Open data to add Dh10.4b annually to Dubai’s economy | Dubai Financial Market

"Data has the potential to add Dh10.4 billion to Dubai’s economy every year, according to the Dubai Data Report, released on Tuesday. Smart Dubai, who published the report in partnership with KPMG, said that these gains could be realized by 2021. 'The public sector alone can add a value of Dh6.6 billion to the economy every year,' Younus Al Nassar, Assistant Director General, Smart Dubai, said at Arabnet on Tuesday. 'We wanted to prioritise data sets that were most valuable to the economy. We discovered that geospatial is the most valuable, followed by traffic and transport,' Al Nassar added. Despite appearing abstract, open data can indeed have a material impact on the economy. When Transport For London (TfL), which oversees all of London’s transport systems, opened up its data to the public, there was an immediate consequence. Information like passenger numbers, route usage levels, traffic disruptions, and peak hours spurred significant investment from the private sector, according to Heather Sharp, Director of Economics, KPMG."