Qatar eyes digital transformation across 6 key sectors, says Invest Qatar report

Qatar is capitalising on strategic and innovative programmes to propel the digital transformation of six integral sectors in the country, the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (Invest Qatar) stated in its latest report.

Titled ‘Smarter Qatar: Embracing Emerging Technologies and Innovation, Improving Lives and Driving a Sustainable Digital Economy’, the report was prepared by Invest Qatar, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).

The report stated that the government is gunning for a “smarter Qatar” by digitalising the following sectors: Tourism, economy, energy and environment, health, transport, and education.

According to the report, Qatar has placed tourism among its key sectors to drive sustainability and economic diversification. It also said utilising innovation and digital technology will open more tourism-related opportunities “to enhance inclusivity, empower local communities and achieve efficient resource management.”

“Smart tourism sector is about actively offering a range of tourist services to meet tourist’s unique and personnel demands...the ecosystem of digital services has expanded within the tourism sector to include a generation of QR codes for tourist sites to enhanced Virtual Reality (VR) experience for specific destinations and 360-degree tourist customer service,” stated the report.

In another fundamental smart sector, Invest Qatar further reported that the Qatari government has embarked on numerous projects to promote digital health and smart healthcare.

The report stated that artificial intelligence (AI) and big data have been beneficial to Qatar’s objectives in developing “smart health,” making virtual consultations possible.

“Patients and clinicians can communicate without physically visiting the hospital or medical facility owing to IoT-based healthcare apps that use remote health monitoring. Several advanced economies, including Qatar, are building their healthcare infrastructure and are relying on the use of technologies to enhance patient experience, operational efficiency and sustainability,” the report noted.

In the realm of smart transport, Invest Qatar reported that this sector is “putting people at the core of transport services, offering them tailored mobility solutions based on their individual needs in order to travel without losing time in a comfortable way.”

The report stated: “Addressing mobility emerges as a primary concern requiring prompt attention. In dense urban environments, smart transportation plays a crucial role in ensuring people reach their workplaces safely and punctually.

“Smart transport systems include intelligent traffic management systems, smart charging for EVs and intelligent public transportation systems. Investments in intelligent traffic management systems have increased as the system plays a crucial role in heavy-traffic cities.”

Invest Qatar also reported that “smart cities will enable a smart or digital economy by attracting talent, enabling creativity, and encouraging disruptive thinking. By enabling digital economies, cities are able to increase employment opportunities and activate local economic growth and competitiveness.”

“This ultimately benefits a city by lowering the cost of innovation and addressing real community challenges by delivering better services through innovation. Tasmu has developed a comprehensive digital innovation ecosystem through an innovation model approach and a combination of physical and digital elements,” the report added.