United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi - Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) have signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that allows the two entities to foster data collaboration and work together to improve the quality and accessibility of sports data in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement was signed by H.E. Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi, Acting Director-General of SCAD, and His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

According to the SLA, SCAD will provide ADSC with access to statistical insights and expertise in data collection, analysis, and visualisation while helping ADSC to strengthen adherence to standardised methodologies for informing development plans and policies with high-quality insights.

In this regard, His Excellency Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi said: “This agreement is an essential step for our joint efforts to improve the quality of sports data in Abu Dhabi via our support to the Abu Dhabi Sports Council to produce reliable insights that can present a full and accurate picture of the sports sector in Abu Dhabi.”

His Excellency reiterated the objectives of integration and inter-government coordination to develop an advanced statistical ecosystem that contributes to improving the quality of life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He added: “The agreement is part of SCAD’s statistical maturity strategy to support Abu Dhabi government entities to fulfil data users' and policy makers' needs and to achieve the sustainable development objectives in Abu Dhabi.”

For his part, H.E. Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council highlighted the importance of data collaboration, saying: “The agreement demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the quality of data and providing accurate statistical insights about sports activities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It helps ADSC better understand the needs of sports data users, thus enabling the Abu Dhabi Sports Council to make decisions that chart a more prosperous future for sports in the emirate.”

Under the SLA, SCAD will provide access to its Insights and Foresight Platform (IFP) which enables ADSC to benefit from its AI-driven statistical models that are developed in line with the highest quality standards and the international best practices.

The agreement stipulates that SCAD will support the development of statistical capabilities and competencies at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council to ensure a positive impact on the quality of sports life in Abu Dhabi through reliable statistical insights.

To keep pace with the rapid digital and technical changes, SCAD and ADSC are deploying the latest technology solutions to facilitate data exchange and develop administrative records to reduce reliance on surveys and opinion polls, which will save resources and improve the efficiency and accuracy of statistical indicators.

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About the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD)

Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD) was established by Law No. (7) of 2008 to organise and develop statistical work in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Centre was reorganised by Law No. (5) of 2021, which placed SCAD under the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. In April 2023, in accordance with The Executive Council Decree No. (39) of 2023, SCAD's affiliation was transferred to the Department of Government Support (DGS).

SCAD is entrusted with the responsibility of supporting government decision-makers by adopting a decentralised approach to statistical work. The Centre has an independent legal personality, full financial independence, and legal capacity to act in proportion to the emirate's vision towards sustainable development and strategic planning.

Pursuant to its mandate, SCAD is responsible for establishing and developing an integrated statistical ecosystem in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This is achieved by organising, unifying, and managing all aspects of the emirate's statistical work, including building and regulating statistical frames for all activities and sectors, and updating them periodically. The Centre provides technical supervision of statistics and statistical data systems for government entities, and collects, classifies, stores, analyses, processes, archives, publishes, and protects Abu Dhabi's statistical data obtained from data sources.

In addition, the Centre is vested with the responsibility of making, developing, and disseminating estimates, projections, analytics, and forecasts and supporting government entities with reliable statistics. SCAD is authorised to contract with any entity or company within or outside the Emirate to undertake data collection and other statistical activities.