Qatar has experienced rapid population growth and urbanization over the last 40 years. While this has led to economic development, it has also increased environmental issues like lack of green spaces, noise, and pollution. Bringing green spaces into urban planning could help make cities more sustainable and livable by improving health and reducing problems like obesity and heart disease. Data-driven innovation is helping address these challenges through tools like real-time traffic monitoring using social media data and machine learning to detect anomalies and aid in planning and predictions.

1. Window into Data-Driven Innovation in Qatar
Heather Leson
February 21, 2016
DDI-Mena.org Cairo, Egypt
Textontechs.com @heatherleson
qcri.org.qa

2. Kasra.co

3. DOHA, LAST 40 YEARS
1987
1992
2001
2014
1972
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World
Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision. Data acquired via data.un.org
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

4. Supporting Units

5. Startup Ecosystem

6. Qatar National Development Strategy
Doha has grown exponentially [...] but the capital lacks the benefits that
urban green spaces [...] sidewalks, bicycle lanes and tree-filled
areas closed to automobile traffic ... Urban conditions over time would become
more crowded, and more subject to noise and pollution. Bringing a green
dimension to urban planningcould strengthen sustainability
and make cities more liveable. The risk of respiratory disease and the
strain of congested and sedentary living patterns would diminish for future generations. Health
problems such as the high rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes would
be lessened. The absence of green space is not inevitable.

7. Groundtruth Data Collection

8. Real-Time Traffic Monitoring
● QT2S: Collection and classification
of traffic related tweets
● Continuous Real-time querying of
Google Traffic API
● Qatar Traffic Profiling & Modeling
○ Geo: City, zone, district
○ Time: Hourly, daily, weekly,
and monthly
● Usage:
○ Detection of abnormal
behaviors
○ Predictions
○ Monthly Public reports
■ Commute status
■ Deadpoints

9. Human ComputingMachine Learning
Machine Learning + Human Computing

10. Citizen Engagement with Social Data

11. Teaching the next Data Innovators

12. Source: The Simplified Census
of Population, Housing
& Establishments, 2015
Qatar, Ministry of Development
Planning and
Statistics
Census
Data
can help
Startups

13. Data is everywhere, be curious
and create insights

14. Heather Leson
Textontechs.com
@heatherleson