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HBKU’s state-of-the-art solutions aim at addressing urban challenges facing smart cities
Highlighting its innovation in research advancing sustainability, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has participated in Smart City Expo Doha 2022, held under the patronage of His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.
HBKU aligned its participation in the exhibition area and program of talks with the 2022 theme, “Sustaining a Future of Resilience”. Showcasing the breadth of its innovation in several areas, colleges and research entities presented high-impact research and technology solutions being developed for local stakeholders. These address critical urban issues such as climate change, smart urban planning, and sustainable living. HBKU’s cutting-edge projects also drive efficiencies in managing traffic, sports events, infrastructure, and urban spaces using big data management, deep learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
At HBKU’s interactive stand, faculty and researchers were present to engage and share their insights with visitors. Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) presented their digital solutions to navigate current and future mobility patterns in Doha’s changing urban landscape. These included demonstrations of QCRI’s traffic signal control, traffic crash map, and map making solution, as well as their collaboration with Karwa on estimated time of arrival (ETA) estimation.
Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) presented several major projects, among them the first Solar Atlas for Qatar, aerial services, and home energy management system. Their demos included the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) estimation for Education City and residential households.
The College of Science and Engineering demonstrated several digital solutions and platforms aimed at optimizing urban management, such as an accident prediction system, the QKONS waste management system, and smart city application for health monitoring.
Highlighting a sustainability initiative that embeds Qatar’s heritage, the College of Islamic Studies presented an Islamic-inspired garden initiative, “Parable of His Light: A Digital Immersive Experience”. The College of Public Policy showcased its work with government and non-governmental partners to reduce plastic consumption in Qatar. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences highlighted research on smart cities being led by a graduate student.
HBKU also led with contributions to Smart City Expo’s talks. Dr. Sanjay Chawla, Data Analytics Research Director, shared insights based on QCRI’s data analytics capabilities at a panel titled “The new science of cities: public services, data analytics and urban platforms”. Sara Al-Emadi, QCRI Research Associate, moderated a talk on “Urban infrastructures: digitalization and innovation for enhancing smart cities”.
Events such as Smart City Expo Doha show how far Qatar has come in transforming its cities into smart, sustainable urban environments through emerging digital technologies.