Dubai could become the smart city model that the world looks to follow in the coming years, according to BICSI president Jeff Beavers.
BICSI’s two-day smart city conference, ‘A Connected World,’ kicked off at the Ritz-Carlton in DIFC today, and has an agenda packed with insights on how the evolution of smart buildings and the Internet of Things will impact the world’s major cities in years to come.
Speaking exclusively to Tahawul Tech on the sidelines of the event, Beavers – who is based in the United States, praised the UAE’s “progressive and collaborative” attitude towards creating smart communities within the wider smart city vision.
“There are some advancements that are occurring here in Dubai that are not yet happening in the United States,” he said. “We have many regulatory and jurisdiction issues that often have their own drivers and are therefore not unified, meaning they often limit the progression of such developments in the US.”
However, the UAE – and Dubai in particular, he believes, is different. “The leadership can see the bigger picture and the overarching vision here, and seem to be working collaboratively towards the same goal,” he said. “With regards to smart city developments, I think Dubai could be the model that the world follows in the coming years.”
The role of smart buildings in the creation of smart cities is a particular focus at BICSI’s two-day event. The agenda aims to cover the macro-challenges facing communities today while highlighting the need for a common connected platform and language for smart community development. In addition, experts will discuss how community and industry leaders can collaborate to build smart communities of the future.
