“Brothers and sisters, today the number of followers has exceeded one million.. but I prefer calling you participants rather than followers.” With these words, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced through his Twitter account that his followers had exceeded one million by Monday, July 30, 2012, within less than 3 years since it was launched in 2009. This compares to 600,000 likes on HH Sheikh Mohammed’s page on Facebook and more than 500,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

***

That HH Sheikh Mohammed’s accounts, particularly on Twitter, have recorded these figures is not strange to a leader who has always been on top and number one.

We are not talking merely about huge numbers, since without hyperbole, one can see the diverse nationalities of HH Sheikh Mohammed’s followers in Arab countries, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, and even Japan. So, HH Sheikh Mohammed has succeeded in drawing the attention of a large number of followers because they see a unique leader who raises issues and initiatives that range between national achievements and development initiatives directly related to the people of the UAE, as well as a range of regional and international charitable and humanitarian initiatives that have positively impacted millions of lives around the world.

Most striking here is HH Sheikh Mohammed’s note in his tweet to his followers about the concept of partnership with people and not just blind dependency, because a successful leader is one who shares his vision and dreams with people and not one who urges others to follow him unless they reach this conviction by themselves. It even exceeds this to adopting their viewpoints and suggestions without neglecting or underestimating them. This is referred to by HH Sheikh Mohammed when he addressed his followers saying: “Together we came up with many social, humanitarian and cultural initiatives and I have personally benefited from your constructive thoughts.”

So, this is the diligence of prudent leadership, which takes an initiative and implements it even before others think of it. An excellent example is given by HH Sheikh Mohammed of the prudent electronic leadership, which has the vision to harness all technologies to provide innovative solutions for serving its people, ensuring their well-being and letting

them take part in building the state, with the people not even asking for this in view of HH Sheikh Mohammed’s conviction that this is one of their rights and his belief in creative and innovative ideas around the world as long as they will be employed to serve his country.

***

Once again, HH Sheikh Mohammed urges us to shoulder the responsibility of employing all the potentials of our age to ensure the convenience of our children. We must be inspired to build our state and invest the personal stardom with which Allah may bless some officials for serving corporate communication and investing in social networking channels; which have become the means of administrative, economic and social development that has a deep effect in reinforcing transparency and efficiency, particularly after eGovernment has become an imbedded practice in our state that cannot be ignored.

.

Director-General, Dubai eGovernment Department

Mohammed Bin Rashid and one million followers

e V i s i o n s

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Editorial

The vision of Dubai eGovernment is to ease the lives of people and businesses interacting with the government and contribute to establishing Dubai as a leading economic hub.

Dubai eGovernment’s mission is to achieve a virtual government through the provision of high-quality customer focused eServices for individuals, businesses and government departments and to promote eServices adoption through customer management.

Dubai eGovernment promotes eServices through www.dubai.ae - the unified official portal for Dubai Government that provides all residents and businesses of the emirate with more than 2000 electronic services.

e4all is the official magazine of Dubai eGovernment, and helps in creating awareness of eServices to all segments of society and spreading an electronic culture for the well-being of all.

Executive EditorAhmad Bin Humaidan

ahmad.binhumaidan@deg.gov.ae

Chief EditorAmer Al Hamayda

amer.alhamayda@deg.gov.ae

Magazine CoordinatorJamal Khalifa Almulla

jamal.almulla@deg.gov.ae

English EditorGarth Mitchell

garth.mitchell@deg.gov.ae

Arabic EditorYaqdhan Mustafa

yaqdhan.mustafa@deg.gov.ae

Graphic Designers Fatima Ibrahim

Ayesha Al Ansaridesigner@deg.gov.ae

Contact e4allDubai eGovernment Department

Tel: 04-4056274 Fax: 04-3532988

P.O.Box: 90300e-mail: quality@deg.gov.ae

An electronic version can be viewed on www.dubai.ae

The articles in this publication reflect only the author’s opinions and not

necessarily those of the eGovernment or its staff.

Republishing of material in this publication is not permitted without attribution of this publication as the

source.

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Our Vision

Content

Comprehensive eServices for Ramadan in Dubai

Mohammed Bin Rashid launches DSC’s strategic plan

Participate in selecting your favourite Nation Brand for the UAE

Updating work plan in GRP for Dubai government entities

w w w . d e g . g o v . a e

Issue No. 106 - August 2012

The Official Magazine of Dubai eGovernment Department

August 2012 - Issue 106

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eIntegration

Dubai eGovernment briefs Dubai Supreme Council of Energy on Dubai’s eTransformation

A delegation from Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) paid a visit to Dubai eGovernment Department (DeG) headquartered in HH Dubai Ruler’s Court to share strategic experiences and work together for the future growth and sustainability of Dubai. The DSCE delegation, headed by Neijib Zaafrani, DSCE Secretary General and CEO, was received by Wesam Lootah, DeG Acting Director General, Sumaia Khalifa Bin Hammad, Director of Communication & Business Development Department at DeG, and a DeG IT team.

Sustainable energyZaafrani demonstrated the DSCE’s

strategy for devising policies in new energy areas such as solar energy, and establishing a framework for energy governance.

Welcoming the delegation, Lootah said: “We are happy to host the delegation of the Supreme Council of Energy and through meetings such as these, bolster our partnerships with government authorities and provide our experience and shared eServices to them, to help consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading hub in the knowledge-based economy in implementation of the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

eServices with environmental vision

Lootah gave a presentation on Dubai eGovernment Department including its shared services for all Dubai government entities, thereby contributing to establishing a knowledge-based economy in an environment that

ensures sustainable development for the Emirate of Dubai. This was followed by a presentation from Bin Hammad who also demonstrated how electronic payments and mobile technology contribute to energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions. She also asked DSCE to benefit from the services offered by DeG for government authorities, since that is the role for which Dubai eGovernment was established.

National wisdomThe visiting delegation from DSCE

appreciated Dubai eGovernment for its support and praised its contribution in spurring Dubai’s eTransformation, as well as successfully overcoming various challenges; to achieve common objectives and goals for building a knowledge-based economy in Dubai.

DSCE was established in 2009 under the chairmanship of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the vice-chairmanship of Saeed Al Tayer.•

خالل لقاء املجل�س الأعلى للطاقة وحكومة دبي الإلكرتونية

During the meeting between the DeG and the DSCE

DeG contributes to establishing a knowledge-based economy in an environment that ensures sustainable development for the Emirate of Dubai

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Cover Story

Dubai moves ahead steadily accomplishing objectives with the aim of materializing its leadership’s smart vision. Dubai Statistics Center (DSC), after six years of its launch, has become one of the most prominent Statistics Centres worldwide and is ready now to announce its new strategy.

e4all interviewed HE Arif Obaid Al Muhairi, Executive Director of DSC, to hear about the Center’s success story, the structure of the strategic plan and the role of electronic infrastructure in its success.

Mohammed Bin Rashid launches DSC’s strategic plan Enhanced by a state-of-the-art online infrastructure

How did you manage to build the new strategic plan for Dubai Statistics Center and why is this one different from the previous ones?

We are privileged in the emirate of Dubai to have a wise leadership which invests heavily in a transparent corporate business and urge all government departments to adopt it. We started building our own strategic plan immediately after the Dubai Strategic Plan had been issued. We, like all other government departments, are committed to implement scientific methodology in our work that is linked to numerous initiatives, objectives and topics and that should be achieved in a specific period of time.

At DSC, we studied the plan and identified our role in it. We followed the same steps and model that is adopted by Dubai

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Strategic Plan in order to reach for the added value and achieve the different objectives needed from the emirate’s leadership.

Not to forget here the great support that we received from the General Secretariat of the Executive Council who provided us with all technical help and guidance we needed.

But DSC is a central government department and cannot work on its own. Partnerships and cooperation with other government departments are needed to build a statistical database. Have you invited and involved other departments in your planning process?

We are fully aware of this fact, so, from the very first day, we partnered with all relevant departments such as the Department of Economic Development, DTCM, Free Zone, Ports, and Customs Authority, Land Departments, Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Chamber and KHDA.

Other departments that were involved included Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, DNRD, Dubai Health Authority, and RTA. A total of 25 departments have been involved in our strategic plan. Work teams included more than 290 experts and government officials who took part in 90 workshops.

What are the components of DSC’s strategic plan?There are 3 bases for the plan:

1. Dubai Government: Dubai Government and its strategic plan are our main priority, and this includes the Center’s strategic partners such as Dubai Government’s departments.

2. Business community: Providing statistical support to the business community is very strategic and important to investors, existing businesses or prospective ones. Official transparent accessible data is one of the bases to enhance competitiveness and attract foreign investments.

3. Society: All segments of society are a very important part in the statistical plan. The Center’s services are not restricted

to a certain group of people: scholars, researchers, media people, consultancies and many others can benefit from the Center and its data and statistics.

The strategic axes intersect with the strategic themes horizontally and vertically in an accurate way to serve the strategic objectives. The plan consists of three strategic themes:• Decisionmakingsupport• Transparency• Standardization

What are the most important objectives that the plan seeks to achieve?

Some of the most important objectives that the plan seeks to achieve are:• Providing statistical support to government decision

makers.• Supportingplanningandperformanceindicatorprocesses

by providing survey and scanning information across the society’s wide spectrum of segments.

• Providing integrated indicatorsandstatistical informationto all demographic, social and economic sectors.

• Building a unified statistical body for the whole emiratebased on best practices.

What is new in your strategic plan?There are many things that can be considered fundamental

additions to our strategic plan. On top of these are the fact that the Center has officially become the only approved and appointed government department to conduct surveys in Dubai. We’ve built a state-of-the-art eSystem that is linked to a direct board of indicators to do surveys. The results of the survey are shown instantly to the decision maker which helps in saving time, money, and effort unlike the case in traditional polling. This helps in making decision making process a practice that is based on updated data and facts.

But how could you do without traditional surveys that are generally more accurate and professional in polling?

We studied that matter very carefully before taking any steps taking into account the technical controls and standards that ensure perfect data and polling. We managed to set up

ق�سم رئي�س ال�سعفوري ث��اين �سيخة ال�سيدة التخطيط والتطوير

Arif Al Muhairi: 25 departments involved in our strategic plan; team works include more than 290 experts and government officials

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid launching the DSC strategyArif Obaid Al MuhairiExecutive Director of DSC

August 2012 - Issue 106

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a method in which we can conduct polls and surveys online with a greater efficiency and neutrality.

We also managed to add some features that couldn’t have been adopted through traditional manual tools. This includes expanding the surveyed segment if needed and getting immediate and interactive results which means more accuracy and speedy decision making.

How many surveys and polls have been done through the electronic system so far?

We have done 42 polls and surveys so far since the beginning of this year and have been delivered to relevant decision makers. Government departments, with the new system, saved because they used to pay lots of money to private companies to conduct polls and surveys for them.

The system is considered one of the leading experiences in the field because it deals with any technical loopholes the e-polling process may experience. Samples are taken and verified to check their compatibility and relevance to the topic of the survey using the best international practices and standards to provide accurate information to decision makers and help in wise planning.

How could you overcome the duplicity of disclosure of statistics between government departments and yourselves?

In fact, this problem doesn’t exist now especially after the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai to our Center. His Highness has urged all departments to cooperate with the Center in its capacity as the only official statistics body in the emirate.

So, the only verified and accurate information are the ones that the Center issues. Other releases from other departments are either specific data related to their own activities or studies that are based on official statistics approved by the Center.

Furthermore, we have worked on partnerships with different government bodies. We tied these departments to the eStatistics system to be the means and tools they can use. So our statistics system is unified and we are all partners in it. We deal with the same system and there is no possibility of any clash or contradiction.

But unifying electronic systems and building a specialized base of users who are capable of dealing with it efficiently serve as an obstacle to the application of a number of central systems in the eGovernment. How did you overcome that problem and manage to reach for a specialized user base to your system?

The system itself is very simple and convenient. The interface is simple in structure and design and doesn’t need qualified people to deal with it. This increased the number of users and increased their loyalty and frequency. On the other hand, we divided the users into different segments:

Decision makers: we provided this segment with Dubai statistical indicator system taking into account their specific needs which were given highest priority. The data are illustrated in smart charts and interactive screens that enable users to access information very conveniently.

The planners: we provided this segment with our eStatistics system. They are empowered by smart screens that allow

users to customize, build and create their own reports based on the data we have.

Our systems were integrated with most of the data sources in Dubai to minimize manual data entry and all the hassle that it makes.

Does that have impact on the speed of building your statistical indicators?

Of course, we are now scoring record numbers in some indicators. We can update data and review it against Dubai statistical indicator system which is regularly viewed by the decision makers.

The Center has also managed to reduce time span need to issue different statistical indicators as a wide segment of Dubai’s statistical indicators are issued on a monthly basis which used to be issued on a yearly basis before. This encouraged a number of international organizations to recommend our experience and urged others to imitate it and adopt it.

Have you exported that successful experience to other emirates or other countries?

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum always urges us to cooperate and integrate with other government departments. On the federal level, we have a strategic partnership with the National Statistics Center; we work together in issuing the official statistics for the country by providing it with Dubai’s data and indicators based on unified technical tools and methodologies. We have representatives in the National Statistics Center’s board of directors, and are represented in the consultative committee and in the Statistical Coordination Committee. We also have partnerships and representatives with other relevant federal and local departments in the UAE.

We always offer our training and consultative support to other local and federal departments to help them set up similar systems like ours. We also receive delegates from other countries who come to learn from our experience in the field.

What do you need from Dubai eGovernment? Dubai eGovernment is one of our strategic partners. We

receive limitless support from it through the central services that it delivers and the eSolutions system which we use in our administration and finance systems.

Dubai eGovernment also supports us in marketing our services and communicating with the public, especially with their generous coverage of our news and activities in “e4all Magazine”. We also participate in the eGovernment stand at Gitex every year which is a big added value for us. I would like to thank HE Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, and would like also to commend the strategic corporate partnership between us, and we hope to sustain this fruitful partnership to contribute to the success of Dubai. •

Supporting businesses with statistics is a priority for DSC and 42 polls and surveys have been conducted since the beginning of the year

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An artist’s impression of the mosque. The mosque will be one of the largest in Dubai set on a footprint of 105,000 square feet with enough space to host roughly 3,500 worshipers.

The quest to create a more ecologically sound Dubai received a boost on Monday with the announcement of

the emirate’s first “eco-friendly mosque” by the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF).

The Dh20 million project is reviewing seven tenders submitted by contractors and is expected to save energy, reduce water use and negate hazardous building materials.

The foundation has also hired a UK environmental consultant to draft a construction plan that will ensure maximum energy and water savings out of the project.

Tayeb Abdul Rahman Al Rais, secretary general, AMAF, said in an interview on Monday that the 45,000 square-foot mosque will be built by the end of 2013 near the Al Rowad village adjacent the Clock Tower Roundabout in Deira.

“This is the first green mosque all the way in the Middle East,” Al Rais told Gulf News. “Hopefully, this will become the standard of all the mosques in the future. It should blend in with the environment; it will be very low maintenance.”

The mosque will be one of the largest in Dubai set on a footprint of 105,000 square feet with enough space to host roughly 3,500 worshipers.

Constructed of a very basic design, the mosque will have gardens on the roof to beat back the sun during the day and will also utilise solar panels to heat water used for ablution and the residence of the Imam.

The mosque will be extremely energy efficient, include thermal insulation and be designed to use natural light to cut down on the need for artificial lighting.

eMonitor

A total of Dh1 billion has been collected and more than one million transactions from the trading community have been conducted via Rosoom, the electronic payment gateway of Dubai Trade, the leading cross-border trade facilitator under Dubai World.

The milestone, which was reached recently following nearly four years since the gateway was launched, underpins the big success Rosoom enjoys with the trading community.

The highly-secure, flexible and innovative payment gateway complements Dubai Trade’s eServices platform, which allow importers, exporters, shipping agents, freight forwarders, customs brokers and transport companies to initiate and complete online all the procedures and processes, including

payment, for the various services and facilities offered by DP World, Jafza and DMCC.

This is done via a single window that is shared between users and all concerned authorities, allowing for swift, trouble-free and cost effective operations for both clients and authorities.

Rosoom offers users multiple online payment options, covering credit, debit and prepaid cards such as eDirham, to facilitate payments in a safe and secure environment. Dubai Trade has also integrated Rosoom with the online payment systems of several key banks internationally and locally, making it easier and more secure for trading clients of these banks to use Rosoom. These include Mashreq bank, Emirates NBD, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Dubai

Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank, HSBC, Habib Bank and Standard Chartered.

Additionally, Dubai Trade has recently developed a highly innovative online payment solution that combines the convenience and ease of use of payment cards with higher security and real-time management of payments.

ePayment transactions at Dubai Trade hit Dh1 billion

Dubai’s first green mosque by 2013 will meet all water, energy standards

August 2012 - Issue 106

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Ramadan in Dubai

eServices in Dubai go beyond fines, transactions and official procedures to provide an added value to the community’s faith and religious spirit. This added value is derived from a package of various eServices provided by some government entities and charitable organizations operating in the UAE through all remote channels of communication, be they websites, mobile phones or call centres.

Ramadan in DubaiThe official portal of Dubai government (dubai.ae) provides

a life event titled “Practising your religion in Dubai”. This life event features some sub-life events that contain many eServices related to Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr. These sub-life events are:• RamadaninDubai• KnowingprayertimesandRamadancalendar• ListeningtoHolyQuranandreligiouslectures• Donatingforcharity• ReligiouscounselingthroughFatwa• PayingyourZakat• EidAlFitrinDubai

This life event features a number of links that make it vivid and add to its information. It includes the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which calls on the public to submit suggestions for the best Ramadan initiatives through Facebook (facebook.com/HHSheikhMohammed) and Twitter (twitter.com/HHShkMohd).

The Zakat Fund has also launched two new services for 2012: “Fatwa” and “Pay your Zakat online” within the interactive voice response (IVR) system. In addition, the Dubai International Holy Quran Award is carrying on itsactivities through a dedicated satellite channel. In an initiative to familiarize people with its activities and Ramadan campaign

titled “And whatever good you spend is for yourselves” in an up-to-date manner, the Beit Al Khair Society has adopted an online promotion method.

The sub-life event provides links to several services, the most important of which are the Faster’s Guide, Ramadan in Dubai from Dubai Guide and the directory for new Muslims “Let’s converse with you” from the IACAD.

Knowing prayer times and Ramadan calendar

Dubai eGovernment, in co-operation with the IACAD, provides an SMS service for inquiring about prayer timings as well as the timings of Iftar and Imsak during the holy month of Ramadan. Send the code P to 4488 to get the timings.

For further information on the service and how to use it, please call AskDubai on 7000 40000.

Fasting in Ramadan comes to an end with the appearance of the Shawwal crescent marking the first day of Eid Al Fitr when Muslims celebrate following the rituals they have performed. They, however, must not forget to invite their needy fellow human beings to share with them in their happiness.

The sub-life event provides links to significant services such as the Ramadan calendar and prayer timings from the IACAD www.iacad.gov.ae

Listening to Holy Quran and religious lectures

Ramadan is full of diverse religious activities including guidance programmes that add to Muslims’ faith through lectures given by an elite group of leading scholars from the UAE and the four directions of the Islamic world. One of these activities is Ramadan Forum, which is organized by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). In this year’s forum held under the slogan of “A Breeze of

Comprehensive eServices for Ramadan in Dubai

Mercy”, the DTCM will provide the mental map for pondering overandmemorizingtheHolyQuran.

The activities of the Dubai International Holy QuranAward will be broadcast on Sama Dubai and Noor Dubai channels together with a dedicated channel, while Holy Quran recitationsand lectures inArabic,EnglishandUrduwill be transmitted via four satellites.

As part of its annual preparations for mass activities for the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) has announced a list of lectures and activities with the participation of the Direction and Guidance Department and the Fatwa and Research Department.

The official portal of Dubai Government (dubai.ae) has a group of significant links to those interested in listening to theHolyQuran.

These include: • VisualQuranCorner–http://islam.maktoob.com• ReadHolyQuranElectronically–www.quranflash.com• RamadanOasis–www.iacad.gov.ae• Tableoflecturesofthe16theditionofDubaiInternational

HolyQuranAward2012–www.dubaiquranaward.ae

Donating for charityPhilanthropists seek charitable organizations through

which to give alms to the needy. Funds may be raised in Dubai only after obtaining the approval of the IACAD. Those interested in raising funds have to visit the IACAD’s headquarters or access its website www.iacad.gov.ae to obtain the necessary licences.

Donors can donate to many charities involved in providing aid to the needy people inside and outside the UAE. They can also view a list of Dubai-licensed charities. The IACAD has set the Zakat Al Fitr and Fasters’ Iftar at AED15 each.

Below are the most important websites of the charity associations operating in the UAE that provide 24/7 online services to fasters: • DubaiCharityAssociation:www.dubaicharity.org.ae• HumanAppealInternational:www.hai.ae• The Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and

Humanitarian Foundation: www.zayedchf.com • DubaiCares:www.dubaicares.ae• BeitAlKhairSociety:www.beitalkhair.org• DarAlBerSociety:www.daralber.ae• Online donation through SMS – General Authority of

Islamic Affairs and Endowments• Fasters’Iftarcampaign–UAERedCrescentSociety

The UAE Red Crescent Society provides a set of services that are not exclusively associated with Ramadan but are more active during the holy month.

One of the most prominent of these services is online donation through the following link: www.rcuae.ae/Donation/Pages/online.aspx.

The website also provides the service of donation via SMS to specific accounts given in one list.

Religious counselling through FatwaThe IACAD’s website, www.iacad.gov.ae, provides an

online fatwa service where a Muslim can see a list of the

main classification of fatwas or use the database to search for fatwa. However, if an inquirer cannot find any examples of answers to his/her question, he/she can click on “Fatwa Request” to send a question and receive the correct ruling either through direct contact or automated answer. Below are the most important websites for Zakat-related fatwa request:• YasalonakOnline–ZakatFund:www.zf.ae• AutomatedAnswerinArabicandEnglish–ZakatFund:on

toll-free number 80083333• Fatwa email-Zakat Fund: this service allows those

interested in sending a fatwa to the email address fatwa@zakatfund.ae.

Paying your ZakatOne of the most important services provided on the

Zakat Fund’s website, www.zf.ae, is “Calculate My Zakat”. This helpful calculator calculates the amount of the due type of Zakat in any currency requested by donors with the possibility of paying the Zakat online via multiple channels.

In 2012, the Zakat Fund launched a service for Fatwa and Zakat calculation through its IVR system where a donor can call the toll-free number 80083333, ask a question and get an answer within minutes from the Fund’s mufti during office hours or alternatively register a fatwa request and get a reference number.

The Zakat Fund’s website also provides a VIP service andZakatRequest–Onlineforminadditiontomobilenetforpaying Zakat through your mobile and receiving an answer within two working days.

Eid Al Fitr in DubaiMuslims worldwide celebrate two Eids annually: Eid Al

Fitr and Eid Al Adha. The Eid season in Dubai, which starts several days before Eid and several days after it, is paid special attention to by the official organizations affiliated to Dubai Government, particularly the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, www.dubaicalendar.ae, which has unveiled the main attractions for the third edition of Eid Al Fitr celebrations. These celebrations have become a significant event within Dubai’s agenda of annual artistic and entertaining activities that render holidays in Dubai a special occasion.

While enjoying an overwhelming time during the two Eids, Muslims will not forget to share this joy with the needy people by giving them Eid clothing through the various associations across the UAE, which meet the needs of needy families, enabling their children to ward off the feelings of anxiety and fear when they meet other children on the morning of Eid. There are authorized associations in Dubai to receive donations that cover the value of the Eid clothing. One of these associations is Dubai Charity Association, www.dubaicharity.org.

Below are the most important links on dubai.ae which are concerned with paying Eid Al Fitr Zakat and Eid clothing: • BeitAlKhairSociety:www.beitalkhair.org• DarAlBerSociety:www.daralber.ae• Online donation through SMS– General Authority of

Islamic Affairs and Endowments: www.awqaf.ae. •August 2012 - Issue 106

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August 2012 - Issue 106

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eStandards

Since Dubai eGovernment was the first eTransformation initiative in the region, the Policy, Advisory and Knowledge Services set the standards for providing eServices to customers. A typical example of this is the Government Websites Excellence Model (GWEM), which creates the standards and policies for government websites in Dubai. In this article, e4all reproduces the most important parts of GWEM so that readers beyond government circles can benefit from eTransformation policies. In this issue we will cover the “Content” guidelines.

Content is the kingThe content available on a website is a very crucial

element in ensuring the success of website in meeting users’ needs and expectations. The content needs to be alive, current, accurate, relevant and easy to read for users in order to have a reason to return to the site again. Though the control of content on a website is left to the respective government entity to decide in line with their objectives, below are some guidelines that government entities should follow to ensure common, structured and proper content on their websites:

Guideline: Provide Effective and Efficient Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the website

TheFrequentlyAskedQuestionsorcommonlyreferredtoasFAQisanonlinepagethatposesaseriesofcommonlyencountered questions and answers on specific topics. The FAQhasbecomeafeatureoftheInternet.Allovertheworld,government websites often refer users to a FAQ beforeasking them to email their questions, which help in cutting down on customer support efforts and costs while increasing the resolution time of customer inquiries.

GovernmentwebsitecanprovideFAQatdifferentlevels,e.g. general site related questions, general entity related questions, service specific questions, etc. Below are some

guidelines government entities should follow to ensure an effectiveandefficientFAQsection:

• FAQ link should be available at a consistent locationthroughout the website. If the FAQ is related to thewebsite the link should be placed either in the header or in the footer.

• The FAQ page should be user friendly; the list ofquestions can be organized according to frequency or if the list is long then grouping or categorization is strongly recommended. The questions should be relevant to the group or the category.

• Afacilitytoaskanewquestionshouldbeavailableincasethe user request is not fulfilled.

Guideline: Provide Sufficient Information about Government Entity Services & eServices

Almost all government entities provide services to individuals and businesses in the form of either transactional, interactive or informational form . It is always important that the entities provide detailed information about their services on the website. For the users it should be convenient to access a Service or an eService with minimum effort on an entity’s website. Also, the users should have the option of reaching an eService through different ways including effective search function, site map and direct URL.

The list of services should include all the services regardless of delivery channels. The service information page should include the below service information:

• Service Name: the name of the service should be self-explanatory; the user should not need to read the service description unless he/she needs more information.

• Service Description: a brief description about the service.

• Service Requirements: details of the requirements needed for this service (e.g. documents).

• Service Procedures: list of steps needed for this service, the steps should be clear and available in sequence.

• Service Forms: if the services require form(s) to be filled, an option should be available to download.

• Service Expected Completion Time: The expected average time to complete this service.

• Service Fees: the fees for this service (in some cases different fees might be required depending on certain conditions).

• Service Centers: physical locations to access the service.

• An Option to Perform the Service Online: if the service is available online an option such as “online”, “Perform it online” should be available.

• mDubai Push and Pull Services: The sms service provided by Dubai eGovernment: if the service is available through mdubai, the sms codes used for this service should be mentioned. •

The Government Websites Excellence Model provides Guidelines for Dubai Government Websites

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ADTA launches an eGuide on Ramadan in various languages

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority ADTA (www.adta.ae) has recently launched an eGuide on the holy month of Ramadan on its website. The guide provides a wide range of information on ambience, rituals, values and customs of the holy month in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.

Visitors can browse the guide to learn about the conduct that should be followed during Ramadan and the unique values and ambience of Abu Dhabi’s society during the holy month. Visitors can also get a glimpse of Abu Dhabi’s life style during the month through different activities that they can pursue.

Visitors to the emirate can enjoy free trips to the Zayed Grand Mosque escorted by tourist guides who will explain to them the significance of the holy month and its values. They can visit the annual Eid and Ramadan Festival at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), or enjoy Iftar or Suhur meals in the Ramadan tents or benefit from the promotions available during the month.

The guide is an added value that enriches the website’s content. The website serves as a unified portal with lots of information in 8 languages about entertainment, touristic, cultural and heritage events in the emirate.

The website also includes a search engine for hotels which has a wide range of promotions and updated information about available rooms on more than 50 booking search engines worldwide. It is also linked to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ Flickr and will be of interest to enable visitors to share their thoughts, impressions and comments.

Under the auspices and supervision of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf will be organizing a guest program for the respected Islamic scholars during the holy month of Ramadan. A number of senior intellectuals and scholars will take part in the program’s events. They will deliver lectures in mosques and social organizations, and will take part in radio and TV programs. The public can attend these events whether on TV or on site.

You can view the details of this program, the names of participating scholars and the locations of the mosques where lectures will be delivered by visiting the Authority’s website: www.awqaf.ae.

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Sharjah Government’s eLibrary

The Sharjah portal www.sharjah.ae is working hard to develop tools of government information and knowledge delivery to the public. Now, the portal users can enjoy the convenient and highly advanced services of the online library.

The eLibrary includes Sharjah government’s monthly and yearly publications and periodicals.

The library aims at providing rich statistical data and content to government officials, investors, and experts who conduct surveys to help build future studies on the emirate and contribute to its development.

HH President’s guest program

eCountry

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GRP

Dubai eGovernment represents an excellent model and unique experience at the level of regional eGovernments. In providing its services, Dubai eGovernment relies on five basic mainstays, these being Direct Public Services, Core & Channel Enabling Services, Government Resources Planning (GRP) Services, Collaboration, Connectivity and Infrastructure Enabling Services and Policy, Advisory & Knowledge Services.

The concept of connected government is most embodied in the government resources planning systems, which bring together all the financial, operating, logistic and HR systems at the Dubai Government level and allow a decision-maker to run government departments from the financial and operational viewpoints as if they were one firm.

One of the most important benefits that the government makes from the GRP system is the unified upgrade of the systems by Dubai eGovernment before being directly rolled out to all the government departments connected to the system.

Major upgrade plan In line with its strategic trends towards achieving electronic

connection and integration among Dubai government entities as per the world’s best practices, Dubai eGovernment notified these entities and departments that it updated a work plan for upgrading the GRP systems after a pre-final test period (conference room pilot CRP2) was added to these systems, the user acceptance test (UAT) of which would be held on August 26 and continue up till September 13. Participation in the test will be limited to 20 power users representing 10 government entities whose transaction procedures were not consistent with the approach adopted by all other Dubai government entities due to the nature of their work.

Earlier, Dubai eGovernment’s call on government entities to participate in the work plan for the GRP upgrade project to version R12, which was prepared by its working team, received a great response and saw intensive presence between July 1-16 of more than 400 users representing the government entities that applied the GRP systems for preparing for the tests.

It is noteworthy that Dubai eGovernment upgraded the GRP database, analyzed the new features and the procedures adopted in it and tested the routes of these systems including the HR, payroll, financial, supply chain and asset management systems.•

GRP Upgrade Timetable

Project period From To User’s responsibility

Pre-final test of the system (CRP2)

July 15

August 15

Testing the application thoroughly as per the related regulations.Logging the issues in the issue log.

Closing the pre-final test period

August 15

Exclusive to Dubai eGovernment

User acceptance test of the system

August 26

Septem

ber 13

Testing the application thoroughly as per the related regulations.Logging the issues in the issue log.

Training courses for the power users who have not attended them between July 1-16

Septem

ber 16

Septem

ber 30

Reviewing the manuals provided thoroughly and ensuring effective presence.

Training end users in the departments

Septem

ber 30

October 11

Reviewing the manuals provided thoroughly and trying the features hands on.

System upgrade procedures

October 21

October 28

Performing all the pre-upgrade tasks as provided by the project team.Logging the issues in the issue log.

Updating work plan in GRP for Dubai government entities

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eVoting

The nominated logos for the UAE Nation Brand

Some of the nation brands

Based on the directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to upload the designs of the UAE’s nation brand online for public voting, we invite you to take part in selecting one of the 5 designs that appear on this page.

Why do we need a Nation Brand?

Many countries around the world actively promote their Nation Brand, or a unique and memorable visual identity, to summarize the major distinctive features of their country, establish a

unique position in people’s minds, and serve national interests. Below are examples of nation brands for countries from around the world:

What is the UAE Nation Brand?

Thus, the nation brand logo that you are going to choose is not a new logo for the government. It is a promotional logo for the UAE that shall be used to tell its story through numerous applications such as national advertisements, regional and international promotional events, TV shows, printed materials, etc.

How to vote?Users can select the nation brand

design that reflects the UAE’s global economic and political status and its diverse and attractive cultural and business environment, which make it a leading destination for tourism, economic, and cultural activities.

Designs that appear in the page can be checked by clicking on each design, reading its concept and viewing the applications. Also, users can read the nation brand briefing document before they start the voting process.

Users can vote for only one of the designs no later than 11:59 pm on Saturday, September 15th, 2012. Note: Participation period has been extended from 18-July-2012 until 15-Sept-2012, in order to include as many votes, comments, and recommendations as possible.

In case you would like to share your suggestions or designs as well, you can reach the organizers at nationbrand@uaepm.ae.•

Participate in selecting your favourite Nation Brand for the UAE

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eHeritage

What is a Nol Card?This is a smart card that was

launched by RTA for convenient payment of transportation fees. It can be used for the Dubai Metro, public buses, water buses and for parking fees. The four types of Nol cards are red, blue, silver and gold.

Nol eServicesRTA provides a group of

eServices that are related to Nol through the website www.nol.ae. The services include: • RechargingNolcards• ObtainingnewNolcards• TurningtheNolcardintoanID

card• Summary of previous

transactions• Full review of previous

transactions • Reportingamissingcard

What does Nol mean?

Emirati people used the word ‘Nol’ to mean ‘fare’. The word is also used in Egypt with a different pronunciation and spelling ‘Nolon’.

Sheikh Jalal Al Hanafi Al-Baghdadi said that the word is true in meaning and spelling. It is derived from the Arabic word ‘Noul’ which means giving, and the verb ‘Nala’ which means to get something. The word Noul has been used twice in Tabari History to mean the fare of a ship (part one, page 368 in the story of The good man and Moses - peace be upon Him)

Nol: smart transport card with a host of eServices

Nations with a rich heritage find it easier to advance. One such nation is the UAE, which has served as a model for other countries in the region, due to its success and prosperity, as well as its heritage, value and culture. The link with the past

is retained by our innovative leaders, even in the eTransformation process, with some eServices having names that are linked to the past.

This page will list a number of services that carry the names of popular proverbs.

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Voices

How do you use your mobile

to follow up Ramadan and

Eid events?

Meshal Al Hammadi: I had installed my mobile with many

Islamic applications. The Holy Quranis the most important as well as the prayers reminder. I purchase these applications regularly, although free versions are available. I consider these applications a real investment for me. I startedtopreferreadingtheQuranfrommy iPad in the mosque and on the go as well.

Amer Al Khajah: I follow up all the activities and events related to Ramadan and the Eid

through my mobile phone. I have an iPhone and a Blackberry. I subscribe to the local news service on each of them. These services are marvellous and enable me to follow up everything in UAE as it happens. I depend on these services to plan my tasks, especially Ramadan activities. I receive notifications about many lectures and events happening in Dubai.

I think the eGovernment should integrate with these local news services to promote its activities and events. This is better than re-inventing the wheel and creating a stand-alone news service to cover government events.

Wadha Al Amri:I tried to follow the activities of

Ramadan and Eid through the Twitter account of Dubai Government. However, I found each department tweeting on its own account. I hope all these tweets can be aggregated in one account so that I can receive all the updates and events easily and immediately.

Adnan Darwish:I don’t use my mobile phone for any

of the government eServices related to Ramadan and Eid. This is because these services are not well promoted to convince people to adopt them. I think government departments should pay more attention to the awareness of eServices among the users. Once I know about the useful eServices I can access though my mobile, I will be more than happy to adopt and make use of them. Many services related to Ramadan and the Eid are quite important to all the people.

This service can be obtained through Zakat Fund’s website www.zf.ae

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Pay your Zakat online

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eServices Wizard

A package of Zakat payment options will appear including credit cards, direct bank transfers and other options.

On the homepage of the website click the link “Payment” on the header.

If payment via a credit card is selected, an online form will appear containing payment information and the amount of Zakat. The form should be filled out carefully and sent for the Zakat to be deducted from the customer’s credit card.

For further information on the provisions and fatwa related to the Zakat, you can call the toll free number:

8008333

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