For many around the world, desert sands may be just stretches of sand and a harsh environment that is difficult to adapt and build. This was true until we were able to present in the UAE a realistic example of the relationship between will and the desert, and the resultant combination of them.We could see the Sahara as a natural element that does not hold many opportunities, but we gave it a different social, economic and cultural meaning.

Our position is similar to the way in which countries and institutions deal with data. Some are still accumulating data as a "meaningless desert."

Data moments this week came to my mind as I watched my son Nasser's behavior on the last journey of righteousness, and related to the journeys of righteousness, despite his young age. Of the meaning we gave to the desert in our lives, which any city can give to data.

The abundance of desert sands is similar to the abundance of data, with the World Economic Forum projecting data production per day of 463 exabytes (equivalent to 212,765,957 DVDs by 2025), and there are many statistics no less than this figure. If we think about it, it would have been an abundance of digital wealth at the same time, and an inexhaustible supply of future oil.

To capitalize on this wealth, we have made the fourth pillar of the Dubai data model (integration and interaction on the data system from all sides). This was achieved through the Data Lab and initiatives such as Data Challenge First. The importance of the Data Lab is that it gives data meaning based on the cooperation of everyone in the Dubai government, and even the private sector, to create data use cases that never existed and generate the result of a real need that will make people's lives easier in the future.

The decision is in the hands of cities and their institutions.

• “Data is a wealth for the future and a fertile environment for moving performance and efficiency to a completely different level.”

Assistant General Manager of Dubai Smart

Executive Director of Dubai Data Corporation

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