Ministry of Municipalities Affairs Hosts Workshop on "Artificial Intelligence in Municipal and Urban Development"
The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture recently held a virtual workshop titled "Artificial Intelligence in Municipal and Urban Development." The event brought together numerous experts and was attended by over 100 specialists from municipal sectors across the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
His Excellency Engineer Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of Municipal Affairs, stated that the workshop aligns with the recommendations put forth during the 12th Gulf Municipal Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, titled "Sustainability in Municipal Work: Trends and Opportunities." The initiative aims to foster collaboration and exchange expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) among GCC countries, while supporting efforts to adopt digital innovations and keep pace with global technological advancements. These efforts contribute to sustainable development and align with the government’s agenda to integrate AI into public services.
The Undersecretary highlighted that the workshop aims to explore the role of modern technologies in enhancing the quality of community services, improving urban planning and city management, and showcasing the latest trends and applications of AI. He emphasized that AI offers significant opportunities to improve quality of life and increase the efficiency of municipal operations, contributing to the development of smarter and more sustainable cities.
The workshop concluded with several key recommendations, including leveraging AI solutions for land-use planning through the adoption of best agricultural practices to optimize resource use and manage crop health. Another recommendation was implementing AI-based vegetation monitoring systems to improve urban planning and green space management, as well as preserving biodiversity. Further suggestions included establishing specialized AI teams within municipalities and providing the necessary training to enhance internal capabilities. These efforts aim to deliver sustainable urban solutions and foster collaboration with relevant stakeholders to develop AI-driven solutions tailored to meet municipal needs.
Participants also recommended applying AI technologies to monitor plants, livestock, and crops to improve productivity, predict crop conditions, and efficiently manage environmental factors. They emphasized adopting predictive analytics to encourage AI use in forecasting crop health and productivity, enabling proactive measures in agriculture and livestock management.
The workshop featured contributions from several AI experts, including Dr. Fatima Al-Baluoshi, Assistant Professor at the University of Bahrain, who presented a paper on AI for detecting green spaces; Shivagami, a representative of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, who discussed AI in municipal and urban development; and Kai Mithig, founder of W-AL-STE, who presented innovative solutions for sustainable municipalities and waste management using AI.
