Build Your Social Profile They can vote on ideas and decide if a suggested practice is worth implementing. This has led to TSA’s adoption of several new policies such as TSO Referral Bonus and a website called Job Swap which allows workers to post interests in swapping job locations.
Crowdsourcing has snowballed into crowdfunding in the UAE. The concept is being extended to solicit funds from potential investors to startup businesses and introduce new products and services. In 2012 a Dubai based company called Eureeca was established to combine
Crowdsourcing in Abu Dhabi The introduction of the concept of Smart Government in the UAE meant a need to ensure that government entities are forward thinking, responsive, and proactive in providing services to the general public. Since then, the government has emphasized the use of phones and mobile apps to implement its Smart Government objectives. In this regard, crowdsourcing has been widely integrated in the government’s transition to a technology-enabled government in various ways.
Public sector companies in Abu Dhabi can use crowdsourcing to improve the services they offer to people, and to invite and evaluate feedback on their products and services. Investment companies can use it to encourage investors to share ideas on possible investment opportunities. Similarly, as was pointed out by the example of Eureeca above, many companies in Abu Dhabi can follow in its footsteps to develop new businesses and generate an entrepreneurial environment in the country. This would not only devel-
the concepts of crowdsourcing and crowdfunding to enable entrepreneurs to invest in business opportunities. Such initiatives can propel entrepreneurial activities in the UAE to new heights, and can also be seen as an economic driver towards Vision 2030.
op investment opportunities in the country but would also help the government to uphold its reputation of a smart government. The benefits of crowdsourcing can be significant, but it takes planning and strategy to do it right. Citizen engagements have their own unique requirements: Who are the right participants? What are the right topics? What technology is right for the engagement? How long should the engagement be? What results can be expected? Make sure you have the answers to these questions before embarking on your crowdsourcing initiative.
Case Study
Launched in 2011, CityGuard, a crowdsourcing application developed by Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre, allows Abu Dhabi citizens and residents to report incidents and civic issues by capturing audio, video, or photographs and then uploading the file for access by the authorities. The file is then geo-tagged to let authorities identify the exact location of the incident. The aim of the app is to improve government services and the city image with the help of the public. Therefore, several incident types such as public safety, consumer protection, and environmental issues have been identified. Among the participating government entities are the three municipalities of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, Abu Dhabi Po-
CityGuard
lice, Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, and Health Authority - Abu Dhabi. Since its launch in 2011, CityGuard
has been widely regarded as a huge success. Cases reported in 2014 consisted of 46 different categories. The most common cases reported were related to damaged roads (522 cases), waste disposal (320 cases), accumulation of waste (200 cases), and parking related issues (133 cases). CityGuard has been downloaded by over 70,000 users. To date, over 9,000 cases have been reported, of which 86 per cent have been closed successfully. With its slogan “Your City, Your Community, Your App”, CityGuard aims to increase civic participation and collaboration between the public and the government in improving the city’s image and the overall wellbeing of those living in the emirate.
Issue 5 - MAY 2015
51