The document discusses the digitization of Qatar and how the country is embracing the fourth industrial revolution. It describes how previous industrial revolutions increasingly incorporated new technologies like steam power, electricity, and computers. The fourth revolution involves using cloud platforms and the internet of things to integrate all business activities and share data seamlessly. This allows for improved efficiency, transparency, and reduced costs. The document outlines several technologies Qatar is adopting as part of its digitization efforts, such as operation digitization, product lifecycle management, 3D modeling, additive manufacturing (3D printing), and integrated energy management systems. It emphasizes that cyber security is crucial as more systems become connected, and notes Qatar's focus on legislation and partnerships to safeguard businesses and citizens

1. The Digitisation of Qatar
Industry 4.0 is a practical transformation in the
design, manufacture, operation and service of
manufacturing systems and products. ‘4.0’ means
that the fourth industrial revolution has already
begun; it’s the ultimate new structure of the three
past industrial revolutions.
To understand the fourth revolution we have to
look back at the previous industrial revolutions:
• The first industrial revolution started in the
18th century and continued until the 19th – it
was mainly a ‘mechanical’ revolution to utilise
water and steam to power machinery.
• The second started in the late 19th century,
lasting until the 1970s, and was based on the
invention of electricity, used in manufacturing,
housing, etc.
• The third was from the 1970s until just
recently, with electronics and information
technology driving new levels of automation of
complex tasks.
• The fourth industrial revolution offered a new
edge: using cloud platforms to utilise available
data in a smart way, with seamless integration
of all activities associated with any industry at
all phases. With this comes reduced production
costs and minimised production planning
times, in turn offering transparency leading to
improved efficiency, performance and accuracy.
The seven major paradigms have also been
changed by the fourth industrial revolution:
Operation digitisation is the automatic execution
of any kind of task to include every function within
the entire organisation by linking all entities in
a value chain and transferring data among them
seamlessly. It provides comprehensive software
to include all production phases, starting with
order management until product delivery. The
user can select or even customise the order to
fit his needs, and all tasks will be automated
– this might include, but is not limited to,
inventory management systems, manufacturing,
transportation, and product delivery. All production
elements are connected and are able to
communicate with each other; the information
is immediately transferred among all production
phases.
Product lifecycle management is a platform that
integrates product specifications, requirements,
raw material information, processes, electrical
data, mechanical aspects and environmental
factors in an extended enterprise. This software
allows management of this information throughout
the whole lifecycle of a product, efficiently
The world is rapidly charging towards digital
transformation, using Internet of Things (IoT) to
close the gap between real and virtual worlds, not
only for industries but also daily life activities.
As Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) moves
toward smart cities where systems are connected
to each other, establishing a cyber security plan
is a safeguard to secure Qatar’s economy and
society.
The population of Qatar is expected to increase
by around 30% by 2030. One of the major
ramifications of this increase is the impact on
traffic – establishing an intelligent traffic system
based on a cloud platform will be enormously
beneficialy when developing the smart cities of the
future.
Due to the rapid growth of the population and the
economy, digitisation is the right solution for the
challenges the State will face when considering the
modernisation addressed in QNV 2030.
The oil and gas industry plays an essential part
in Qatar's economy, and by implementing an
integrated energy management system, companies
can utilise the resources available more effectively
and save on production costs.
Meanwhile, Qatar is facing ongoing challenges to
supply sufficient water and electricity; the demand
for new water reservoirs, pumping stations, power
generation and distribution stations is constantly
increasing. A combination of 3D modelling and
virtual commissioning would not only save time
– for example, commissioning of works and the
engineering processes involved – but also will
ensure efficiency and quality prior to the actual
execution of projects.
To move forward we must look back
Nowadays, almost all electronic devices and
machines generate massive amounts of data.
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2. and cost-effectively from an idea, to design,
improvement, and manufacture. The most
important aspect is the simulation of the product
without prototypes and the ability to adapt
and retest the product until it has reached the
expected level of quality.
Virtual commissioning involves simulation
software to virtualise the process, installation,
commissioning and troubleshooting by duplicating
the physical assets in a virtual atmosphere. It’s
a 3D model that allows engineers to verify and
troubleshoot the automation software ahead
before actual implementation, minimising the
execution risk and reducing the commissioning
time.
The virtual atmosphere includes also the
visualisation system that could be used as a
powerful tool for operational training, where the
operator can learn how to perform all different
actions in a virtual way. A further advantage that
could be implemented is as virtual reality software
to simulate the entire production phases to get the
process results and resource consumption.
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is the
fabrication of the three-dimensional object using
additive processes: the object is created by
slices, using powder, plastic, or even metal. This
software uses the 3D design and transfers it to
the 3D printing machine which transforms the
physical raw material into a solid object by building
up the object layer by layer. This facilitates the
manufacture of complex parts, customising the
object as required, leading to less waste.
The 3D design could be created by the modelling
software or by using a 3D scanner to clone an
existing object and create a 3D digital copy.
Integrated energy management, used for
automation and energy management. The platform
efficiently links energy management to automation,
which brings energy transparency to production
and presents all the production data in one place.
It also significantly reduces configuration costs due
to the seamless configuration of energy measuring
components and the automatic generation of the
energy management programme.
The uses for this integration are utilisation of
power sources, energy cost optimisation, and the
forecast of energy consumption.
Cloud platforms are the centrepiece of a powerful
IoT operating system with data storage, data
analytics, open network capabilities, developer
tools, applications, and services. It helps to
evaluate and utilise data and to gain breakthrough
insights, while also driving the performance and
optimisation of assets for maximised uptime. IoT
operating systems are a scalable cloud platform
used to gather, record and analyse large volumes
of data and obtain results. Cloud systems provide
the backbone of data management, from simple
websites to complex applications.
Cyber security – as the use of Ethernet
connections increase at all levels, the associated
security issues are becoming a more urgent topic
for everyone. Open communications, the Internet
and the increase in networking involve not only
huge opportunities but also high risks.
Nowadays, attacks are targeting critical
infrastructure, governments, political institutions,
the military, sensitive data, hospitals, financial
services and industrial control systems.
Therefore, ongoing attention is required to protect
sensitive business and personal information, and
it has become a critical part of any governments’
security strategy. Cyber security is the collection
of tools, policies, security concepts, security
safeguards, guidelines, risk management
approaches, actions, training, best practices,
assurance and technologies that can be used to
protect the cyber environment, organisations, and
its assets.
Qatar's government is making important strides
to safeguard businesses and the general public,
with the introduction of new legislation and
collaborations with private companies offering
data solutions. This is essential for the State
to successfully move forward with its plans
for smart cities in locations such as Msheireb
Downtown Doha and Lusail City, and also to
ensure the cyber security of all.
This feature was written with the assistance
of Ahmed Khalefa, Automation and Industrial
Cyber Security Expert.
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