The Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development, DSCD, has developed an e-application to help government entities identify different sectors of community for added social assistance.

The announcement was made during the UAE Innovation Week, which runs from November 20-26, at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

Set to be launched in the near future in collaboration with a software and programme development company, the application has data-driven features which can identify the location of many disadvantaged people.

Following the Sharjah Census 2015 by the DSCD, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued a Decree to focus on providing practical aid to seven categories of disadvantaged people in the emirate.

"Our participation in the Innovation Week is a reflection of our commitment to creating new ways and means to help society. It is a strategic goal to produce data that is a true representation of the people of Sharjah and it is a humanitarian goal to use that information for the good of our society," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of the DSCD.

"We are the first ever department to use iCensus, a self-counting system, in the Arab world during the Sharjah census project 2015, and that has helped us to collate our results and draw our conclusions in good time with such accuracy," he added.

"This innovation is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Sultan, which call on providing all segments of society with a decent standard of living and family stability. We are contacting the relevant government departments and entities and will provide the application and the data in order to reach out and support those who are most in need," he concluded.