IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Two working sessions were held on the final day on ‘regional experiences in the field of e-authentication’ and ‘economy and technology in e-authentication’.

He said ITA has set up Oman Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Oman CERT) to get international and regional cooperation and create security awareness within the country. In order to enhance IT security capability, Oman CERT has taken several initiatives and provides services to both public and private sectors.

The jury of 11 international and two national panelists will evaluate the 70 projects over five days.

There are 58 projects from 27 government entities, seven from the private sector and five from the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector.

CrimsonLogic, a leading provider of eGovernment solutions and services headquartered in Singapore, has announced that it has won a contract to plan, develop and launch Oman's first National Single Electronic Window (SEW) for the Directorate General of Customs (Royal Oman Police. Also as part of the project, the company will roll out an enhanced Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) to replace the existing one.

Single Electronic Window is a platform that allows trading communities to lodge standardised information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil import, export and transit-related regulatory requirements. The Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) will allow Directorate General of Customs to enhance customs administration in meeting current economic and globalisation trends and standards.

A number of people has been visiting the portal regularly and making use of the various services provided by the site which is powered by the ITA (Information Technology Authority). In January 2013 alone, 70,459 people visited the portal resulting in transactions through the e-payment gateway worth RO 467,856. These figures were 25,830 and 371,143 respectively in June 2012, according to the statistics provided by the ITA.

Recent news reveals more about the Sultan Haitham City project and its stages that have started. This ambitious national project is tied to the term "smart city," which represents a new phase in human civilisation adopting what is known as the”digital society”.

The Sultanate of Oman's ambition to keep up with digital and technological advancements is based on the vision of the country's leader, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. His Majesty has given special attention to digital projects and their role in sustainable development, and the Sultan Haitham City project reflects this noble vision.

The second edition of Oman International Trade & Exhibitions' (OITE) Smart Cities & Smart Cities summit explores roles of AI and IoT in advancing economy Industry 4.0 Summit, a part of Comex Business, began on Tuesday at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It was inaugurated by H E Dr Yahya bin Nasser al Khusaibi, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The Research Council (TRC)’s Smart City Platform, a collaborative initiative between TRC, the Supreme Council of Planning, Muscat Municipality and Information Technology Authority, has announced the competition’s winners for the best application to monitor people infected with COVID-19.

The competition aimed to combat the pandemic in a national level by providing an electronic app that aids in the process of containing the spread of the virus in the Omani society with the help of concerned institutions in supporting the apps and determining its mechanisms to contain the virus.

This was stated by Khamis Al Farsi, DG of Commerce at MoCI at the SMEs Symposium at Sultan Qaboos University on Monday. The station, which will smoothen interaction between companies and authorities, will also enable electronic registration of business entities.

On June 9, Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, the minister of transport and communications, set out the government’s mid-term aims regarding broadband coverage, saying that more than 60% of Oman should have access to broadband services by 2017.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MUHP) announced its plans for establishing a smart city in Suhar today at the Suhar Investment Forum.

According to a Ministry official, the city will be 6,240,000 sq m and will include 15 neighborhoods, two central parks, a museum, a university, an exhibition center, and a sports center.

The recently-launched Sultan Haitham City is expected to set a new benchmark in smart and sustainable city development which is expected to be a boon for the future generations and benefit all segments of society.

Themed “Treasure the Future”, Sultan Haitham City will be built in Wilayat of Seeb and will showcase 12 global standards of quality of life and welfare.

For the final phase of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in e-government 2016, the Information Technology Authority (ITA) will be organising a function at the Sultan Qaboos University Cultural Centre, Grand Hall on December 6.

The function will be organised under the patronage of Dr. Abdul Munim bin Mansour Al Hasani, Minister of Information.

Under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry, deputy chairman of the Supreme Council for Planning, and some senior officials from the government and private sectors, people would be awarded for their achievements and innovations in eGovernment. The guest of honour will be Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia.

Speaking at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2011 event held at Hotel Grand Hyatt, he said there has been considerable focus on improving the information and communication technology services in the Sultanate over the years. He said that the recent data proves that the Sultanate has not only improved its services it has also consolidated its position in the area.

The Sultanate captured two awards at the public sector for the best technology project in the Arab world at 17th version of Sheikh Salim al- Ali IT Awards.

The awards organising committee announced in Kuwait that ‘Advanced Manpower System’ of the Ministry of Manpower and “ Governmental Cloud’ of Information Technology Authority won two awards at the best technology project in the Arab world category.

The Sultanate's delegation to the conference is led by Dr. Salim bin Sultan al-Ruzaiqi, CEO of the ITA. The delegation includes a number of representatives of the public organizations.

Information Technology Authority (ITA ) received the best e-government mobile services on the Arab level in social affairs category for the donation portal for charitable organisation applications. The Public Authority for Consumer Protection received the best e-government mobile service on the Arab level in economy and trade category for the smart phone guide application.

The report pointed out to the growth made by the Sultanate in the field of e-government, as well as the successful policies adopted by the government in this field which helped the Sultanate to get this rank, 18 positions better compared to 2010. The Sultanate came sixth on the Arab level in the same report

Oman was ranked 64 in 2013 and the 16-rank improvement is due to many factors under the e-oman flagship and the movement towards the e-government transformation plan.