Sustainable Smart City

Can you walk us through the establishment of ADMCC?

With the ultimate vision of building a secure and intelligent city, ADMCC has been on the vanguard of utilizing technology in order to secure the capital city while being a critical enabler for various key partner organizations. ADMCC hosts a wide range of security applications and tools for independent government agencies. As a global city, Abu Dhabi presents the widest possible set of policing challenges, from managing and regulating the use of monitoring and control the devices in various locations, to leveraging vital information from the vast and seemingly random data, to relaying these to the relevant organization for effective and timely operations. Abu Dhabi enjoys a low crime index of 12.26 and a safety index of 87.74, which is, by comparison, the safest city in the world as reported by numbeo.com.

How is digitalization impacting the level of security in Abu Dhabi?

Fundamentally, digitalization is revolutionizing how we interrogate captured analytical data to produce forensic results. This digital era has enabled ADMCC to produce a world-class platform through multiple disparate subsystems for the purpose of criminal investigation and situation clarity. ADMCC views the primary objective of a digital security system as a means of data collection. This data is then processed and utilized according to different government sectors. Moreover, protecting digitized data is our primary concern. ADMCC is committed to staying two steps ahead of technology where possible by not only completing market research on the latest technologies, but also by forming strong, integral partnerships with key vendors.

What is the significance of ADMCC in the broader strategy of building a sustainable smart city?

We aim to increase Abu Dhabi’s competitiveness in tourism and commerce and improve the quality of life for its citizens and visitors. A few years ago, ADMCC took on an essential role in safety and security through its responsibility for the design, standardization, and management of CCTV systems. This includes public event coverage, highway, and public area surveillance, including provision of enrichment data for use in sustainable traffic management.

What is ADMCC’s approach to partnerships, and what role do you expect private players to play in guaranteeing safety?

The development of partnership relations is vital to coordinate the efforts made in the provision of a safer Abu Dhabi. Our public-sector partnerships allow the utilization of collated information to enrich the user-level data, providing more concise examinations through our platforms. This in turn provides far smaller margins of error in the apprehension of criminals combined with a higher rate of success. All of Abu Dhabi’s government entities collate good data; however, we benefit by enhancing it into solid data. The value placed on our private partners is overwhelming as they work with ADMCC to bring new technologies and solutions to previously unforeseen challenges. Our efforts are consistently concentrated on the partner roadmaps and in looking to exploit any technological advances in the interest of public safety.

What role does cybersecurity play in ensuring security in Abu Dhabi and what are the major challenges for ADMCC?

The reason that there are a great number of security vendors with a vast array of platforms is because cybersecurity is defined by evolution; as more threats appear, more complex technology is required to combat these threats. The biggest challenges that ADMCC can anticipate and react to are noticeable market trends, the exponential growth in data from systems, and the fast-paced advancement of security systems.

What are your strategic priorities and expectations for 2018?

Ultimately, all safe city projects share the same goals, and ADMCC is no different: The Civic Security Duty is to uphold the directive to ensure the creation of safe and secure communities that enhance quality of life and reflect the Emirate’s unique identity. The key is to achieve it while enabling the full potential for an economic and prosperous city by ensuring safety for regional, national, and international tourism and trade.