency by increasing government openness through more civic participation.EGDI is used to measure the willingness and capacity of national administrations to use information and communication technologies to deliver public services. This measure of the index is useful for government officials, policy makers, researchers and representatives of civil society and the private sector to gain a deeper understanding of the comparative benchmarking of the relative position of a country in utilizing e-government for the delivery of inclusive, accountable and citizen-centric services.The EGDI is based on an expert assessment survey of the online presence of all 193 United Nations Member States, which assesses national websites and how e-government policies and strategies are applied in general and in specific sectors for delivery of essential services. The assessment rates the e-government performance of countries relative to one another as opposed to being an absolute measurement.Numerically, the EGDI is a weighted average of three normalized scores on three most important dimensions of e-government, namely: scope and quality of online services (Online Service Index, OSI), development status of telecommunication infrastructure (Telecommunication Infrastructure Index, TII) and inherent human capital (Human Capital Index, HCI). Qatar has slightly advanced on all these indexes since the last edition in 2014.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Qatar Makes Giant Leaps in Roads, Ports and Airport Infrastructure Quality

Qatar ranked 14th on the global list of the 2015-16 Global Competitiveness Report’s index published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).“Qatar leads the Middle East and North Africa region at 14th position,” the report said, adding that the country has moved up two places globally after scoring 5.3 points compared to the 16th in the previous report last year.As reflection of the infrastructure development plans in the country, the report showed that Qatar has made a qualitative leap in the field of roads infrastructure quality after moving up 13 places this year to secure the 21th position with 5.4 points achieved compared to the 34th position last year.“The country rank has also moved 9 places to occupy the 15th position globally with 5.6 points achieved, compared to the24th position in the previous report in the field of ports infrastructure quality”, says the report.“Qatar has also moved up to 7th position globally in the field of airport infrastructure quality after scoring 6.2 points compared to the 12th in last year”, the report added.The Ministry of Transport and Communications continues to work on the articulation of a long term policy and strategy for the transport sector in the State of Qatar, which will be an important milestone to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030. Transport infrastructure and services are vital elements in every citizen’s and businesses’ daily life. Bringing together and coordinating all stakeholders in the sector under the umbrella of the Ministry of Transport and Communications will ensure the development and provision of world-class transport infrastructure and mobility services for not only all citizens and visitors but also Qatari and global businesses. Qatar’s modern transport sector aims at achieving financial and ecological sustainability, innovation, accessibility and inclusion for all citizens as well as attracting and enabling economic diversification.The Global Competitiveness Index defines competitiveness as the set of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of an economy, which in turn sets the level of prosperity that the country can earn. GCI combines 114 indicators that capture concepts that matter for productivity. These indicators are grouped into 12 pillars: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labor market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, and innovation.

Qatar Ranked 27th on Networked Readiness Index in GITR 2016

Press Release

Monday, July 18, 2016

Qatar Ranked 27th on Networked Readiness Index in GITR 2016

Qatar ranked 27th among most networked nations in the world and second among Arab countries, (UAE that ranks 26th), on the 2016 edition of the “Global Information Technology Report GITR” published by the World Economic Forum in partnership with INSEAD and Cornell University. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rank 28th and 33rd, respectively.Qatar is paying considerable attention to its ICT sector as a catalyst that greatly contributes to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030, an attitude that explains its high rankings on the GITR 2016, which is out this year under the theme “Innovating in the Digital Economy.” The report, which covers 139 economies, has measured the drivers of the ICT revolution globally since 2001.On the Environment subindex, which includes nine indicators measuring the political, regulatory, business and innovation environments, Qatar ranks first among all Arab economies and advanced to 15th position in the world. On the same subindex, UAE ranks 19th, Saudi Arabia 28th, and Bahrain 35th.Qatar also leads Arab world and ranks 4th and 2nd worldwide on the two indicators of “efficiency of legal system in settling disputes” and “efficiency of legal system in challenging regulations”, after it was ranked sixth and fourth in last year’s edition of the report. Qatar also ranks third in the world in the “laws relating to ICTs” indicator.On the Usage subindex, Qatar ranked second at the Arab level and 19th worldwide. Usage subindex measures technology adoption and usage by the three groups of stakeholders; the government, the business sector, and the population at large.On the indicator that measures technology adoption and usage by individuals and ICT companies, Qatar ranked 23rd and 25th, respectively, and 5th globally on the indicator measuring technology adoption and usage by government.Furthermore, Qatar came third at the Arab level behind Bahrain and Kuwait and 54th globally on the Readiness subindex, which measures networked readiness in terms of ICT infrastructure, affordability, and skills. That is a point of weakness because, according to the report, tariffs of mobile services and fixed broadband internet are relatively high. However, Qatar ranks first among all Arab economies in terms of mobile network coverage.GITR 2016 places Qatar at the 9th position globally in terms of ICT use for business-to-business transactions, something which agrees with the outcomes contained in the recently-released “Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2016: Business” Report, which showed a considerable rise in ICT adoption and usage by businesses across the country.GITR 2016 showed greater attention being paid by GCC member states to help leverage ICT adoption and usage. Kuwait, for instance, jumped 11 positions from last year’s edition and won the 61st position and Bahrain advanced two positions and ranked 28th. This foreshadows a tougher competition among GCC countries in the years ahead, which would reshape the entire rankings in the future.Singapore took No. 1 spot in the Networked Readiness Index 2016, followed by Finland, Sweden, Norway, United States and Netherlands. The Global Information Technology Report 2016 features the latest iteration of the Networked Readiness Index, which assesses the factors, policies and institutions that enable a country to fully leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) for increased competitiveness and well-being.The Global Information Technology Report series and the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) were launched by the World Economic Forum in 2001. This represented one of the first attempts to make conceptual sense of the complex information and communication technologies (ICT) reality, identifying the common factors that enable countries to use technology effectively. The networked readiness framework that underpins the NRI was intended to provide guidance for policymakers and civil society on the factors they need to take into account to leverage ICTs in their growth strategies.Click this link to view the full version of GITR 2016: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR2016/WEF_GITR_Full_Report.pdf

Ministry of Transport and Communications, Microsoft sign agreement to broaden e-services implementation

Press Release

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Ministry of Transport and Communications, Microsoft sign agreement to broaden e-services implementation

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) today announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Microsoft that will pave the way for an evolution in public sector e-services implementation.The agreement was signed by Assistant Undersecretary of Government Information Technology Sector Hassan Jassim al Sayed and Naim Yazbeck, General Manager of Microsoft Qatar.Through this partnership, MOTC will bring the global experience in helping governments agencies to enact digital transformations in line with the Qatar Digital Government (QDG 2020 Strategy), by building a transformation platform, named “Sadeem”.As per the agreement, Microsoft will assist in building a technology platform offering e-Servies tools and capabilities, business intelligence (BI) and other benefits, which focuses on the streamlining of initiatives designed to enhance government e-services in the country. The Qatari leadership expects all government services to be online by 2020, allowing public to better interact with the government, and executives to have access to information and tools that will promote better-informed decision-making. The government also projects significant cost-savings and an acceleration of the time to market for such services.As it moves towards its new digital paradigm, MOTC is determined to set a benchmark for government agencies to achieve, through implementation of international best-practice standards.“The ministry’s main goal is to create a smarter, more connected government that empowers people to engage with the government at any time, from anywhere,” said Hassan al-Sayed.“Our wise leaders have seen that a hyper-connected world offers an opportunity for us to be more efficient, flexible and productive. We look forward to experiencing the fruits of our partnership with Microsoft,” he added.MOTC’s partnership with Microsoft will center on laying the bedrock for future innovation by supporting the Qatar Digital government 2020 strategy that will provide citizens with user-centric, scalable and flexible experiences when using the government eServices on Sadeem.From his part, Naim Yazbeck, General Manager of Microsoft Qatar said, “This partnership is a commitment of support from Microsoft for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the Government of Qatar, as they work tirelessly to realize their goal of digital transformation for citizens and residents.”“The vision within the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the wider government reflects the bold ambition of the nation’s leaders to take advantage of emerging technologies such as cloud and mobile and renovate the relationship between the public sector and the public. Sadeem Platform is great enabler for innovators, and Qatar has both the vision and the ambition to harness it and shape the future. Microsoft is proud to support them in their efforts,” Naim added.Sadeem will empower the Government to realize its vision quickly, while tightly monitoring eService implementation plans. The ministry will build a framework for other ministries to use, allowing those departments to accelerate their transformation projects specific to their operational requirements.This partnership aims to catalyze high impact, as MOTC lays the groundwork for sweeping change, not only in the mechanics of government administration, but in the way people in Qatar live their lives.