AI-powered innovation aims to enhance efficiency and safety of transport services in Dubai
A team of engineering students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has created an innovative AI-powered management system to enhance the efficiency and safety of taxi services in Dubai. The new technology, known as SmartTranspo, won the prize for ‘Best Implementation Champion’ at the Alibaba Cloud/AI and RTA Hackathon 2024, staged recently in Dubai. In addition to $10,000 in Alibaba Cloud credit and a $3,000 cash prize, the team has earned the opportunity to participate in next year’s international hackathon in China.
Developed by computer science majors Mohamad Mourad, Adeeb Mohammed and Mohamad Hamadeh, along with cyber security student, Mohamed Alhussein, SmartTranspo leverages data science and AI-powered algorithms to identify accident hotspots and high-demand zones, reducing accidents and optimising taxi dispatch to ensure faster customer pick-ups. The innovative solution was celebrated during an awards ceremony at GITEX GLOBAL 2024, where the students were honoured for standing out among a field of over 100 registered teams and eight finalists.
Speaking about the inspiration for the project Mourad said, “The hackathon’s theme focused exclusively on solving real problems faced by urban cities, specifically in transportation, with a particular emphasis on Dubai taxis. We were tasked with tackling specific challenges, such as optimising taxi pick-up points, route anomaly detection, smart taxi dispatch, dynamic taxi ranks, accident hotspots, and taxi charging infrastructure. Guided by the expertise of our supervisor, Dr. Said Elnaffar, our team collaborated to create a cutting-edge solution using real datasets to enhance the efficiency and safety of taxi services in Dubai. The SmartTranspo solution targets the optimisation of pick-up points and the identification of accident hotspots.”
Mourad continued, “As a team, we were determined to propose an innovative solution using real data. SmartTranspo uses two different training datasets provided by the RTA, one of which included data on taxi trips around Dubai, such as trip time, duration and location, while the other included data on traffic accidents around Dubai. We then implemented machine learning algorithms on the two datasets, specifically k-means clustering, to calculate the exact points on the map where taxi trips were at a peak, and where traffic incidents were at a peak, then we used Google Maps API inside our application to pinpoint these exact spots on our map, displaying them for taxi drivers in a user-friendly and efficient way.”
Professor Sherif Moussa, Dean of the School of Engineering, praised the students’ accomplishments, stating: “SmartTranspo represents not only the creativity of our students but also the dedication of our faculty to fostering real-world problem-solving skills. This achievement is a proud moment for Canadian University Dubai, showcasing our commitment to preparing our students to lead in the global technology landscape. Through innovations like these, we are contributing to the vision of a smarter, safer Dubai, and it’s inspiring to see our students recognised on such a prominent platform.”
Mourad concluded, “As the winners, we are invited to compete in next year’s international hackathon in China, which is an incredible achievement and a testament to our innovative work on SmartTranspo. It not only highlights the impact of our project, but also showcases the value of technology in revolutionising urban mobility for a smarter and safer Dubai. We plan to further strengthen our technical skills, especially in the fields of machine learning, data science, and cloud computing, in order to compete effectively. We believe SmartTranspo has the potential to significantly reshape urban mobility in cities like Dubai by optimising pick-up points to reduce waiting times and save energy when taxis respond to dispatch calls.”
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