Nezar Maroof, Director, Enterprise Architecture and Information Technology at the eGovernment Authority honored winners who provided innovative proposals in the field of open data platform, including Musaab Ziad, Meshari Fakhroo, Asmaa Althawadi, Sameeha Hussain, Emrah Omuris, Jameshaid Rasheed and Khalid Al-Mushari.
Maroof congratulated the winners for their innovative ideas that would be implemented on the open data platform and some ideas would be turned into services, he noted that as part of the eGovernment’s development strategy, an open data platform competition was launched in order to maximize the delivery of high -quality and efficient services provided on the platform. He also added that the eGovernment Authority was keen to give the opportunity for the public to participate and encourage technological initiatives in such a competitive climate with core focus on innovative service or open data platform application.
The winner Musab Ziad, Lecturer at the Applied Science University, won for his innovative idea about traffic signals, roads and accidents application, and the idea revolves around the use of information available at the General Directorate of Traffic about the traffic flow in streets and accidents to be used in one unified server in order to ensure the publication of data on this application to the public. This application will help avoiding traffic congestion in streets and proposing other alternative roads.
The winner Meshari Fakhroo, Chief Computer Security Officer, Ministry of Finance presented the idea on how to launch a Key Performance Indicator to benchmark ministries’ performance by displaying their services that benefits the nationals and expatriates with the use of KPIs for each service. As per the KPI results the displayed services should be developed and ministries to be honored for their excellence.
The winner Asmaa Althawadi, a student from Bahrain Polytechnic, presented an idea about a special commercial information application to be linked to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in order to provide the public with information on businesses in Bahrain and their locations. This will contribute helping the public to gain access to eservices, in addition investors and students will be given the opportunity to study Bahrain’s market and prepare reports.
The winner Samiha Hussain from the Bahrain Polytechnic pitched an idea about the application designed to physicians, which will allow patients and visitors to know about the schedule of physicians and consultants in medical centers instead of going to the hospital physically for enquiries. The application also gives the option to check the resume of each physician and it allows each patient or visitor to select the physician or consultant they like.
As for Tourism, three innovative ideas were presented. The winner Emrah Omuris, the Regional Head of Channel Marketing and Interactive at American Express-Middle East pitched in an application about tourism search that allow Bahrain’s visitors to learn and join tourist groups or individuals sharing the same interests. The Application requires from each individual some key data in relation to the trip allowing users to find people sharing the same interests in order to boost group tourism heading for Bahrain.
The winner Jameshaid Rasheed, a student who presented an application that includes all Bahrain’s tourist attractions and heritage that gives updates on key events to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain with the possibility to make ticket reservations via this application.
The winner Khalid Al-Meshari, DHL International Express employee offered an application that allow tourists upon their arrivals to Bahrain to learn about the Kingdom’s new tourist attractions and heritage. This application will help tourists plan their tours in Bahrain.
The open data platform project is a unified center that provides public data from various ministries and governmental entities. The Open Data Platform enables the public to have a central point of access to find, download and use or re-use datasets generated by the ministries and governmental entities in the Kingdom. The platform provides a set of data and statistics previously published by competent authorities.