The Holy Makkah Municipality’s award-winning online resources have transformed the city into a global leader in e-
government services, experts said at a major technology event today.
One of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing cities, the Holy Makkah Municipality’s growth is guided by the Makkah Development Plan that calls for more than SAR 100 billion worth of infrastructure, utilities, real estate, and tourism projects.
While many MENA countries have cut back on funding for e-government programs, according to Booz & Co., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expanded support. As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia jumped from No. 70 in 2008 to No. 41 in 2012 in the United Nations E-Government Ranking, according to Booz & Co.
In line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “Second National e-Government Action Plan: 2012-2016 / 1433-1437”, the Holy Makkah Municipality began revamping its e-government services in 2012, using an innovative public-private partnership with IT systems integrator Omnix International and IT solutions provider Oracle.
At the e-Government Excellence Forum , which explores communication between government agencies and private organizations, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, Vice Mayor for IT, Holy Makkah Municipality, said:
“We faced a challenge with updating legacy systems to automated processes, ensuring digital collaboration, and enhancing the quality of our services – especially as the city grows and more residents come online. One year after launching our partnership with Omnix International and Oracle, we have seen strong success on our e-government services enabling hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses to easily access our government services online, and making our government employees more productive. We will continue to boost e-services in the coming months, further enhancing quality of life across the Holy Makkah Municipality.”
The Holy Makkah Municipality runs more than 30 business applications on its e-government site, including issuing construction permits, land ownership services such as title deeds, urban planning, and issuing professional and health certifications.
In recognition of its leading efforts, the Holy Makkah Municipality received two awards in 2012: the Kingdom’s e-Government Achievement Award “Enjaz” for “Availing Its Services Through Smart Devices” and the “Honorary Recognition Award” from IT architecture firm iCMG.
Omnix International has especially provided Holy Makkah Municipality with an efficient Web-based GIS application, which is intelligently built on top of Esri’s GIS mapping software and tightly integrated with the front-end and back-end systems developed by Omnix International to automate all delivered core business services.
This unique combination integrates all Holy Makkah Municipality data with the geo-data based on the various and complex GIS layers set by Holy Makkah Municipality, helping the Holy Makkah Municipality achieve its strategic GIS objectives.
Mr. Mahmoud Musbah, Vice President, Omnix International, said: “While we’ve worked with many partners in the Middle East and North Africa, the Holy Makkah Municipality’s e-government services stand out – transforming the city into a global leader of government services. We will continue to enhance the Holy Makkah Municipality’s e-government services as technology advances, with a particular focus on mobile offerings
