Second SAS Government Innovation Summit to drive data driven policies across public sector

Summit brings together UAE policymakers, global thought leaders and key stakeholders

With the UAE joining other global governments in harnessing innovation and data to provide effective decision-making capabilities, the 2nd SAS Government Innovation Summit 2016 successfully concluded and received a good response from domestic government entities.

Organized by SAS, the leader in analytics, the second SAS Government Innovation Summit was held under the banner of Data Driven Policy Development for UAE Government Agencies, with sessions specifically geared to highlight the latest data analysis and big data trends.

Collecting several policymakers, data science thought-leaders and key stakeholders from leading UAE government organizations, the Innovation Summit showcased breakthroughs in data driven technologies that allow domestic government entities to hone strategies to improve efficiency and drive economic success across multiple sectors.

“Given the massive amount of revenue and data created and accumulated over the past two years, its impact has transformed business processes and the way government agencies work. As new services and initiatives are adopted, policies play a critical role in better governance, ensuring that government data is employed towards improving citizen well-being, security and socio-economic conditions,” said Shukri Dabaghi, Regional Director for the Middle East and Francophone Africa at SAS.

Among the speakers at the summit were Ms. Maisoun Badr Al Ali, Head of Research & Statistics, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, who talked about the importance of Sports Data Analysis for Government Policy Decisions, and Ms. Badria Abdulla Obaid, Executive Director of Data Sector at the Statistics Center-Abu Dhabi (SCAD), who discussed using Statistics as an Innovative Approach for Data Driven Policy. Tamara Dull, Director of Emerging Technologies at SAS also showcased a Non-Geek’s Big Data Cheat Sheet at the event.

The summit also highlighted key big data and analytics milestones achieved by local government organizations including Harnessing the Wealth of Global Trade Data to Drive Strategic Decision Making by Saptarshi Bandopadhyay, Manager - Business Planning, Dubai Ports World (DP World); Monetization of Data – Health Industry perspective by Dr. Omar Najm, Senior Advisor, Health Authority in Abu Dhabi; Visualizing a Sustainable Environment for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by Yasser Ramadan Othman, Environmental Information and Reports Unit Section Manager, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi; and Best Practices in Setting up a Big Data Team – The FDC Story by Mohamed Al Madhaani, Director - Information Management, Federal Demographic Council.

Other SAS speakers included Dr. Steve Bennett, Principal Product Marketing Consultant - Government, SAS who talked about the Role of Analytics in Evidence Based Decision Making, and Marcel Yammine, General Manager - Gulf & Emerging Markets, SAS, who issued the Innovation Summit’s closing remarks. With the UAE joining other global governments in harnessing innovation and data to provide effective decision-making capabilities, the second SAS Government Innovation Summit 2016 successfully concluded and received a good response from domestic government entities.

Organized by SAS, the leader in analytics, the 2nd SAS Government Innovation Summit was held under the banner of Data Driven Policy Development for UAE Government Agencies, with sessions specifically geared to highlight the latest data analysis and big data trends.

Collecting several policymakers, data science thought-leaders and key stakeholders from leading UAE government organizations, the Innovation Summit showcased breakthroughs in data driven technologies that allow domestic government entities to hone strategies to improve efficiency and drive economic success across multiple sectors.

“Given the massive amount of revenue and data created and accumulated over the past two years, its impact has transformed business processes and the way government agencies work. As new services and initiatives are adopted, policies play a critical role in better governance, ensuring that government data is employed towards improving citizen well-being, security and socio-economic conditions,” said Shukri Dabaghi, Regional Director for the Middle East and Francophone Africa at SAS.

Among the speakers at the summit were Ms. Maisoun Badr Al Ali, Head of Research & Statistics, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, who talked about the importance of Sports Data Analysis for Government Policy Decisions, and Ms. Badria Abdulla Obaid, Executive Director of Data Sector at the Statistics Center-Abu Dhabi (SCAD), who discussed using Statistics as an Innovative Approach for Data Driven Policy. Tamara Dull, Director of Emerging Technologies at SAS also showcased a Non-Geek’s Big Data Cheat Sheet at the event.

The summit also highlighted key big data and analytics milestones achieved by local government organizations including Harnessing the Wealth of Global Trade Data to Drive Strategic Decision Making by Saptarshi Bandopadhyay, Manager - Business Planning, Dubai Ports World (DP World); Monetization of Data – Health Industry perspective by Dr. Omar Najm, Senior Advisor, Health Authority in Abu Dhabi; Visualizing a Sustainable Environment for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by Yasser Ramadan Othman, Environmental Information and Reports Unit Section Manager, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi; and Best Practices in Setting up a Big Data Team – The FDC Story by Mohamed Al Madhaani, Director - Information Management, Federal Demographic Council.

Other SAS speakers included Dr. Steve Bennett, Principal Product Marketing Consultant - Government, SAS who talked about the Role of Analytics in Evidence Based Decision Making, and Marcel Yammine, General Manager - Gulf & Emerging Markets, SAS, who issued the Innovation Summit’s closing remarks.