Judicious use of big data will accelerate the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic but it is important to ensure that it remains in the right hands, a senior regional figure at Google has said.
"Enormous data is generated everyday … whether it is from Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail or Android operating system. The potential to turn it into something valuable to propel economic recovery is there, but we have to make sure it reaches the right person at the right time," Selim Edde, the Middle East and North Africa head of public policy and government relations at Google, told an online seminar hosted by the US-UAE Business Council on Wednesday evening.
According to Google's estimates, the value originating just from Search and Maps data in the UAE is around Dh10 billion a year. This value can be optimised if data is used more efficiently, Mr Edde said.
However, data can be manipulated, and there has been a flurry of fake news during the the Covid-19 pandemic. Google is using "an army of individuals and technologies such as AI and machine learning to make sure that data is reliable, otherwise all efforts will go waste,” Mr Edde added.
The global economy is facing its deepest recession since the Great Depression and is forecast to contract 5.2 per cent this year as a result of the economic fallout from the pandemic, according to the World Bank.
Data is “crucial” for speedy economic recovery, Leile Serhan, Microsoft's head of public sector in the UAE, said.
“It can be used for taking quick decisions, implementing new policies and protecting citizens,” Ms Serhan said.
“The organisations that experienced minimal impact of the pandemic are those that adapted fast … using data insights, they responded well to the new market conditions, consumer demands and changes in government regulations around lockdowns,” she added.
As the world responds to the Covid-19 pandemic, data is helping policymakers and businesses make key decisions related to reopenings, while mitigating supply chain disruptions and contributing to important research.
“Covid-19 has triggered global businesses to rethink … how our societies and economies function. It has accelerated the business transformation that is generating even more data,” Ahmed Alkhallafi, managing director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the UAE, said.
“There has been a tremendous growth in remote working, telemedicine and distance learning. We are seeing transformation across three areas – data processing, data storage and data management.”
Mr Alkhallafi said edge-to-platform strategies, where data is processed by a local device or server, rather than being transmitted to a data centre or cloud, will allow organisations who may be spread across different locations to achieve the best results.
“Global data volume will double every two to three years and the majority of that will not be created in cloud or traditional data centres but in the edge-to-platform.”
Nearly 80 per cent of the data will be generated or processed on edge devices globally, while only 20 per cent will come from the cloud by 2025, according to Gartner estimates.
“There will be an uptick in edge computing, especially during this time of economic uncertainty as supply chains grow closer to the customers. Customers demand more, they want to access their data more and see how it is processed,” Mr Alkhallafi said .
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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