Gitex Tech Week, Day 3: Global Village meets TaxiBots meets football

Things have picked up substantial pace with new announcements and developments being rolled out by local as well international firms at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week in Dubai.

Day 3 gave us a glimpse into what the future holds for us in terms of innovation and lifestyle devices, and the world of tech seems to have come together under one roof at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

For Day 1 updates, click here: Gitex Tech Week: Breath-taking to brilliant... and bizarre

For Day 2 updates, click here: Gitex Tech Week: Win iPhone 6s; discount code for Honor 7…

Below we bring you a quick round-up of major Day 3 announcements and unveils at Gitex Technology Week 2015.
 
What’s Gitex? The Global Village of technology

The 35th edition of Gitex Technology Week is one of the most international editions in the event’s history, featuring 3,600 exhibiting brands from 62 countries.

From Europe, one of the key national pavilions is if Switzerland, which is fast becoming a global IT innovation hub.

Two companies, digital marketing consultancy Tinext and digital business platform vendor Magnolia, are showcasing new solutions in managing online content, such as television multi-channel news and broadcasting platforms.

“The world already knows of Switzerland’s leadership in precision instruments of all kinds, from watches to airplanes, as well as our commitment to innovation, as seen in our market leading pharmaceutical sector.  What few people know well is that Switzerland is also a growing IT innovation hub,” said Raymund Furrer, Swiss Consul General in Dubai and Head of the Swiss Business Hub.

Sixty Egyptian IT companies are participating in the event under ‘Egypt On’ pavilion supported by the country’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency, ITIDA.

“The Gulf is a key market for the Egyptian IT companies where they already have a series of inspirational success stories in terms of delivering high quality business solutions and innovative IT services. The proactive government support to increase Egypt’s IT/ITES exports through easing product entry and market outreach for the local IT companies represents a pillar in the overall strategy adopted by the state as the IT industry remains a central pillar of Egypt’s economy, and vital for the future growth of the country,” said Egypt’s ICT minister, Yasser El Kady.

India marked the inauguration of its National Pavilion with Anurag Bhushan, Consul General of India in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia is the event’s Official Country Partner, demonstrating strong investment opportunities in the country, whose ICT industry is set to reach nearly $37 billion in 2017, according to the country’s Communications and Information Technology Commission.

“As the Official Country Partner, the Kingdom will use this global platform to demonstrate best practices in government-led innovation to boost economic diversification, while encouraging foreign direct investment in the Kingdom’s ICT sector and supporting home-grown technology entrepreneurs to expand beyond our borders to deliver transformative services,” said Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Asiri, Official Spokesperson, National Information Center, Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
 
The ‘big’ advantage that helped Brazil win 2014 World Cup

Oliver Bierhoff, General Manager, German National Football Team, yesterday spoke about how Big Data analytics helped the team win 2014 World Cup Brazil.

As a striker, Oliver Bierhoff embodied world class performance on the pitch. Today, he continues to raise the bar in the world of football, as Manager of the German national team, by continuously developing new ways to improve not only the team but also the sport.

Bierhoff and his team (coaches and scouts) started in 2004 and won the World Cup 10 years later. His message is: change does not come easy and you need to put the proper processes into place. Once that happens, things become more efficient and effective over time with the use of technology becoming the critical last piece of the puzzle.
Bierhoff is among the 150-Plus global futurists who have been sharing best practices at Gitex Technology Week’s conferences this week.

Global CIOs are urging regional enterprises to recruit higher level strategists to drive digital transformations.

As the Internet of Things era advances in the Middle East, Frost & Sullivan predicts there will be 50 billion global connected devices by 2020, spawning new services, data streams, and control over customer and supplier products.

However, Middle East enterprises face increasingly complex business processes. Global and regional experts have debated how best to embrace digital disruption at the GTX Ignite conference and GTX Innovation Tech Talks.

“Over the next five years, business leaders in boardrooms across the Middle East will face a tough challenge in the digital economy, requiring them to disrupt themselves or lag behind. They need to simplify operations through real-time analysis of data from different divisions, such as HR, logistics and marketing,” said Jonathan Becher, chief digital officer and head of SAP Digital.

Chris Brown, Director of Innovation, Vodafone Global Enterprise, emphasized collaboration with multi-national companies, giving examples of how Vodafone has opened new opportunities and fostered an innovation culture.

Addressing Smart Cities, government leaders such as Taavi Roivas, Prime Minister, Estonia; Dr Aisha Bin Bishr, Assistant Director General, The Executive Office – Dubai, and Mayor Wade Brown of the City Council of Wellington, New Zealand shared the key pillars for Smart City framework, and the power of public-private partnerships.

Supporting innovation in oil and gas and aviation, Michael Gibbs, CIO, BP and Dr. Jassim Hajji, CIO, Gulf Air explained how real-time insights can transform businesses and enhance the customer experience.
 
Driverless taxi in Dubai, and drones for greater good

Dubai-based DigiRobotics has announced global launches of Robotic Café and Driverless Taxi at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week, demonstrating the UAE’s role as a global hub for Smart City innovation.

The firm presented global launches of its CafeBot high-tech restaurant, with touchscreen tables, robotic chefs and waitresses, and the TaxiBot driverless taxi with GPS location tracking.

These can transform the customer and visitor experience in malls, airports, universities, convention centres, and public spaces.

In addition, DJI, a consumer drones manufacturer, introduced the Osmo, the world’s first fully-integrated, stabilised handheld 4K camera for drones, and the Zenmuse X5 series, the world’s first set of micro four-third cameras built for aerial photography and cinematography.

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