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29 March 2024

Travel in Dubai made easy with Digital Map in different languages

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

Soon Dubai will have its own digital map available on smartphones, Tablet PCs, notebooks, and navigation devices.

You want to explain how the delivery guy needs to reach your house; he seems to understand but turns up at the wrong building. A couple of more phone calls back and forth are required before he finally reaches your doorstep; your pizza is cold now.

According to Abdul Hakim Malik, Director GIS Department at Dubai Municipality this is the situation the majority of us is dealing with when directing someone to a location. And it does not only apply to delivery orders, but to emergency cases too.

"Civil Defense sometimes does not know how to reach a location. When they finally arrive it might be too late," he describes.

Soon any place or building in Dubai can be located and reached on a digital map that will be available in different languages on smart mobiles, Tablet PCs, notebooks, and navigation devices.

The maps are more accurate than previous location finders as they will direct the user to the doorstep of the required location, describes Hussain Nassir Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality.

"This will be achieved by creating a national coordinate grid on a digital map, developing applications and fixing plates that carries location information on all the buildings in Dubai," tells Abdul Hakim.

"All types if buildings and locations will be included, like government organisations, hospitals, parks, commercial buildings, houses, factories, warehouses, etc.

"The application is aimed at simplifying life for everyone in Dubai and for tourists coming to Dubai," he says.

Currently Dubai Munipality is collecting the coordinates of Mirdif, after which it will continue to Sheikh Zayed Road. "We will add the locations bit by bit and every area takes 2-3 weeks," Abdul Hakim explains.

But the application is already available online (www.mylocation.ae.) and will be launched on the market around March by Garmin, developer of the application.

How location holders will get a hold of the unique number attached to their building or apartment is not clear yet.

"We might charge as little as Dh100 to retrieve the number. But this charge is more likely to come to shop owners than to residents," estimates Abdul Hakim.