UAE - More than 200 local and federal government entities and universities in Sharjah are participating in the week-long UAE Innovation Month. The innovation event was inaugurated on Thursday by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council.

Held under the slogan "Innovation Starts with You", the UAE Innovation Month is a nationwide event that seeks to recognise and encourage a culture of innovation. The event which commenced in Abu Dhabi on February 1 will make its way through all seven emirates, before concluding in Dubai on February 28.

The event will continue in Sharjah until February 21 at Al Majaz Waterfront and Sharjah Centre for Space and Astronomy. The exhibition features innovative works aimed at spreading the culture of innovation in the community, ranging from initiatives, dialogues and projects.

Clean city

Bee'ah, an environmental management company, is featuring its innovations such as the Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), Wi-Fi bin and electric desert cleaning vehicle (Polaris Ranger), in addition to the Tesla semi-trucks. An innovative take on the traditional vending machine, the RVM enables the recovery of materials like PET bottles and metal cans. The Polaris Rangers are state-of-the-art vehicles which run on electricity and help in the conservation of desert areas. They are the first of their kind in the UAE and are capable of carrying a weight of up to 225kg.

Bee'ah also has set up solar-powered smart bins across the emirate. Acting as WiFi hotspots, these bins are double streamed for increased solar capacity, thus collecting five times more waste, in addition to offering free connectivity to consumers, within the radius of 40 metres.

Save environment

The Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) is showcasing information about their sustainability award competition and an exhibition on nature reserves and the protection of indigenous plants. There is also a presentation on its efforts to promote the cultivation of perennial local plants.

The EPAA's participation also includes an exhibition on its experience with nature reserves and the use of modern techniques in surveying protected areas through monitoring the vegetation in different seasons and the number of trees and forms of biodiversity in each protected area. It also showcases the results of its recent initiative to count and monitor the juvenile green turtles in Alqurm protected area and Al Hefaiyah Centre.

Sewa spirit

The Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) is encouraging all its officials and staff to embrace the spirit of innovation and come up with out-of-the-box solutions for day-to-day issues and problems faced in the workplace.

Participating in the UAE Innovation Month for the third time, Sewa is showcasing its various services and innovative solutions. A number of workshops and presentations showcasing their scientific experiments and innovative solutions to residents' needs and concerns will be on display.

Drone use

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has presented an awareness and informative workshop on the uses of drones at the Sharjah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences, where Moza Al Sawafi and Shaima Al Kamali from the air safety sector at the GACA talked about the safe use of drones in the UAE.

Al Sawafi and Al Kamali explained that the awareness workshop targets the people of 16 years of age and above and talks about the regulations and rules related to safe use, how to register and get a licence, areas where drones are allowed to fly and the requirements and conditions of registration.

News as you see it

The Sharjah Press Council (SPC)'s participation, an innovative interactive initiative titled "Q&A", involves five rooms. Equipped with the latest technology, each of the rooms asks participants one of the five Ws - Who, What, When, Where, and Why - eventually helping them compose the lead of their articles on their participation in the event. Each question asked as part of the initiative, consists of two parts. The first part is aimed at exploring participants' news reading habits and preferences, including reading time and medium (websites, newspapers, social media or SMS), together with other questions whose answers will be analysed by the SPC and used as a basis for future initiatives. Participants through the second part of the initiative will answer the five Ws, with their answers eventually forming the first paragraph of their reports on the UAE Innovation Month. The initiative is also aimed at identifying individuals' reading trends.

 

Copyright © 2018 Khaleej Times. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).