The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to support the strategic relations between the two organizations and to unify their efforts in serving the public, which reflects positively on social and economy aspects.

The MoU affirms the RTA’s need for up to date satellite images that show the progress of their infrastructure work on Dubai streets and roads.

The MoU also aims at reinforcing the level of cooperation among specialized local authorities to serve the public interest of the Government of Dubai.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Salem Humaid Al-Marri, the Head of the Project Management and Space Missions Department of EIAST, and Mr. Abdulla Al Madani, the CEO of Corporate Support Services at the RTA

Al-Marri said: “This MoU is of extreme importance to us as it supports our strategic approach to serve the RTA by helping them improve the infrastructure work done on Dubai roads, and it also highlights the common interests of both organizations to document the different phases of road enhancements through satellite images.”

Al-Marri added: “The infrastructure sector is experiencing a huge leap in development from one level to another in a very short period of time, thus we need to strengthen cooperation among all parties concerned in this vital industry.

“The RTA is pleased to sign this agreement with EIAST, which will inevitably strengthen the geographic information systems mechanism. The agreement will play a vital role in enhancing the efficiency of our road projects through the provision of high quality data and satellite images that are periodically updated. Our joint efforts with EIAST will also promote a culture of creativity and innovation as well as better services to the community” said Mr. Abdulla Al Madani, the CEO of Corporate Support Services at the RTA.

Both EIAST and the RTA are in pursuit of various goals through this MoU, most important of which are exploiting the mutual benefit of using satellite images to save resources, strengthening communication between the parties to serve their common interests in the field of developing navigation systems, and exchanging data and expertise in this respect.

EIAST had successfully launched DubaiSat-1, the UAE’s first Earth Observation Satellite in July 2009, and since then the satellite has been transmitting images that had become of great use in several applications.

Its relatively high spatial resolution complements existing Geographic Information System (GIS) databases and enables more efficient monitoring and prediction of natural events such as sandstorm observation, fog forecasts, and determining the quality of water in the area.

16 Emirati engineers from EIAST are currently preparing to launch DubaiSat-2 during the second half of this year. This second satellite is entirely designed, developed, tested and manufactured by EIAST and its strategic partner Satrec Initiative of South Korea, and is capable of producing high quality image data.