(MENAFN – Khaleej Times) Smart Dubai launched a global network that will connect smart cities over the world and share Dubai’s knowledge and expertise in digital transformation, it was announced on Monday.

The Smart Dubai Global Network aims to bring together cities that share a passion for advanced technology, Fourth-Industrial-Revolution breakthroughs, smart living and spreading happiness in the community with tech-enabled, human-centric services.

During the annual event ‘Future, Now’, Dr Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai office, said the platform will display projects and topics involving big data, city experiences, artificial intelligence, paperless government, blockchain, digital identity and shared services’ platforms.

She added that the network will benefit governments and individuals who can register as public or private sector representatives, research centres, academic institutes, subject matter experts and the media.

“The new platform hopes to facilitate communication and bring everyone together instead of having individual MoUs with different governments,” said Bin Bishr.

The network will present a directory of cities and individuals who implement smart projects in different fields to ease communication between partners. “It will state which cities, and entities in those cities, implement blockchain technology, or which academies teach Big Data,” added Bin Bishr.

The platform will be open for parties and governments with passion for smart transformation.

“We look forward to working hand in hand with other ambitious cities, research centres and academic institutes thinking outside the proverbial box to find original solutions to both longstanding and modern-day challenges,” said Bin Bishr.

The network aims to bring a dynamic shift in research and development as well as attracting a high-skilled workforce and reversing brain drain in the region and other parts of the world.

The ‘Future, Now’ event, which is being held from April 29- May 2, hosts a series of workshops and educational sessions around technology and artificial intelligence.

New index to classify smart cities Smart City Observatory announced a new index to classify smart cities on the sidelines of the event, which concludes on Wednesday.

The index was formed with support of World Economic Forum (WEF) to set the criteria and definition of digital transformation of cities. Scheduled to be launched by end of this year, the index will cover technologies and measure experience and of implementing different technologies worldwide.

Dr Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Smart Dubai Office Director General, said Dubai will work with international entities to establish reports of the city’s progress in different sectors with private and government partners, and measure where Dubai stands compared to other cities.

“Putting real definitions of smart transformation is important in our digital age. Dubai was selected among cities to be classified in the index, and we look forward to having research published and global findings that determine smart government and cities.”

Sherouk Zakaria “Born and raised in UAE, Sherouk Zakaria is a Senior Correspondent at Khaleej Times. Joined since May 2016, she covers Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), special events and humanitarian issues. Her choice of journalism as a career stems from her passion of telling people’s stories and writing to inspire or make a difference. In her free time, she’s an occasional theater and film actress. Sherouk received her BA in Mass Communications from the American University in Sharjah in 2013. Before joining Khaleej Times, she was a senior lifestyle/entertainment editor for a magazine in Dubai.”