Abu Dhabi: Digital Social Observer launched to help solve community problems
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Abu Dhabi: The Family Development Foundation (FDF) unveiled its latest digital platform, the ‘Digital Social Observer System’, during its participation at Gitex tech show in Dubai. The platform was launched at the Abu Dhabi Government pavilion at Gitex, which ends today (October 20).
Digital Social Observer was launched in the presence of Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director-General at FDF; Abdulrahman Al Balushi, Director of the Department of Strategic Planning and Institutional Development at FDF; Fahed Salem Alkayyoomi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Government Support; and Dr Mohammed Abdel Hameed Al Askar, representative of the Abu Dhabi Unified Government Services Platform ‘Tamm’ at the Department of Government Enablement, along with a number of officials and employees of the Foundation as well as visitors to the exhibition.
Visitors to the pavilion were briefed with this new platform and its objectives that are targeted at establishing innovative social services and programmes, which will contribute to enhancing quality of life of individuals and families in the community.
In addition, FDF launched its service ‘Digital Qualifications Workshops’, which is aimed at offering favourable opportunities for senior citizens throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi as well as empowering them to use digital tools, in order to keep them up to date with the ever-evolving fast-paced world. The service will facilitate their access to various digital resources, enabling them to utilise several digital devices, social media, and the Internet. It will further serve as a significant tool for helping them communicate with friends and family.
Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director-General at Family Development Foundation, emphasised the significance of participating in Gitex as it provides a platform for showcasing FDF’s leading digital projects and services that are aimed at enhancing the quality of life of individuals in Abu Dhabi.
She added that FDF’s participation comes in line with the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, ‘Mother of the Nation,’ Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, to advance automation of social phenomena and problems.
The Director-General further underlined that GITEX serves as a global forum for exchanging insights and information as well as familiarising oneself with the most recent cutting-edge technologies. She continued by highlighting the role of FDF and its relentless efforts to harness the full potential of digital technologies through initiatives such as the Digital Social Observer. This platform is crucial in monitoring social issues and formulating effective solutions, which will significantly enhance, stabilise, and raise the quality of life of all members in the society.
She stated: “Digital Social Observer platform is targeted at tracking and evaluating various prevalent social issues concerning individuals as well as families. This will help us in crafting social policies and programmes that effectively addresses and resolves these significant problems.” She added that the knowledge obtained from the system will play a significant role in assisting workers in the social sector to introduce programmes and policies that will successfully meet the needs and requirements of the society.
Evidence-based intervention
“The FDF attributes greater significance to monitoring social problems in the emirate through its centres across Abu Dhabi [Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra]. The Foundation constantly ensures that this monitoring process is in accordance with an approved scientific methodology and through the Department of Studies and Research. The social problems as well as the needs of the society will be derived based on scientific evidence and factual data, which will facilitate the process of developing social services and programmes that enhance the standard of living for individuals and families in society.”
Furthermore, she also said that monitoring social problems in the emirate of Abu Dhabi is based on several fundamental themes. This includes understanding the culture and social structure to better direct the efforts of the Foundation’s centres and identifying social problems in order to examine issues in a systematic manner that help meet the needs of society.
In addition, it also seeks to identify the challenges faced by individuals in the region and involve them in crafting solutions that addresses these problems. These objectives are in addition to establishing a precise and comprehensive information base that assists researchers in creating social studies and designing relevant services as well as to enhance collaboration between the Foundation and its partners to develop quantitative and qualitative indicators. Such indicators will help address the behavioural, psychological, and social problems of different segments of society and to improve the quality of life of individuals and families. T
his, in turn, will contribute to the enhancing the decision-making process by providing the institution and partners with development recommendations and proposals for creating scientific-based social services.
