Above image: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Credit: Government of Dubai media office)
The Dubai government launched a one-stop service centre on September 9, called ‘Services 1’, integrating artificial intelligence solutions from IBM and robotics technologies. The centre will act as a pilot for future service centres.
Initially the model centre is offering services from 14 government agencies. The model centre also acts as a gateway to more than 100 smart services from eight government entities through ‘SmartPass’ e-identification, which allows users to access UAE Government services using a single account. Customers can also utilise robots to record audio-video suggestions on the spot.
The centre currently offers three distinct service packages to the public, around three important life moments, birth, marriage and employment.
Structuring services around such crucial moments of life is a rising trend in digital government around the world, with relevant government services across different agencies being bundled together for citizens to access and reducing their need to seek out and transact with multiple government agencies. For example, New Zealand has SmartStart, a cross-agency initiative that gives parents easy online access to information, services and support during pregnancy and baby’s first years. Singapore has included Moments of Life as one of its key national strategic projects under its Smart Nation plans.
The ‘Mabrook Ma Yaak’ (transliterated from Arabic and means ‘congratulations on your newly born’) package prepares all the official documents for newly born babies. Pilot testing for the service is currently underway at three hospitals in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The ‘Mabrook Ma Dabbart’ (transliterated from Arabic and means ‘congratulations on your marriage’) also prepares all the official documents for newlyweds and facilitates submission of applications for a housing loan. The ‘Employment’ services package allows small companies to complete all the government paperwork for registering their workers.
Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “This model centre is only the start; a step with many steps to follow and an innovation that paves the way forward for the UAE to become No.1 worldwide in government services.”
The first marriage at Services 1 was held on September 9, using the service package "Mabrook Ma Dabbrat", which employs a smart technology in linking the centre with an official in Dubai courts to complete the marriage contract according to the Islamic Sharia and legal procedures.
