Data science: how is it good for government?

By Tala El Issa via Wamda.com (15 May, 2016) All those zeros and ones - how can you make the most of them? (Image via Digitalgov.gov) “Understanding and innovating with data has the potential to change the way we do almost anything for the better,” said Barack Obama at the start of 2015. That’s why, he explained his administration established data.gov, a portal with almost 200,000 data sets open for the public. In 2015, DJ Patil became the first US data chief scientist. Patil believes data science can improve transparency, create efficiency and provide security. His team is using the data to extract insights for the health and social justice sectors. In a similar vein, Arab countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and most importantly UAE, are starting to endorse data policies into governance in the hope of creating knowledge-based societies. In fact, the UAE has developed an ‘open data portal’ that covers sectors including health, agriculture, and education. Kai Chan shares his advice on how government can utilize data. (Image via Kailchan.ca) Kai Chan is an economist and distinguished fellow at Abu Dhabi’s INSEAD, an innovation and policy initiative. He advises the UAE government on national competitiveness, especially in relation to…

Managing in today’s economy

At Institute of Management Technology Dubai, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today's economy BY JEANETTE TEH | COMMENT | PUBLISHED: 28TH MARCH 2016 AT 12:53 Navigating the current times of uncertainty with low oil prices, a slowdown in economic growth, and geopolitical crises can provide challenges for management. At Institute of Management Technology Dubai last Tuesday, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today’s economy. Global slowdown and its impact on corporate strategy The average growth rate in 2016 for the world is less than 3 per cent, with all countries growing at a slower pace than the previous year, including China whose slowdown will have effects reverberating across the globe. DP World director of global operations Patrick Bol described the current state of affairs as one wrought with ambiguity and uncertainty where markets act in a way that cannot be easily understood with data, and complexity is characterised by a new way of thinking that presents both challenges and opportunities. Within this global economic framework, IMT Dubai director Dr Rakesh Singh advised corporations to address strategic issues on three different levels: Managing macro-economic fundamentals into corporate strategy. It was also advocated during the panel discussion…

Need to look deeper into UAE’s global rankings

Decline in some key indexes fails to account for marked progress made elsewhere By Dr. Sami Mahroum and Dr. Kai L. Chan, Special to Gulf News [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Image Credit: Jose L. Barros/©Gulf News[/caption] Published: 07:24 March 23, 2016 With 2015 left behind and the new year ahead, it is a good time to pause and take stock of the UAE’s competitiveness as the country edges closer to 2021, and as the KPIs (key performance indicators) of the National Agenda loom closer. The UAE has set many of its development goals based on measures of competitiveness, as reported by third-party international organisations. These include the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), Global Innovation Index (GII), Human Development Report (HDR), and the World Happiness Report (WHR). The big headline in 2015 was the oil shock: Crude price fell by half. Although the UAE economy is well diversified (oil counts for less than a third of gross domestic product, or GDP), a steep drop in the price of the country’s primary export has not gone unnoticed. Government coffers continue to rely heavily on oil revenues and, subsequently, public investments in large infrastructure projects slow down. The UAE is also impacted by low…

Emirates Business interview/profile

Web link: http://gulftimes.ae/success-lies-in-smart-strategies/ (Success lies in smart strategies (4 Feb 2016))

Letters: Germans are too ‘timid’ to state the obvious

Re: This Is Rape Culture, Robyn Urback, Jan. 8. A popular expression defines insanity as “doing something over and over again and expecting different results.” So it has been with the migrant crisis in Europe. I lived adjacent to the Cologne train station when I was a summer intern at a Cologne-based bank in 2004, and I have gone back on several occasions to visit their Christmas market. In near-year living in Germany (over three different stints) I have even picked up the language. Because Germans are so burdened by their collective guilt over the Second World War, many are timid about stating the obvious: a disproportionate number of crimes in that country (and Europe) are committed by immigrants who fit the profile of the recent migrants. With a weak track record on integrating (some) immigrant groups, it is surely foolish to assume that accepting more of the same will yield any different results. Kai L. Chan, Dubai. Letter as it appeared in the NP © 2016 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.