PRESS RELEASE   ABU DHABI MUNICIPALITY LAUNCHES “SMART CITIES” SERIES TO ENGAGE POLICY MAKERS AND BUSINESS LEADERS   ABU DHABI, UAE – Entities in the UAE should work together and share knowledge openly to advance the creation of the Internet of Things (IoT) framework that will power the digital transformation of Abu Dhabi, said experts at “The Role of IoT in Smart Cities,” as part of the Smart Cities Tamakkan BrainTrust held by the Abu Dhabi City Municipality. The event, which was hosted by the Beach Rotana Residences, brought together government and private institutions as well as academics who discussed new trends, challenges and insights on the role of IoT in building the shaping Smart Cities and Abu Dhabi’s nextgen vision. The ‘braintrust’ is a gathering of highly informed individuals from diverse backgrounds who engage in open conversation and the sharing of thoughts, fears, opinions and plans on how to solve real world problems together. The purpose of holding it, as articulated by Omar Al Hashmi, Director at the Abu Dhabi Municipality’s Knowledge Management and Innovation Department, is: “to create a platform for real and substantive dialogue, and involve all the players at both government and private sector level to be part of the conversation.”     Sami Al Hashimi, Head of Smart Cities and Infrastructure at the Abu Dhabi Municipality discussed some of the new technologies that are being launched across the city of Abu Dhabi, and that are envisioned for the future. The panelists of the event also included Fadi Shanaah, Regional Director, Smart Cities & Healthcare of Orange Business Services; Anthony Sayers, IoT Centre of Expertise Strategic Partnership Lead EMEA of Software AG, and Nicolas Andrieu, Vice President MEA of Sigfox FZE, and the session was moderated by Sana Bagersh, the Founder of Tamakkan. Shanaah of Orange Business Services classified the UAE as “the most innovative country in the Middle East and a testbed for smart cities.” This sparked questions from community advocates about the implications of ‘smart city’, and the ‘inverse’ paradigm being whether seamlessly served technologies are making citizens more dependent and ‘less smart.’ In response, Shanaah cited education, at societal and business level, as the main driver of change to facilitate adoption and universal acceptance.  “Just introducing technology does not make a city smart. Countries have to adapt strategies and technology should touch...