The Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) has been awarded the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award at the Esri User Conference (Esri UC) in San Diego, California. The award was presented to SCAD for its outstanding use of geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) to produce AI-driven predictive insights through advanced geospatial applications.
In this context, SCAD has deployed AI-powered predictive applications to focus on accurate and reliable demographic forecasts for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These forecasts help the Abu Dhabi government anticipate the future of vital sectors such as transportation, energy, and water management.
H.E. Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi, Acting Director General of the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi said: “SCAD continues the innovative work and dedication by investing in the most advanced geospatial solutions according to the highest international standards in order to raise efficiency and meet the aspirations of Abu Dhabi government.”
“Developments in the field of geospatial systems reflect the importance of the role played by SCAD in supporting efforts to raise the government performance standards in Abu Dhabi. The GeoAI solutions, deployed by SCAD, are a key contributor to the improvement of digital user experiences depending on reliable and precise statistical insights.”
SCAD has developed several AI-driven statistical models to learn about the future trends of the most important sectors in Abu Dhabi. Through these solutions, SCAD was able to enhance the uses of spatial analysis to support policy- and decision-makers with effective and successful insights about Abu Dhabi’s demographic development which can be utilised to enhance the quality of life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
During the Esri User Conference, the world’s largest GIS conference, thousands of GIS users from around the world participated in workshops and panel discussions to share ideas and learn about new technologies and solutions. The SAG Award is presented to over 200 representatives from different countries and organisations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the use of GIS.
About the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD):
Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) was established by Law No. (7) of 2008 to organise and develop statistical work in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Centre was reorganised by Law No. (5) of 2021, which placed SCAD under the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. In April 2023, in accordance with The Executive Council Decree No. (39) of 2023, SCAD’s affiliation was transferred to the Department of Government Support (DGS).
SCAD is entrusted with the responsibility of supporting government decision-makers by adopting a decentralised approach to statistical work. The Centre has an independent legal personality, full financial independence, and legal capacity to act in proportion to the emirate’s vision towards sustainable development and strategic planning.
Pursuant to its mandate, SCAD is responsible for establishing and developing an integrated statistical ecosystem in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This is achieved by organising, unifying, and managing all aspects of the emirate’s statistical work, including building and regulating statistical frames for all activities and sectors, and updating them periodically. The Centre provides technical supervision of statistics and statistical data systems for government entities, and collects, classifies, stores, analyses, processes, archives, publishes, and protects Abu Dhabi’s statistical data obtained from data sources.
In addition, the Centre is vested with the responsibility of making, developing, and disseminating estimates, projections, analytics, and forecasts and supporting government entities with reliable statistics. SCAD is authorised to contract with any entity or company within or outside the Emirate to undertake data collection and other statistical activities.
