Abu Dhabi / Imagine knowing if a crash, construction project or sandstorm has caused a traffic jam so you would know not to drive into it. Imagine if traffic signals changed themselves to make it easier for you to go a different way.
It may sound too good to be true, but a student at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (Kustar) is working on a computer program that could do just that.
Fatima Alqayedi's thesis for her master's degree in computer engineering proposes using bits of software called mobile agents that would share such information with planners and motorists almost instantly. These bits of software can literally jump from computer to computer, gathering new information without forgetting what they already know.
If such a system were put into place here, the capital would first be divided into zones. Each zone would then be equipped with either cameras or sensors in the road to measure traffic. That information would then be sent to a local computer server that could pass it on to motorists so they could make informed choices about their speed and route based on real-time data.
"Take the cameras, for instance, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," said Ms Alqayedi, 24. "Using a camera, we can catch the movement in the street and analyse this to get some information where there is an accident, or there are crowded streets. Then we can distribute this information."
Her work could also be used to create an intelligent traffic signal, which would change automatically based on the same kind of data.
"We can benefit from the information that we gather to organise the signals in the road to know which street needs more time, which signal needs five minutes to be red and another intersection needs three minutes to be red," she said.
Ms Alqayedi, an Emirati who attends Kustar's Sharjah campus, took on the project about a year ago at the behest of her professors, after the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority expressed "interest in such projects", said Mohammed al Mualla, the university's interim provost.
"This is one of the major problems in the UAE, especially with the growth happening in Abu Dhabi and Dubai," he said.
But it could be some time before Ms Alqayedi's proposal can be applied to traffic. Her system focuses on using new technology for "efficiently collecting and disseminating information" said Hassan Barada, one of her thesis supervisors and programme manager of information and communication technology at Kustar.
Researchers around the globe are working to develop similar "intelligent" transportation systems that will see vehicles and infrastructure communicating with one another to relieve congestion and improve road safety.
But a system such as Ms Alqayedi's faces hurdles. Common protocols for intelligent transportation systems will need to be agreed upon globally, Mr Labbett said. The technology's ability to track individuals has also generated privacy concerns in Europe, he said.
mchung@thenational.ae
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Rebel%20Moon%20-%20Part%20One%3A%20A%20Child%20of%20Fire
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Andor
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tony%20Gilroy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDiego%20Luna%2C%20Genevieve%20O'Reilly%2C%20Alex%20Ferns%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%205%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
