GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) EDUCATION And APPLICATION IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
M. M. Yagoub
Department of Geography
Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences
United Arab Emirates
University
P. O. Box 17771, Al-Ain
United Arab Emirates
Tel: (971)-3-7064-674
Fax: (971)-3-7671-706
E-mail: myagoub@uaeu.ac.ae
myagoub@hotmail.com
URL : http://www.angelfire.com/mo/yagoub
ABSTRACT
The main
objective of this paper is to study Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Study of Geography, as opposed to
the mis-conceptual believes in the past, has now gain a wide acceptance among
students, through introduction of GIS. Until recently, GIS
education in the UAE was
hindered by the cost of hardware and the complexity of software. With the
price/performance increase in power of desktop computers and new low cost and
user friendly software, more
universities in the UAE have
been able to acquire GIS hardware
and use GIS programs.
The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was the first university, in the UAE, that established
a GIS program—in the Department
of Geography since 1999. The overall implication from a profile across the
academic institutes in the UAE is that students who graduate from these institutions
and have studied courses related to GIS (Geography/Computer/Engineering) can
compete in the multi-disciplinary GIS market. Application of GIS is
noticed in various departments in the UAE, such as municipalities, health,
telecommunication, water, electricity, and Oil. A survey conducted for investigating the GIS set up at some governmental
departments in the UAE has shown that the demand for GIS professionals is
between 1 to 15 persons per department. The paper will also highlight companies
that involved in GIS activities, seminars and conferences, problems related to
GIS, as well as projects that may play an important role in the development
of GIS in the UAE.
KEY WORDS: GIS, Education, UAE
Introduction
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS), Land Information Systems (LIS), Geomatics,
Geoinformatics, and Geographic Engineering are computerized systems that input,
process, retrieve, display, analyze, and output spatial data. The term
GIS is used broadly to refer to these systems. The main components of GIS are
data (information), hardware, software, and people (Frank et al., 1991). It is noted that, about eighty per cent
of urban decisions made by state and local governments involve a spatial
component either directly or implicitly, demanding a process based on
geographical data (Laurini and Thompson, 1992). For this, GIS offers a
potentially valuable platform for spatial analysis, such as map overlay, map
algebra, and statistical analysis (DeMers, 1997; Fotheringham and Rogerson,
1994; Goodchild
et al., 1993).
Established
on 2 December 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven
emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Um alQaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and
Fujairah. Comprising an area of 83,600 square kilometers, the country lies between
latitudes 22o-26.5 o North and longitude 51o
-56.5o East. The population of the UAE is estimated to be
approximately 3 million. Growth at present is 6.5 per cent per year; however,
this is expected to slow to 2.9 per cent by 2005 (UAE Year Book 2000/2001).
Since the independence of the UAE and under the direction and supervision of
His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE has witnessed a rapid
development in rural and urban areas. This development makes the UAE a vibrant
and technically sophisticated environment for global and local business. GIS
seeks to meet the demands of this environment for spatially referenced
information. Introduction of GIS in the UAE is the part of a global GIS
revolution as well as a result of a regional impact by the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), for example, implementation of GIS in Qatar and Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. In the UAE, GIS is considered an integral part of Information
Technology (IT) and many IT departments are introducing or on their way to introduce
GIS. In the last few years there has been a tremendous increase in the IT field
and usage of computers in the UAE, and this may be due to:
- Reduction in the price
of Personal Computers (PCs).
- Increase in computer
literacy (more Universities and Colleges offering courses related to
IT/computers).
- Spread in Internet
usage (enhanced by special discounts and promotion by governmental and
private institutions such as the free Internet registration provided by
the national telephone company, Etisalat, during November 2000).
In
addition to the spread of IT,
there is a great demand for GIS professionals worldwide and in the UAE. For
example, the number of professionals using GIS as a part of their job in the
United States is approaching 500,000, with a similar number of GIS users in the
rest of the world. The job market demand for people with GIS training is about
75,000 per year (ESRI, 2000). This demand has forced many universities and
private companies to restructure their programs and strategies so as to meet
the demand. A survey conducted by the author for investigating the GIS set up
at some governmental departments in the UAE (Table 4) has shown that the demand
for GIS professionals in the UAE is between 1 to 15 persons per department.
The paper begins with a brief
overview of the education in the UAE, this is followed by more detail on the
GIS education. The
paper paid attention to the ingredients of GIS education such as implementation
of GIS in some governmental departments, companies involved in GIS activities,
seminars and conferences, problems related to GIS, as well as projects that may play an important role in the development of GIS in the UAE.
Education in the UAE
Education has been the priority of H.H.
Sheikh Zayed’s plan for “Human/Social Development”. Considerable progress has been made since the independence
of the UAE in 1971. In 1985-86, there were over 250,000 pupils enrolled in
governmental or private schools, including the University. Over 525 state
schools were in operation throughout the country, with more than10,777 teachers
employed (Vine and Casey, 1992).
The total number of
students at the primary and secondary level in public and private schools
reached 563,461 in 1998 from 480,973 in 1995, an increase of 4 per cent per
year (UAE Year Book 2000/2001). Teaching and administrative staff rose to
43,510 in 1999 from 37,425 in 1995, while the number of schools increased to
1085 from 901 for the same period.
Higher Education
The UAE has started its higher education
since the establishment of the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain in
1976. The university represents a symbol of federation for the Emirates. Many
other universities and higher institutes are continuously expanding, such as
the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCTs) (established in 1988) in major cities
in the UAE, Zayed University (1998) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, American University
in Sharjah (1997) and Dubai, and Ajman University (Table 1). A record number of
10,703 people sought higher education places in the 2000/2001 academic year.
About a third of the female students have applied for courses run by the
Humanities and Social Sciences faculty, while the most popular choice among
males is Engineering and Business Economics. The 2020 educational strategy plan
aims to introduce the latest information technology at all levels, including
the provision of a computer for every ten students at kindergarten, every five
students at primary schools, every two students at preparatory school, and a
computer for every student at secondary school (UAE Year Book 2000/2001).
The second International Conference on UAE
Education Reform which was held in Dubai between May 13-15, 2001 has focused on
introduction of computers, IT, GIS, distance learning, and the Internet in the
educational process. It is very clear that there is a great deal of attention
paid by the authorities in the UAE to utilization of technology in education
development including GIS (Al-Khaleej Times 2001).
Academic
Institutes Conducting GIS Programs and Related Fields in the UAE
The
study of GIS may be undertaken with the goal of performing analyses or
embarking on careers as GIS consultants, systems analysts, application
specialists, and the like (DeMers 1997). Each
day more universities and colleges are seeking information on
how to begin GIS programs. The reasons are many, but four of the most important
are (ESRI
1998):
- The mandate for
universities and colleges to upgrade technological education.
- The need for
universities and colleges to find new sources of funding.
- Advances in hardware
and software.
- The demand for more
professionals trained in GIS by government and private
departments.
The
increase in the number of colleges has increased the number of graduates and
postgraduate students in the field of GIS. However, while it is true that more
and more universities are introducing GIS programs, it is also true that the
establishment of GIS needs funding not only to the GIS setting but also for the
students in the form of scholarships. The availability of funds from local
government and private firms will increase the enrolment in GIS programs. Big
companies such as those working in the fields of telecommunication and
petroleum products can play a major role in accelerating the GIS wheel in the
UAE. The attention paid to GIS education in the UAE stems in part from the
reasons listed above and the continuous increase in people in need of jobs
(Mansour 1989). Of the main universities in the UAE (Table 1,
Figure 1), the United Arab Emirates
University (UAEU) has taken the lead in this area.
Table 1 Main Universities and
Higher Institutes in the United Arab Emirates
|
Institute |
Web site |
|
Ajman
University |
|
|
American
University |
|
|
Dubai
Aviation College |
|
|
Etisalat
College of Engineering |
|
|
Higher
Colleges of Technology |
|
|
Sharjah
University |
|
|
United
Arab Emirates University |
|
|
Zayed
University |
American
University
One
of the courses offered at the Department of Civil Engineering is Surveying
and Geomatics (CVE 241). Although the course focuses on geodetic positions,
coordinate systems, datums, basic measurements procedures and use of surveying
instruments, it also includes such topics as GIS, Global Positioning System
(GPS), and remote sensing.
The
courses at the Department of Computer Science “College of Arts and Sciences”
that are quite relevant to GIS include computer programming (FORTRAN, VISUAL
BASIC, C++), Database, Artificial Intelligence, Neural Network, and Image
Processing (CMP 421). Image processing lays a foundation for remote sensing and
image classification.
Etisalat
College of Engineering
Although the college is oriented towards
engineering there are still some subjects quite relevant to GIS. A description
of some of these courses follows below.
Relational Database Systems (G512) provides an overview of
database systems and of relational versus hierarchical organization.
Architectures: Client-server systems, PC-based systems, database servers,
distributed systems. Relational Systems: Structured Query Language (SQL), data
definition, keys, data manipulation, and specification and design of Database
Base Management Systems (DBMS).
Software
Engineering (G515) provides an overview of project management, management structures,
personnel issues, planning & scheduling, documentation and manuals,
software cost estimation, productivity estimation techniques, software quality
assurance, social, ethical, and professional issues.
Multimedia (G518): GIS is now moving in new
areas such as multimedia and the Internet (Berry et al. 1998; Buckley et al.
1998). The course “Multimedia” will be of great benefit to the GIS field.
Topics covered in this course include multimedia standards and enabling
technologies, digital audio/video, image compression techniques, video
conferencing, virtual reality, and Tele-computing.
Higher
Colleges of Technology (HCT)
Information
Technology programs at HCT include elements of Information Systems, Software
Engineering, Network Engineering, and Computer Science with emphasis on
the application of this content in modern technical and business areas. The HCT
has a wide range of subject areas that incorporate GIS modules—for example,
Surveying Engineering and IT subjects.
Zayed
University (ZU)
The College of
Information Systems at Zayed University offers two majors at the baccalaureate
level: Information Systems and Applied Information Systems. The College focuses
on areas of information science, computer science, or management information
science. One of the specializations included is geographical information
systems.
United
Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
Faculty of Science, Department
of Geology: Remotes Sensing and GIS Center
The UAEU has continuously supported the human
development programs in the UAE by graduating each year around 4000 students
since its establishment.
The first Remotes Sensing Center in the UAE was
established at the Faculty of Science, Department of Geology, UAEU, in 1991.
The Center was renovated in the year 2000 by a grant from the Japanese Oil and
Petroleum Company (JODCO). Currently, the Center has six PCs (Pentium III, 733
Mhz, 26 GB HD, 256 MB RAM) with two PCs working as servers. Additional hardware
includes Flatbed A3 Epson GT scanner, HP LaserJet 500N and PICTOGRAPHY FUJI
printers, HP DesignJet (A0) plotter, and Calcomp A0 Drawing Board III
digitizer. The software include six licenses of ER-Mapper 6.0, and ArcView 3.2.
The center is used for application of remote sensing in geology and
geomorphology (sand dunes delineation, identification of soil and rock types,
identification of fold and fault lines, etc.).
Faculty of Engineering: Computer Aided Design (CAD) Lab
The
Faculty of Engineering lab has more than 40 AutoCAD 14 licenses. Courses
relevant to GIS at the Faculty of Engineering include:
Information
Technology (ELEC115) - Electrical Engineering
Software
Engineering (ELEC355) - Electrical Engineering
Surveying
for Geography (CIVL235) - Civil Engineering
Students
in the Department of Geography (GIS) are encouraged to register in the above
subjects as elective ones, because of their direct relevance to the GIS field.
Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Department of Geography: GIS Lab
The
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences was established in 1977 and is
considered the biggest and the oldest faculty at the UAEU, with 12 departments,
193 staff, and 3865 students (Table 2). UAEU was the first university in the UAE to establish a GIS program—in the Department
of Geography in 1999. The objective of the program is to produce skilled GIS
graduates who can build, use, and maintain GIS databases. Some of the subjects
of the curriculum designed to meet this objective are shown in Table 3. The
curriculum covers basic English courses, as English is used as a medium of
instruction, and geographical subjects (Physical Geography, Human Geography,
Geography of the UAE; Population;
Industry; Transport; and Geography
of Arid Zones). Students enrolled in the GIS program are required to cover
Principles of Cartography (coordinate systems, map projection, map design,
scale, symbols), Computer Cartography (computers in geography, map design using
computers, visualization), Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (principles of
aerial photography, image interpretation, satellites, land observation systems,
image processing and classification).
The
GIS I course (Table 3) covers hardware, software, data collection methods, data
structures, Database Management System (DBMS), and introduction to programming.
The GIS II course is intended to address advanced GIS issues such as GIS
database design, spatial analysis, Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), and
GIS customization. In addition to that, the curriculum includes a great deal of
hands-on laboratory work and practice, six (6) credit hours of training at
governmental departments, and a final year project. The final year project is
designed to address national, regional, and global issues. The students are
expected to use computer/GIS based models and multimedia presentations for their
results. The GIS program requires 132 credit hours with 24 hours in GIS and
related fields (Table 3). On successful completion of the requirements the
student will be awarded a Bachelor Degree in Geography with major in GIS.
The GIS program began with female students
(36) and is expected to open soon for men. It was noted that there are more requests to join
the GIS program. It is also anticipated that the number of students joining the
GIS program will increase in the future, especially when it opens for those
from the Science stream (currently it is open only to those from the Art
stream). Around 30 graduates are expected per year once the program is running
at full capacity. Since many governmental departments in the UAE are starting
GIS programs (Table 1), there will be ample employment opportunities for UAE
nationals with solid GIS knowledge and skills.
Table 2 Number of students and staff at the faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences
|
|
Department |
Female |
Male |
Total |
Staff |
*Ratio |
|
1 |
Islamic Studies |
345 |
34 |
379 |
28 |
1:14 |
|
2 |
Arabic Language and Literature |
447 |
7 |
454 |
21 |
1:22 |
|
3 |
History and Archeology |
226 |
17 |
243 |
13 |
1:19 |
|
4 |
Geography |
381 |
70 |
451 |
18 |
1:25 |
|
5 |
Sociology |
361 |
14 |
375 |
25 |
1:15 |
|
6 |
English Language and Literature |
325 |
31 |
356 |
15 |
1:24 |
|
7 |
Mass Communication |
222 |
167 |
389 |
16 |
1:24 |
|
8 |
Social Work |
282 |
92 |
374 |
12 |
1:31 |
|
9 |
Political Sciences |
112 |
109 |
221 |
13 |
1:17 |
|
10 |
Psychology |
253 |
9 |
262 |
21 |
1:13 |
|
11 |
Family Sciences |
361 |
- |
361 |
4 |
1:90 |
|
12 |
Philosophy |
- |
- |
- |
7 |
- |
|
|
Total |
3315 |
550 |
3865 |
193 |
|
*Ratio = Staff/ Students for semester 2000/2001
Table 3 Some of the GIS program
subjects at the Department of Geography,
Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, UAEU
|
Foundation Subjects |
General Geographical
Subjects |
GIS Relevant Subjects
|
GIS Subjects
|
|
English
I, II,III |
Physical
Geography, Human Geography, Geography of the UAE |
Surveying
for Geography |
Principles
of Cartography |
|
Mathematics
I,II |
Geography
of Population/Industry/Transport |
Urban
and Regional Planning |
Computer
Cartography |
|
Computer
Applications I |
Geography
of Arid Zones/Arab/New world |
Quantitative
Geography |
GIS
I |
|
Computer
Applications II |
Environmental Management |
Photogrammetry and Remote
Sensing |
GIS
II |
Hardware
Currently,
the Department’s GIS lab (at the Men’s and Women’s campuses) has a wide range
of computing facilities. Twelve PCs (Dell Pentium III, RAM 128 MB, HD 8GB) at
the Men’s lab and twenty PCs (IBM 300GL, RAM 64 MB, HD 4 GB) at the Women’s lab
are linked through an Ethernet network so that a large body of software is
immediately accessible through a user-friendly menu system (floating licenses).
Input devices include 10 digitizers (KURTA XMT TABLET, A3), 3 handheld Magellan
GPS receivers and a scanner (HP ScanJet 3C, A4). Color graphics output is
provided by two HP color laser printers (HP LaserJet 5). The facilities are
linked through fiber optics to the Wide Area Network (WAN) of the UAEU and to
the Internet.
Software
The
hardware is complemented by a comprehensive suite of software tools for
geographical information processing. These include ESRI ARC/INFO 8.0 (8 floating licenses) including GRID,
NETWORK, TIN and COGO options and one ARC/INFO 7.2. In addition to that the labs include 20 PC-ARC/INFO 3.5 and
30 ArcView 3.1 licenses. ARC/INFO runs in IBM server and workstation
environments while ArcView and PC ARC/INFO are PC-based. Remote sensing and image
processing work is based on the ERDAS Imagine (version 8.3 and 8.4, 15 floating
licenses). Additional requested software includes, PC-ARC/INFO 4.0, ERDAS
Imagine 8.4, ArcView Modules (3D Analyst, Spatial Analyst), Oracle (relational
database management), and ARC/IMS (Web-based GIS).
The
GIS Lab at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of
Geography, can be expanded in the future to a GIS center with the following
objectives:
- To serve the entire
UAEU campus with GIS training.
- To use the center as a
GIS training venue for all governmental departments in the UAE.
- To develop and
implement GIS-based models relevant to the UAE.
- To design and network
spatial information systems (Web-based GIS).
- To provide
decision-makers, planners, and the public (Open GIS) with a more
scientific basis for land and environmental planning and protection,
through the construction of GIS databases.
Various faculties
within UAEU can benefit from the center, such as Agricultural Sciences,
Architecture (Landscape Architecture, City & Regional Planning), Engineering
(Civil Engineering and Environment), Information Technology, and Science
(Geology, Environment).
The overall
implication of the profile across the academic institutes in the UAE is that
students who graduate from these institutions and have studied courses related
to GIS (Geography/Computer/Engineering) can compete in the multi-disciplinary
GIS market.
GIS applications in governmental departments in the UAE
In
this section, GIS set up at some governmental departments will be highlighted,
future work will include more comparison and analysis (structure, budget, data,
hardware, software, personnel, problems). A survey imaging GIS set up (Appendix
A) was distributed among thirty governmental departments and feedback is
received from some of them (see Table 4).
The
vast majority of GIS clients are environmental consulting firms, economic
analysis firms, transportation consulting companies (DeMers 1997), and
governmental departments. In the UAE, most of the big GIS projects are
governmental. Since GIS is a
multidisciplinary field, its application is noticed in various departments such
as municipalities, health, telecommunication, water, electricity, Oil,
agriculture, etc. Most of these departments are currently embark on building
GIS database. Studies
had shown that the cost of data collection (information) for GIS is by far the
most expensive part. A ratio among the cost of hardware, software, and data is
approximately 1:10:100 (Frank et al. 1991). Generally speaking, in the UAE,
there are two types of data: restricted and unrestricted. Restricted data
mainly applies to large scale topographic maps and aerial photographs, either
in hardcopy or softcopy (digital format).
Understanding
of GIS set up at the governmental departments helps the faculty (Department of
Geography) to formulate a strategy for introduction of different GIS software
and pinpointing departments where students can have training or finding jobs in
them after graduation (Supply- Demand Equation).
Al Ain Municipality
Generally speaking,
municipalities are considered the main source of hardcopy and softcopy maps in
the UAE. Since 1995, Al Ain municipality (Town Planning Department) adopted what is
known as Computerized Data Management System (CDMS). The system is based on
Microstation and provides quick digital geo-referenced data for various
departments such as electricity, water, planning, geology, agriculture,
transportation, telecommunication, education, and cadastral mapping.
With respect to GIS, Al Ain
Municipality is still in the process of establishing its complete GIS hardware
and software. Currently, more than 100 PCs are running MicroStation, MGE, and
Geomedia from Intergraph. In addition to the PCs, HP laser printers, A0
scanner, and A0 digitizer are available (Table 4). Since most of the daily work
of the department of Town Planning and Surveying is related to geographical
location, it is anticipated that the municipality will spend more money in GIS
data, hardware, software, and training.
Dubai Municipality
The municipality introduced the latest technology in mapping, the
Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) system that helps surveyors,
GIS/LIS professionals, engineers, scientists, and others to position points at
which GPS data have been collected. Many governmental, academic, commercial,
and private organizations can benefit from this system. Currently, more than 80 PCs are running MicroStation,
MGE, and Geomedia. In addition to that few ESRI products such as Arc/Info and
ArcView are introduced.
The modern technology helped Dubai Municipality to do away with the
traditional way of keeping land records in paper files and to have reliable
updated data in digital formats. Prof. Gottfried Konecny, survey consultant to
the United Nation (UN) Secretariat and the United Nations Center for Human
Settlements (UNCHS) and professor at the University of Hanover, Germany, has
appreciated the GIS at Dubai Municipality.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has an
electrical SCADA System under UNIX. The system is used for development and
implementation of real time control, hydraulic network (changes in the water
network), modeling (maintenance planning and water quality analysis), and GIS
interface.
Ministry of Health
The spatial dimension of
health and health care has been noted since ancient times (Picheral, 1994).
Most of the data contained in health information systems are spatial data, for
example, catchment area of a health center, health district, location of
hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies (Sauerborn and Karam 2000).
The ministry of health in the
UAE has an ambitious plan for establishing a Web-based-GIS Health Information
System. The system will provide services to doctors as well as to public. In
its principle, a UAE map will be displayed for the user, from which she/he can
select the city (e.g. Abu Dhabi, Dubai), the system will then zoom to the city
and gives detailed map for the selected city with roads and Health facilities
(Hospitals, Clinics) highlighted in color-coded map.
Emirates
Telecommunication Corporation-Etisalat
Since
the establishment of the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) in 1976 and within a short
span of time, the Corporation has succeeded in transforming the UAE into one of
the advanced countries in the world in the field of telecommunications
services. The services include launched of Emirates Internet in 1995 and Asynchronous Transfer Mode
(ATM) in 1997.
The
majority of Etisalat work is of geographic nature. For example, location of
telephone lines, switches, fiber optics lines hubs, cables, radio/TV stations,
and mobile phone sub-stations. In addition to that the spatial component is of
great importance for coordination between its Head Office in Abu Dhabi and its
main six (6) branches (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, East
Coast-Fujeirah, West Coast –Sharjah).
The
history of GIS in the Etisalat is dated back to 1988 when Graphic Data System
(GDS) was introduced. The system was adopted in all branches and many engineers
are familiar with it. The main function of the system is to display the graphic
component of Etisalat network and telephones systems. However, in terms of
database management system, GDS is not user-friendly and is of limited editing
and storage capabilities. These limitations compelled the Etisalat to search
for an alternative GIS system.
Currently,
the Etisalat introduced a combination of Microstation as a drafting system and
a set of ESRI GIS products (Network Engineer, ArcFM, ARC/INFO, Rule Base
Engineer-RBE). The database used with these systems is Oracle (SQL). Shifting
from one system to another (GDS to ARC/INFO) is sometimes cumbersome and time
consuming process (conversion from GDS format *.fgb to ARC/INFO coverages). Etisalat has followed a good
philosophy to tackle this problem. Its philosophy is based on modular approach
and pilot study by starting at small branches at Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.
The conversion process at these branches is completed since Mid November 2000.
Problems and estimation of time, budget, and personnel have been identified
from the GIS database at the small branches. The conversion and the GIS
database at the bigger branches (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai) are expected to
complete by the End of 2001.
The
hardware at Al Ain regional office of the Etisalat include Alpha, Intergraph,
and Compaq Servers ES40 (Compaq Digital, 160 GB HD, 1 GB RAM), 30 Workstations
(Compaq and Intergraph running NT), two HP plotters (HP750C), one A0 digitizer
(Calcomp 9110), and two A3 printers (HP LaserJet 4V/4MV). The software include
30 GDS licenses, 5 Microsations, and Oracle database. Seven licenses of ESRI
GIS products (Network Engineer, ArcFM, ARC/INFO) are recently installed.
Etisalat
is considered one of the departments that invested heavily in GIS
infrastructure (around 20 million Dirhams) and there is a great potential for
GIS graduates to find jobs in it. An initiative to sign a memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between the Etisalat and the United Arab Emirates
University is on its way. A key role of the MoU is to establish a linkage for
training of students and Etisalat employees in a bi-directional way.
Sharjah Electricity and
Water Authority
Sharjah Electricity and Water
Authority (SEWA) had started GIS as a part of its planning and Design Section.
Earlier planning section was using only ArcView to prepare some maps for
reporting. It was expanded to establish full GIS in July 1999. Nowadays a spatial database for
electrical network and some good GIS applications for the users are available.
For example Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority had developed a GIS
application for Emergency Section. The main function of this application is to
locate consumers by consumer number, plot number, and meter number. The
application was developed based on MS-SQL Server 7.0, Visual Basic, and ArcInfo
7.2. Different other power system studies, GIS applications, and CAD works are also carried
out. The office is connected to various distribution sections to exchange and
share information. Planning Office is equipped with powerful dual Pentium
server, Gigabit network connections, Pentium III Work stations, peripherals,
and GIS software (Table 4).
Table 4 GIS
software and hardware at some governmental departments in the UAE
|
Department |
GIS software |
C |
D |
Pl |
Pr |
S |
|
Al Ain Town Planning Dept. |
Geomedia (5) MGE/Microstation (6) |
112 |
0 |
15 |
42 |
10 |
|
Abu Dhabi Town Planning Dept. |
AutoCad
(5) MapInfo
(5) |
45 |
5 |
4 |
10 |
2 |
|
Diba Municipality |
ArcView
(1) AutoCad
(1) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Dubai Municipality |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fujairah Municipality |
ArcInfo (3) ArcView (6) AutoCad
(2) |
9 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
ADNOC |
Geomedia (1) Microstation
(2) |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Sharjah Electricity and
Water Authority |
ArcInfo (3) ArcView (7) |
20 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
Etisalat (Al
Ain) |
ArcInfo (7) ArcFM
(7) GDS
(30) |
30 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Military
Survey Department |
ArcInfo (10) ArcView (10) Microstation
(7) |
50 |
15 |
5 |
10 |
3 |
|
United
Arab Emirates University (UAEU) |
ArcInfo 8 (8) PC ArcInfo (20) ArcView (38) ERMAPPER (6) ERDAS (15) |
38 |
11 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
|
NDC |
ArcInfo(5) ArcView(5) |
5 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
ERWDA |
ArcInfo(2) ArcView (17) |
10 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
Note: Numbers between brackets indicate number of
licenses.
Number of C = Computers, D = Digitizers, Pl=
Plotters, Pr = Printers, S =
Scanners
Note: UAEU: Hardware and Software at both the Remotes Sensing Center, Faculty of Science, Department of Geology, and the GIS labs at the department of Geography.
ADNOC:
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
ERWDA:
Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency
NDC:
National Drilling Company (Ground Water Research Program)
Source:
Field Survey done by the author.
Companies
involved in GIS activities
As the market demand for GIS increases the
number of small to large-scale companies has also increases. Appendix B shows some of the companies that involved in GIS activities in the UAE. Most of these companies are based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai,
which represents sometimes a logistical problem (additional cost)
for GIS activities outside these cities. The reason behind concentration of GIS companies,
especially in Dubai, is due to the flexibility of commercial laws and accessibility
to local and regional market through sea, land, and air. The automated geographic business of these companies is completely
depends on the economical situation. Generally speaking, these companies involved in
activities such as surveying and mapping, photogrammetry and satellite imagery
analysis, database design, hardware,
software, data, training, and system integration.
Conference and seminars related to GIS
The number of conferences, seminars,
journals, books and publications is becoming a standard scale against which the development of any field, including GIS, is measured (Short et al. 2001). The conferences and seminars provided a good opportunity for
interaction and exchange of ideas which may lead to the prosperity and
development of the GIS field. The following conferences and seminars give a
clear indication about the increased attention paid to GIS in the last few
years in the UAE.
1989: The
First Symposium on Remote Sensing in the United Arab Emirates, Organized by
the
UAE university and French Scientific Institutions, Al Ain
1993:
Application of GIS seminar at Sharjah
2001:
Training on GIS and Remote Sensing, Remote Sensing and GIS Center, Faculty
of Science,
United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain
2001:
Seminar on Remote Sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS),
Commission of Environmental Research, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi
(http://www.cerehc.org.ae). The course was conducted by experts from CNES-
Centre
National d'Etudes Spatiales (France).
2001:International Congress on Information Science Innovations (ICISC), the
American
University of Dubai (AUD)
Additional activities held
within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) include:
2000: GEO 2000: 4th Middle East Geosciences Conference & Exhibition
Manama, BAHRAIN
2000:
First Middle East GIS Education
Workshop, Center for GIS, Doha, Qatar
2002: Bahrain GIS International
Conference& Exhibition
GIS PROBLEMS
IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Problems of GIS technology are common to all
nations; however, within the UAE particular difficulties were noticed in the
following areas:
Data Availability
This
can be discussed from two points of view. First, existing information may be
outdated or incomplete. For example, in some Emirates lots in remote areas have
not been geo-referenced since 1960s and land use maps have not been updated
since 1970s. Second, data is scattered among central, state, and regional
departments.
Co-ordinate System and Projection
Cadastral
maps at the Emirate level are based on CLARK 1880 Zone 39 and 40 Universal
Transverse Mercator (UTM) map projection. However, registration and
transformation between neighboring Emirates is sometimes a problem. What is more,
new topographic maps at the country level are in the World Geodetic System 1984
(WGS84) projection. Conversion from one system to another normally leads to
some displacements that make the data incompatible even for the same Emirate.
Incompatibility between maps for the same area normally creates errors that are
propagated with GIS spatial operations (Burrough and McDonnell, 1998).
Data Sharing
Data
sharing helps to reduce duplication of data and saves money, time, and manpower
(Ahmad, 1994). However, many departments in the UAE are still reluctant to
share their data based on security issues and incompatibility problems.
Software
Different
departments in the UAE use different GIS packages such as Arc/Info, Geomedia,
and MapInfo (Table 4). This has led to difficulty in exchanging of data between
different departments, thereby resulting in duplication of efforts (costing
millions of dollars). Hopefully, this problem can be addressed by a national
committee for the standardization of GIS databases in the UAE.
Budget Constraints
Until
recently GIS has been approved only in departments that have enough financial
resources. However, new versions of low-cost GIS packages, a reduction in the
cost of hardware, and the availability of digital data may encourage
small-scale departments to set up their GIS.
Staff
Many
departments depend on consulting companies to establish their GIS. Although
there is in-house training, it is not enough to handle/maintain a GIS project.
Non-availability of staff involved in the GIS project from the beginning is
another factor that may result in failure of GIS. It is also noticed that there
is a migration among the trained staff to other branches of the governmental
departments or to the private sector.
Projects
that may play a role in the development of GIS in the UAE
Atlas of Coastal Ecosystem
This
is a joint research project between the Commission of Environmental Research,
Emirates
Heritage Club, Groupement pour le développement de la télédétection
aerospatiale, and Toulouse Center in France. The focus of the project is to use
remote sensing (satellite imagery + aerial photos) and GIS to map coastal
features such as mangroves, coral reef, sea grasses, biodiversity species, and
minerals. The end product from this project will be a coastal atlas for the
UAE. The atlas is expected to be printed by 2002 at scale between 1:50,000 and
1:100,000 (Blasco, 2001). Since most of the urban areas in the UAE fall along
the coastal lines, and the output product will be in digital format, the
project will be of paramount importance to diverse disciplines and applications
in the field of mapping and GIS.
Dubai Internet City
Initiatives have
been taken by the leader of the UAE, H. H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as
well as H. H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and
Minister of Defense, to establish Dubai Internet City. The city represents a
hub for IT, e-commerce, e-government, multi-media, and the Internet.
In
line with the expected increase in the number of IT professionals, GIS
applications are also expected to grow. For example, SDI has launched the first GIS/e-commerce enabled ArcIMS site in the
Middle East for the UAE and Dubai City (ESRI 2001).
Computer-Geography in Schools
Dubai
IT Academy has initiated a good program for introducing computers in schools. A
survey done by Dubai IT Academy has shown that 60% of students in Dubai schools
know how to operate MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (Al Aman, 2001). The same
program (Computers in Schools) will start at Abu Dhabi during the academic year
2001-2002. The introduction of such programs in schools will increase computer
literacy and lay a base for introducing subjects such as “Computers in
Geography” and GIS.
Schools
can make use of the available free GIS software on the Internet, such as
ArcExplorer from ESRI, Geographic Explorer, and GRASS.
GIS Day
The
UAE university is on the way to arranging special programs with schools to
celebrate the GIS Day (14 November 2001). Many organizations are involved in
this day, such as the National Geographic Society, the Association of American
Geographers, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science
(UCGIS), and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). During the
inaugural GIS day, held on November 19, 1999, more than 2.4 million children
and adults in more than 90 countries learned about GIS (ESRI 2000).
CONCLUSION
The
increasing spread of IT in the United Arab Emirates is observable in many
departments and institutions and will play a vital role in accelerating the GIS
wheel. Some academic institutes in the UAE are now offering degrees in GIS and
more such degrees are in the pipeline.
Implementation of GIS in governmental departments has reached a solid
foundation, which has impact on the increase in the number of companies
involved in GIS activities, and the number of seminars and conferences related
to GIS. However, there are many problems that hinder GIS development in the
UAE, such as data unavailability, obstacles to sharing and compatibility,
budget constraints, and shortage of skilled staff.
Since
a round 60% to 80% of geographic data in the UAE is controlled, directly or
indirectly, by municipalities,
it is anticipated that any move for standardization lead by them will find a positive response. Other governmental
departments, private companies, and academic institutes that worked or have
interest in GIS can join the move.
The
move for standardization will allow easy data sharing, therefore, helps to
reduce duplication of efforts, saves money, time, and manpower. Such savings
can be maximized if all municipalities work under one umbrella with a Motto of
“ CCCI”: Communication…Cooperation…Coordination…and…Integration.
The
mass media (radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, Internet) will play an important
role in awareness about GIS. The introduction of “computers in geography” in
schools will lay a foundation for GIS programs at the university level. Schools
can make use of the available free GIS software on the Internet such as
ArcExplorer and Geographic Explorer. Commercial GIS companies (Intergraph,
ESRI, MapInfo, Siemen) and United Nation representative offices (UNDP, UNESCO,
WHO) can contribute to GIS promotion by conducting joint research projects with
schools, higher institutes, and governmental departments.
Literature Cited
Ahmad, N. 1994. Implementation issues in inter-agency geographic data
dharing. Proc. of the International Conference of Information Technology:
Towards An Information Rich Society: An Agenda for Action, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Al Aman. 2001. Dubai IT
Academy. 313:6-7.
Al-Khaleej
Times, 2001. Education
development through utilization of technology. Friday, May 11, 2001, p.8
Berry, J.
K., Buckley, D. J., and C. Ulbricht. 1998. Visualise realistic landscapes. GIS
World 11(8):42-47.
Blasco, F. T. 2001. Mapping
coastal ecosystem: Why and how. Lecture Notes, Remote Sensing
Course, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi.
Buckley, D. J., C. Ulbricht, and J. Berry. 1998.
The virtual forest: Advanced 3-D visualization techniques for forest management
and research. ESRI User Conference, San Diego, CA, USA.
Burrough, P. A. and R. A. McDonnell. 1998. Principles
of geographical information systems. New York: Oxford University Press
Inc.
DeMers, M. N. 1997. Fundamentals
of geographic Information systems. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ESRI. 1998. Filling a vital
niche in GIS professional education: GIS Programs at Community Colleges. ESRI
ARC NEWS.
ESRI. 2000. Learning with
GIS. ESRI ARCUSER Magazine 3(3):10-13.
ESRI. 2001. The first E-commerce enabled ArcIMS site in the
Middle East. ArcNews 86,
January 12, 2001.
Fotheringham, A. S. and P.
A, Rogerson. 1994. Spatial analysis and GIS. London: Taylor &
Francis Ltd.
Frank et al. 1991. A
perspective on GIS technology in the nineties. Photogrammetric Engineering
& Remote Sensing 57(11):1431-1436.
Goodchild, M. F., B. O. Parks and L. T.
Steyaert. 1993. Environmental modeling with GIS. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.
Laurini, R. and D.
Thompson. 1992. Fundamentals of spatial information systems. London:
Academic Press Ltd.
Mansour, M. I. 1989. Human
resources development in the UAE. 2nd Cultural Seminar, Dubai, UAE.
Picheral, H. E. 1994.
Place, space, and health. Social Science and Medicine 39:1589-1590.
Sauerborn, R., and M.
Karam. 2000. Geographic information systems. In: Lippeveld, T., Sauerborn, R.,
and C., Bodart, Design and
implementation of health information systems. Geneva: World Health
Organization Press.
Short, John R., Boniche
Armando, Kim Yeong, and Li Li Patrick. 2001. Cultural Globalization, global
English, and geography journals. The Professional Geographer 53 (1):1-11.
Vine, P. and P. Casey. 1992. United Arab Emirates: Profile of a
country’s heritage and modern development. London: Immel Publishing.
UAE Year Book. 2000/2001. London: Trident Press
Ltd.
Figure 1 Location
of the main universities in the UAE
Appendix A: Survey about GIS in the United Arab Emirates
Subject: Status of GIS in the United
Arab Emirates
As a part of a
survey covering governmental institutions, I would be very thankful to ask your
co-operation in providing some information about your department related to
GIS. Please feel free to attach more information describing your GIS set up.
1.
Please outline the budget allocated for GIS in your department during 1999,
2000, and 2001.
|
Year |
Budget
(AED) |
|
1999 |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
2001 |
|
2.
Please identify the number of computers, scanners, digitizers, printers, and
plotters (and their brands) in your department.
|
|
Computers |
Scanners |
Digitizers |
Printers |
Plotters |
|
Number |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brand |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Future |
|
|
|
|
|
3.
Please identify the GIS/Database software in your department.
|
Software |
Current
Number of licenses |
Future
Number of licenses |
|
ESRI
Arc/Info |
|
|
|
ESRI
ArcView |
|
|
|
Intergraph
MGE/Microstation |
|
|
|
Intergraph
Geomedia |
|
|
|
AutoDesk
AutoCad/ AutoCad Map |
|
|
|
Map
Info |
|
|
|
SmallWorld |
|
|
|
ERDAS
Imagine |
|
|
|
IDRISI |
|
|
|
*
Oracle (Informix, Sybase, MS
SQL) |
|
|
|
Other
(Specify) |
|
|
*
Delete if not applicable
4.
Please identify the number of staff who is familiar with GIS in your
department.
|
Current
number |
Target
number |
|
|
|
5.
Please list the GIS and related projects that have been done or to be done
by/for your department.
|
Year |
Project
title |
Budget
(AED) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.
Please list the seminars/conferences related to GIS that attended or organized
by your department.
|
Seminar/Conference |
Year |
Place |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.
Please identify the GIS input methodology and its percentage in your department.
|
Input
methodology |
Percentage
(%) |
|
Digitization |
|
|
Scanning |
|
|
Keyboard
input |
|
|
Download
from GPS receiver |
|
|
Download
from total station |
|
|
Satellite
imagery |
|
|
Aerial
Photography |
|
|
Total |
100 |
8.
Please rate the completeness of
the GIS database in your department.
& Less than 25% & 25%
& 50%
& 75% & Greater than 75%
9. Please rate
the nature of GIS problems/difficulties in your department.
|
Problem |
Percentage
(%) |
|
Financial
(e.g. cost of data, hardware) |
|
|
Administrative
(e.g. management issues) |
|
|
Technical
(e.g. lack of staff) |
|
|
Usage
(important/not important) |
|
|
Total |
100 |
10.
Please rate the readiness of your department to implement GIS.
& Less than 25% & 25%
& 50%
& 75% & Greater than 75%
Appendix B
Addresses of governmental
departments and private companies involved in GIS field in the UAE:
|
Name |
Telephone |
Fax |
E-mail |
Home page (http://) |
|
Governmental Departments |
|
|
|
|
|
GIS Lab Dept.Geography UAE University |
3-7064674 |
3-7671706 |
www.uaeu.ac.ae |
|
|
Etisalat |
2-2084285 |
2-6
324499 |
custserv@emirates.net.ae |
www.etisalat.co.ae |
|
Town Planning Department,
Abu Dhabi |
2-7038311 |
2-786716 |
|
|
|
Town Planning Department, Al
Ain |
3-7080244 |
3-7635585 |
stoifan@emirates.net.ae |
www.alain.gov.ae |
|
Planning and Surveying
Department, Dubai |
4-2063772 |
4-2243056 |
planning@dm.gov.ae |
www.dm.gov.ae |
|
Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (Adnoc) |
2-6020000 |
2-6023389 |
adnoc@adnoc.com |
www.adnoc.com |
|
National Drilling Company
(NDC) |
3-7612544 |
3-7612606 |
gwrp@emirates.net.ae |
|
|
Military Survey Department |
2- 6311327 |
2-6344388 |
Msd2000@emirates.net.ae |
|
|
Commission of Environmental
Research |
2-5584440 |
2-5582224 |
cerehc@emirates.net.ae |
www.cerehc.org.ae |
|
Private companies |
|
|
|
|
|
Hyder ACER |
2-6333400 |
2-6330746 |
Mike.Hamilton@hydercon-me.co.ae |
|
|
Khatib & Alami |
4-2222203 |
4-2281014 |
gis@kacecuae.com |
www.khatibalami.com |
|
Intergraph Middle East |
2-6273800 |
2-6271686 |
rsnair@abudhabi.ingr.com |
www.ingr.com |
|
GISTEC (ESRI products) |
6-555 7675 |
6-555 7605 |
gistec@emirates.net.ae |
www.gistec.com |
|
Gulf Computers (Map/Info) |
2-6225657 |
2-6225825 |
sales@gulfauh.co.ae |
www.gulfuae.com |
|
Oracle Corporation |
2-63232162 |
2-6344885 |
Jtikoo@ae.oracle.com |
www.oracle.com |
|
Scott Wilson |
2-6667680 |
2-6668163 |
skwDUBAL@ emirates.net.ae |
www.scott-wilson.com |
|
International Surveying |
4-2224222 |
4-2242121 |
ismworld@emirates.net.ae |
|
|
MAPS GeoSystems |
6-5725411 |
6-5724057 |
info@maps-geosystems.com |
www.maps-geosystems.com |
|
Space Imaging Middle East |
4-266-1799 |
4-268-9173 |
info@SpaceImagingME.com |
www.spaceimagingme.com |
|
GECO Engg. (GPS receivers) |
4 2697681 |
4 2697619 |
nezaam@emirates.net.ae |
|
Important GIS addresses in the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries:
|
Dr. Ramze
Elzahrany Umm Al-Qura
University Geography
Department P.O. Box 6928 Makkah, Saudi
Arabia Telephone:
+966-2-5574644 ext 235 Telephone:
+966-2-5574644 ext 236 Fax:
+966-2-557-1561 Fax:
+966-2-527-5065 E-mail:
ramze@uqu.edu.sa |
Dr. Nasser Salma Assist. Prof. Major Cartographer King Saud
University College of Arts -
Geography Department King Saud
University P.O. Box 2456 Riyadh 11451,
Saudi Arabia Telephone:
+9664675367, +9664683539 |
|
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Aziz Geography Dept., College of Social sciences Kuwait University P.O.Box 68168 Kaifan, Post code: 71962 Kuwait, State of Kuwait Tel: (00965) 4841100 Ext. 2786 or 2776 (sec.) Tel & Fax: (009650 4823881 (Private) Mobile: (00965) 9546387 e-mail: maziz @kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw The Dean College of Social Sciences Kuwait University P.O.Box 68168 Kifan, Code: 71962 Fax. : (965) 484-1020 State of Kuwait Email: altarrah@mail.kuniv.edu.kw |
Mohammed
Raziuddin, GIS Specialist
Department of
City and Regional Planning
College of
Environmental Design
King Fahd
University of Petroleum &
Minerals
(KFUPM)
Box # 1267,
Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Tel. Off:(03)
860-2331
Fax: (03) 860-3857
E-Mail: razi@kfupm.edu.sa
|
|
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research Tel:4836100 Fax: 4846891 http://www.kisr.edu.kw |
Bahrain Center for Research and
Studies
tel: +973 727100, Fax: +973 729819 |
|
Qatar GIS Center info@gisqatar.org.qa |
Saudi Center for Remote Sensing King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology (KACST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel.: (966 -1) 481-1141 , Fax: (966 -1) 488-375 |