Saudi Arabia Builds an Urban Information System for Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh was once a sleepy village but now has a population of two million. In 1985, a royal mandate called for the city's High Commission to establish a citywide information system called the Urban Intelligence Service (UIS). The system's goal was to provide the High Commission a comprehensive database along with tools for cross-referencing, analyzing, and projecting graphical and tabular data. Since no existing urban information system met the requirements, the system was built from scratch using a networked design. Several computers supported the graphical database and another supported an Oracle relational database for attribute data. Data collection and validation for UIS were a major chore. It now contains more than 1.5 million land-use records along with digitized maps and photos. The system also needed capabilities in English and Arabic. Special software was purchased that could handle Arabic's left-to-right script. The intention is to permit work in Arabic or English while keeping some elements constant, such as the menu structure.

The system can be used in many ways. For informational queries, it can produce tabular or graphical responses, such as producing a color-coded map showing the locations of all tailor shops meeting particular criteria. It can help in analyzing what-if scenarios on issues such as balancing land use, utility services, and traffic and parking capabilities in land developments. During the 1991 Gulf War, it helped Allied military personnel establish medical treatment centers in Riyadh by quickly pinpointing the needed facilities and services.

Questions:

1. Use the WCA framework to organize your understanding of this vignette and to identify important topics that are not mentioned.

2. What issues (if any) make this case interesting from an international or intercultural viewpoint?

3. Why don't most cities have this type of system?

Source: Cypher, Thomas M. "Across a Sea of Sand." Oracle Magazine, Spring 1992, pp. 17-21.

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