UAE government buildings could turn into health facilities during emergencies

Authorities in the UAE are looking at ways to utilise government buildings as health or storage facilities for the medical sector during emergencies.

They have developed a smart platform with Artificial Intelligence tools to understand the availability and flexibility of these establishments in times of crisis.

It will be able to process information from more than 3,500 government departments with over six million square metres that can accommodate over 500,000 people.

The initiative, led by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, will help officials quickly allocate the buildings depending on their proximity to residential areas and health facilities.

It will also map the population distribution in different areas and monitor the progress of sanitisation operations.

"The platform utilises smart analytical tools to prepare preliminary studies for managing government facilities in a way that ensures rapid response and optimum utilisation of available resources in times of distress," said Fatima Al Abdouli, spokesperson for the Ministry.

Engineer Al Abdouli: Data provided by the smart platform includes the location of each building, its area, facilities, accommodation capacity, surrounding hospitals and medical centers and its readiness at times of crisis. #UAEGov

— UAEGOV (@UAEmediaoffice) June 15, 2020

UAE Ministry of Infrastructure Development @moiduae: It includes four smart tools that are able to provide strategic information for decision makers in a timely and immediate manner to ensure appropriate decisions are made accurately and effectively.

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) June 15, 2020