UAEU Students Top the Podium at the "Geo Hub Award" for Best Academic Project in Geographic Information Systems in the UAE

The first Innovation Forum organized by Dubai Municipality witnessed the crowning of the SURE PLUS project students with the Geo Hub Award for the best academic project in geographic information systems, for their pioneering project titled "Geomatics for Sustainable Development: Mapping Flood-Prone Areas to Support Sustainable Development Goals”. 

The winning team includes students: Mariam Dhabib Al Shamisi, Salma Daen Al Rashdi, Shamma Obaid Al Naqbi, Hind Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, and Meera Khalfan Al Shamsi, under the supervision of Prof. Naeema Al Hosani - Chair of the Department of Geography and Urban Sustainability, Dr. Mona Saad Ramadan - Research Associate at the Department of Geography and Urban Sustainability, and Ms. Shamma Al Badwawi. The winning project was distinguished by its contributions to applying geographic information systems to enhance sustainable development strategies, providing innovative solutions for mapping flood risks, which contributes to protecting communities and enhancing their ability to adapt to climate changes.

Prof. Naeema Al Hosani explained, "The project combines entrepreneurship and academic development to promote geospatial innovations, provide support for start-ups, access geospatial services, and facilitate academic research and development. The competition witnessed strong competition from students from other universities in the country, and the UAEU team was able to excel thanks to their dedication and outstanding efforts in developing innovative and effective solutions. The team crowned their achievements by publishing a scientific paper in the Q1 journal indexed in Scopus, with an impact factor of 6, titled "Spatial Decision-Making on Flood Exposure in Urban Areas: A Geographic Approach Applied to Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates, in the DOI magazine, Urban Climate 59, 102297)”

For her part, Dr. Mona Saad Ramadan indicated that this achievement reflects the tireless efforts made by the SURE PLUS team in developing geospatial solutions that serve sustainable development. She added: "In our research, we were keen to support the sustainable development goals, especially Goal 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable), Goal 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts), and Goal 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all).  This was embodied by applying geographic information system technologies to identify the area’s most vulnerable to flood risk, which contributes to enhancing sustainable urban planning and more efficient water management. The project also constitutes an effective tool for the competent authorities in crisis and disaster management, as it provides accurate data on at-risk areas using satellite imagery, which enables decision-makers to take proactive measures and reduce the potential damage resulting from floods and climate changes, as well as supporting rapid response plans in emergency situations."  

The students expressed their pride in winning the Geo Hub Award for the best academic project in geographic information systems, explaining that this achievement is the result of teamwork and dedication by the team members under the supervision of distinguished academics, and they pointed out: "We believe that using geomatics can make a big difference in protecting our communities from climate changes, and we look forward to more innovations and contributions in this field."

The excellence of the SURE PLUS student team was not limited to winning the award, but they also participated in many prestigious academic and research events, most notably: the International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) 2025: presenting a scientific poster entitled "Urban Development and Rainwater Management in Al Ain," and participating in the Esri UAE User Conference2025: a presentation entitled "Mapping High-Risk Flood Zones to Support Sustainable Development Goals." In addition to the students' active participation in GIS Day at Fujairah Center 2024: presenting a scientific poster on rainwater management challenges, and participating in The Big 5 Global 2024 – Dubai: a presentation on "Mapping High-Risk Flood Zones," as well as producing university research in sustainability: a research paper under review for the Sharjah Sustainability Award.

Geo Hub: An Incubator for Geospatial Innovation:

Geo Hub represents a business incubator for geospatial innovation, launched by Dubai Municipality in December 2022, and is one of the first incubators in the region that focuses on supporting the geospatial ecosystem through entrepreneurship and academic research.