UAE Minister of Environment & Water launches five initiatives

UAE, November 24, 2015- H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, launched five environmental initiatives – ‘Smart Gargoor,’ ‘Green Legacy,’ ‘Beautiful in Wild & ‘Emirates Nature Reserves’ at Dubai Mall and ‘Monitor and Control’ in Masdar City – as part of the UAE Innovation Week. Launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, UAE Innovation Week is being held from November 22 to 28, 2015.

According to H.E. Dr. Bin Fahad, the UAE has achieved global leadership in various areas of development and the launched initiatives are projects announced for the first time at the local and global level. He said that the Ministry is working to adopt the concept of innovation in its work to introduce fresh initiatives and projects. He emphasized the importance of innovation in the development of government actions and the achievement of organizational excellence in line with UAE Vision 2021.

The Ministry displayed the first prototypes of the five initiatives at UAE Innovation Week. ‘Smart Gargoor,’ which is based on the world’s best technologies to be used in a local perspective, sends data on the coordinates of ‘gargoor’ (fish traps) and the amount and types of fish inside it, thus enabling easy access to the site and reducing the time spent at sea. The app was developed in cooperation with an international university in Germany and is the latest tool used in fishing operations in the UAE and the world.

The first-of-its-kind in the world, the ‘Green Legacy is an air-purifying device that is fitted to the window of a building and takes advantage of the sun and algae that run on clean-rays air. The project is one of the most important initiatives that will contribute to the promotion of environmental sustainability and the improvement of air quality. It was developed in collaboration with Dubai Ports World and can bring in fiscal returns of up to AED 1.5 million per year for a building of six (6) floors.

The Ministry also showcased two models – ‘Beautiful in Wild & ‘Emirates Nature Reserves’ – in Dubai Mall.  ‘Be A Reason for My Stay’ uses an innovative 7-dimensional technique to educate the public about endangered animals. The virtual interactive platform for displaying some species of animals has been developed in partnership and cooperation with local institutions such as Dubai Municipality and the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency and non-governmental associations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF and IFAW.

The Emirates Nature Reserves’ app, on the other hand, uses an innovative 360-degree imaging technology to promote the UAE’s natural reserves. The initiative aims to promote eco-tourism in the country as well as educate the public about the importance of these reserves in terms of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Lastly, the ‘Control and Monitoring’ initiative was also displayed during UAE Innovation Week in Masdar City. It was developed to monitor air quality across the country and can be accessed through an integrated thermal maps with satellite imagery. It will help determine the effect of emission sites and their impact on the surrounding environment and provide the basis for concerned authorities to take preventive measures.