Cloud hotel app HDC raises $350k; FEDS raises funds from Aerodyne Group
Good morning,
Here’s this week’s roundup of Middle East AI News!
Other than the continuing focus on emerging technologies to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, there are two funding stories this week - Hotel Data Cloud raised $350k from local and international investors, while Falcon Eye Drones Service has finalised a strategic investment from Malaysian based drones solution provider Aerodyne.
Also scroll down for stories on utilities, healthcare, education, agriculture and defence.
Have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Startup News
HDC raises $350,000 in seed funding — www.wamda.com
#UAE #funding - UAE-based startup Hotel Data Cloud (HDC), has raised $350K in seed funding from local and international investors, to help hotels re-connect remotely with their customers. The funding will be used to accelerate development of an AI and machine learning recommendation engine. (Wamda)
UAE-based FEDS Group Holdings receives investment from world's leading drone service provider — www.zawya.com
#UAE #funding - Falcon Eye Drones Services (FEDS) Group Holdings, Middle East’s leading and one of the world’s top Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) company, has received a major strategic investment from Aerodyne Group, a world-leading provider of drone-based asset management solutions. (Zawya)
Smart Cities
Emicool tests command control centre in digital transformation push — www.constructionweekonline.com
#UAE #utilities - Emirates District Cooling (Emicool), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Investments, has started testing its command control centre (CCC), which controls 18 district cooling plants, as the company started testing its AI-supported unmanned machinery space (UMS). (Construction Week)
Healthcare
How three Middle Eastern women are changing the world through healthcare — www.thenational.ae
#Egypt #healthcare - Egyptian Dr Rasha Rady set up an organisation called Chefaa in 2017, with the aim of helping chronic patients access medication from pharmacies using AI and GPS tracking. (The National)
Education
Combating coronavirus: 160,000 students in UAE write a trial online test — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #education - More than 160,000 UAE students from Grades 5 to 12 in UAE public schools have attended an online trial test in Mathematics to assess the electronic examination system for the Ministry of Education's AI-powered remote learning initiative. (Khaleej Times)
Agriculture
$100m investment brings four global AgTech pioneers to Abu Dhabi — www.hortidaily.com
#UAE #agriculture - One of the world’s most successful vertical farming companies AeroFarms will build an 8,200-sqm R&D centre in Abu Dhabi, the largest of its kind in the world, with dedicated high-tech laboratories focusing on advanced research to include machine vision, machine learning, robotics, automation and drone technology. (Horti Daily)
Coronavirus
Watch video, COVID-19 precaution: Dubai Police use smart helmet for thermal screening — gulfnews.com
#UAE #coronavirus - Dubai Police is using smart helmet that uses thermal screening on people using public transportation in the emirate in a step to prevent spread of COVID-19. (Gulf News)
AI aiding fight against coronavirus — www.arabnews.com
#UAE #coronavirus - Scientific institutions and governments have been harnessing AI to generate possible solutions to the global public-health emergency. AI is being used to speed up the search for an antidote to COVID-19. (Arab News)
Combating coronavirus: DoH-Abu Dhabi launches app to help residents during Covid-19 crisis — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #coronavirus - The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) has launched a 'Remote Healthcare' app, developed by Injazat Data Systems, that allows users access to preliminary medical diagnostic services. The app features an AI-driven tool for examining symptoms and diagnosing non-emergency cases. (Khaleej Times)
Virus response to speed up GCC’s digital transformation — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #GCC #coronavirus - When December's GCC summit called for the speeding up of digital transformation, including through the promotion of AI many were surprised, but the current experience of dealing with the coronavirus has proven that a transformation is essential to combat the disease. (Arab News)
New app in Saudi to manage movement permits — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #coronavirus - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is expected to launch the "Tawakkalna" app, which aims to manage the movement permits of individuals, government entities, and private sector enterprises during the curfew time. (Saudi Gazette)
Genetics and AI drive Qatar University's Covid-19 research — www.al-fanarmedia.org
#Qatar #coronavirus - As the number of people infected with the new coronavirus continues to climb in Qatar and neighboring countries, the Biomedical Research Center of Qatar University is accelerating research work to support efforts to better understand the virus. (Al Fanar)
Defence
How military drones are a game-changer in the Libyan conflict — www.moroccoworldnews.com
#Libya #drones - Today, Libya is a major theater of drone warfare, and the deployment of drones has altered the balance of power and deterrence logic. (Morocco World News)