Dubai government turns to blockchain for its ‘smart city’ project

Automated construction workers, panoramic teaching environments, and high-end sanatoriums equipped with pharmaceutical facilities are all part of the daily life of people in the "smart city" envisioned by the Dubai government before the year 2035.

The Museum of the Future, an ambitious project funded by the Dubai government, is taking steps towards this future. The project has been mandated by the government to focus on how technological innovation has given rise to existing innovations. If the current work goes as expected, Bitcoin and blockchain will play a key role in promoting the group's work.

According to Noah Raford, chief operating officer of the Museum of the Future Foundation, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are vigorously advocating the use of new technologies to innovate basic service facilities, and blockchain as a new technology related to this will benefit from this.

The Museum of the Future, under the supervision of its CEO Saif Al Aleeli, recently established the Global Blockchain Council (GBC), a 32-member body that aims to test and advance blockchain technology, in what Saif Al Aleeli described as the most ambitious private-public collaboration yet.

In the interview, Saif Al Aleeli was at pains to highlight the size of the group, which includes the Dubai Smart Office and Dubai Smart Government, and the efforts to contribute to smart government.

Raford told CoinDesk:

"The government has invested a lot of money in the construction of smart cities in the process of exploring the most suitable government model in the 21st century. Regarding the digital transmission of assets, there will be a bigger plan in the medium term. This kind of application similar to smart contracts has great potential, and we pay more attention to the long-term impact of a project and application."

Raford said the goal of the Bitcoin Global Council is to build a series of case studies of how blockchain technology can be applied to different industries, from real estate to international remittances.

So far, local bitcoin startup BitOasis and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a local market technology provider focused on blockchain authentication, have completed a case study.

Leading the way

Raford sees potential in the technology, defining the recent news from the Global Bitcoin Council as the first step toward maturity.

Working ahead

The group just held its second meeting, which Raford noted is still primarily aimed at mentoring.

“The GBC aims to provide key stakeholders with the opportunity to learn through private projects that digital currencies are contemporary and not just a futuristic concept. But that doesn’t mean the committee thinks so,” Raford said.

For example, he mentioned that some of the region’s largest payment platforms and banks are on the committee, but they see digital currencies as a potential threat to their business models.

He also said that GBC working groups meet monthly and executives meet quarterly to discuss topics such as governance, pilot projects, conferences, workshops and other learning models.

The challenge of concept

Elsewhere, Raford acknowledged that a lack of awareness and misinformation about the technology could affect the discussion.

For example, Raford mentioned that the group’s primary focus is on blockchain and decentralized ledgers. As for its brand outreach, it hopes to minimize the focus on know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML).

He mentioned that even though digital currency is not entirely part of its communication strategy, this does not mean that Bitcoin will not be included in the scope of discussion.

“We’re not shying away from Bitcoin,” he said.

Raford mentioned that GBC was built on the basis of previous work experience in the Bitcoin community. As Auroracoin is widely spread in the local jurisdiction, he mentioned that he is more interested in how such coins are issued.

Raford said that he was ready to discuss the technology, but ultimately due to lack of

It wasn’t until a year later, Ronald said, when Bruce Fenton, executive director of the Future Foundation, hosted the Dubai Bitcoin Conference, that I had to actively search for information about how governments would support blockchain and technology.

Raford said that when he noticed that the technology was no longer limited to financial assets within the industry, he began to pay special attention to emerging non-financial applications based on this technology.

“Ideas often evolve in unexpected ways!”

Rapid development

Finally, Ronald expressed his optimism to reporters that GBC will spark innovation in the region, even though it currently appears to us that the organization's involvement will not be needed in the future.

When asked about his long-term goals, Ronald stressed that the Museum of the Future aims to support innovative initiatives and raise public awareness.

“GBC is expected to be out of the industry within five years, while the technology will continue to move forward.”

Additionally, he remains optimistic about what the team can achieve, given Dubai’s advantage of moving quickly in such explorations.

“People are exploring this from their own requirements, from a business model, regulatory and social perspective,” he said. “One day, we hope that Dubai and the United Arab Emirates can be a model for regulatory implementation in the region.”

He concluded:

“We have heavyweights.”