In the recently published Abu Dhabi e-Maturity Assessment, a comprehensive ICT assessment on a regional level conducted by Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Center, the Emirate has ranked among the top 35 nations in all indices analysed. The three most common global indices addressing e-maturity are the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the World Economic Forum, the e-Government Readiness Index by the United Nations and the ICT Development Index (IDI) by the International Telecommunication Union.
The report shows that Abu Dhabi has risen from 27th place to 17th on the NRI and it is the top performer in the region, leading Qatar by 13 positions, Bahrain by 21 positions and Saudi Arabia by 24 places. Abu Dhabi's relatively good ranking in the NRI is based on its impressive 23-place jump in readiness. Readiness measures the extent to which a country's main stakeholders are interested and prepared to use technology in their daily activities. The Emirate has received good rankings on the three supporting pillars--"Individual Readiness", "Business Readiness", and "Government Readiness".
The first issue of the IDI ranked Abu Dhabi 32 in the world. The IDI also revealed potential barriers to its ICT development, which are international internet bandwidth per internet user (bit/s), for which it ranks 74th, and fixed broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, for which it ranks 45th.
"The indicators show that e-government in Abu Dhabi has undergone significant improvement along the last three years, which can also be related to ADSIC's success in promoting and enhancing the development of ICT throughout the Emirate," said Rashed Lahej Al-Mansoori, the general director of ADSIC.
I've been writing about technology for nearly 20 years, including editing industry magazines Connect and Communications International. In 2002 I co-founded Futurity Media with Anthony Plewes. My focus in Futurity Media is in emerging technologies, social media and future gazing. As a graduate of philosophy & science, I have studied futurology & foresight to the post-grad level.