RTA launches flood control centre

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a ‘Joint Flood Management Room’ at its Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3), to assess water build-up during heavy rain, and monitor and manage traffic flow.

The Joint Room was launched in collaboration with strategic partners Dubai Police General Headquarters, Dubai Municipality, Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment, and representatives from main development areas.

It uses the latest technologies to monitor response plans, distribute on-site teams and allocate resources to address water accumulation impacting the road and traffic across the emirate during heavy rain.

In coordination with the National Centre of Meteorology, the RTA is aiming to improve the collection of information on weather forecasts and rain enhancement in Dubai to boost the RTA's preparation and broadcast relevant messages to the public, especially road users.

The RTA has also employed several technologies to enhance response effectiveness, including:

- Heat Map (GIS Map) Illustrating identified areas of water accumulations, in addition to the locations indicating pump sites and resources belonging to participating entities.
- Video Wall Screen displaying live footage from 450 surveillance cameras covering 91 per cent of the identified areas with rainwater ponds on the main roads of the city.
- CITADEL Communication Platform providing necessary real-time information to supervisory and field teams about the status of ongoing actives.
- Mobile Command Vehicle (MCV) equipped with surveillance cameras connected to the control room, which can be directed to cover areas not monitored by surveillance cameras.

The Joint Room operates under the Enterprise Command and Control Centre, which manages a transportation network comprising roads spanning more than 8,000 km.

The centre features a central control room fitted with a 53-square-metre giant screen connected to 34 technical devices enabling real-time integration.

The EC3 can process feeds from more than 7,000 surveillance cameras and use artificial intelligence in managing incidents and crises. It also uses mobile phone data for planning, managing mobility and crowd control.

#RTA has launched a ‘Joint Flood Management Room’ at its Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3), one of the largest and most sophisticated control centres, to address water accumulation during heavy rain, monitor and manage traffic and various transport modes. The Joint Room… pic.twitter.com/A05LWW16i5

— RTA (@rta_dubai) January 14, 2024