According to H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Rail PJSC, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network, “Construction of the UAE’s cutting-edge national rail network exemplifies this nation’s determination in developing a fully diversified economy”. Furthermore, “Transportation and logistics are two of the strategic economic sectors which make up the UAE Vision 2021 and Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030”.
The insights by the Chairman expressed above underscores the important challenge that Etihad Rail has to further strengthen the infrastructure and economic development of the UAE. The railway network will be built in phases to link the principal centers of population and industry of the UAE, as well as to form a vital part of the planned GCC railway network linking with the other countries of the GCC.
Etihad Rail has identified information technology as one of its key enablers towards becoming one of the most advanced rail systems in the world. In 2019, and as of the key initiatives of Etihad Rail Digital Transformation Program, the Company commissioned GPC-GIS as the consultant to help them design and develop a business-centric GIS Roadmap and implementation plan for an enterprise-wide GIS at Etihad Rail. GPC-GIS team of consultants has worked closely with the Company staff and other stakeholders to gain a clear understanding of the current and future needs and to align the GIS development with other key business functions and systems that are either existing or planned for the future. As envisioned, the GIS is to provide the foundation for a geo-empowered “digital twin” of the Etihad Rail network, facilities and operations that can be used to fully plan, design, construct and manage the full lifecycle of the enterprise into the future.
Geospatial information and technology will be utilized to both enhance existing and future business application systems and as a foundation for systems integration and interoperability. It is envisioned that the Etihad Rail geospatially-enabled digital twin environment will over time incorporate new and emerging trends of technology such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and other innovations in technology to support the continuous advancement and streamlining of Etihad Rail operations and increase safety and profitability, while providing premium reliability and safe services to its customers.