Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority and outdoor advertising company JCDecaux are set to roll out interactive display screens to locations around the city, to provide useful information to residents and tourists.
The ‘e-Village' system will be installed at around 50 prominent locations across Dubai, including Marina Promenade and Burj al Arab.
Each e-Village system comprises a 32" touchscreen, built into a stand. The screens will display real time information and services from the RTA and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) along with news from Gulf News, and access to Google Maps.
The systems will be connected through fibre or 4G, and include hardware and software which has been optimised for use in hot weather conditions and also to provide a high level of cybersecurity.
Martin Sabbagh, CEO of JCDecaux Middle East said that the project builds on a successful pilot installation at Dubai Water Canal.
"The pilot been running since late February, and it is showing quite high usage, we were quite surprised by how many people were interacting with it. The feedback that the RTA has received has been very positive," he said.
Under the deal, JCDecaux will provide all aspects of the e-Village, including installation, operation, upkeep and maintenance.
The content on the screens will include elements of the RTA's own mobile apps, optimised for the e-Village system, and the content will be managed by JCDecaux's own internal digital advertising management platform.
All aspects of the e-Village have been designed specifically for the RTA, Sabbagh explained: "It is quite an innovative platform. It is different both in terms of hardware, and in terms of software. We have been working a lot on the design of the hardware, to make it very aesthetic. We have worked a lot on the software as well - this [digital content] platform runs across the world, we have more than 50,000 screens operating worldwide, so in terms of security, it is second to none."
In future, the e-Village installations could also act as hosts for telecoms small cell hubs, to provide improved connectivity in busy areas, Sabbagh added.
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