Shurooq, Injazat Forge Region’s First ‘phygital’ Experience For House Of Wisdom Visitors

SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 03rd Mar, 2021) The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), has partnered with Injazat - a market leader in Digital Transformation, Cloud, and Cyber Security - to co-create a first-of-its-kind 'phygital' user interface for House of Wisdom.

House of Wisdom is Sharjah’s new cultural edifice and an iconic architectural marvel situated near the University City of Sharjah, which celebrates the emirate’s yearlong tenure as UNESCO World Book Capital 2019.

Following the announcement by UNESCO to make Sharjah the World Book Capital, its leadership decided to celebrate the appointment by building a new library designed for a unique user experience fit for the digital age.

Overseeing the entire project, Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, said, "At Shurooq, our ambition for over 10 years has been to facilitate social, cultural, environmental and economic development in Sharjah by enhancing the emirate’s appeal in a variety of fields. Therefore, when we started the House of Wisdom project, we were driven by the goal of completely redefining the library goer’s experience, by offering them a social space that did not yet exist in the UAE or the wider region. We achieved this goal by relying on avant-garde architectural design and integrated House of Wisdom’s physical spaces with smart, intuitive and extremely user-friendly technologies."

"Our collaboration has led to an extraordinary feat in the customer experience arena too – something that will lead to future innovations in the field for several years," Al Sarkal added.

The House of Wisdom technology experience starts from the home, where the visitor can interact with the high-tech library and culture centre, viewing its offerings to booking a space or an event through the website or the app giving members a multitude of interaction points and advantages of creating a profile for the member and their respective families.

In the building, interactions happen with multiple touchpoints throughout the library that allow for smartphone interactions with totems enabling visitors to conduct searches and make bookings; transparent screens giving visitors a hologram-like history lesson by the likes of Al-Khwarizmi, a "Fab Lab", equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters and a "Smart" touch wall for interactive learning or working sessions with other users across the world; and a dedicated kids Area offering fun learning experiences to youngsters.

All of this is complemented and enriched by the strategic deployment of internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and Robotic technologies to enable facial recognition, smart parking and tracking for children, making the overall experience truly entertaining, as well as secure.

Speaking about the technology platform deployed as part of the project, Khaled Al Melhi, CEO at Injazat said, "A complex project of which I am truly proud of, the House of Wisdom is a textbook example of what can be achieved when the efforts of multiple stakeholders, all with different capabilities and experience but a shared ambition, are effectively orchestrated to generate a positive experience for the community.

"The House of Wisdom will serve as yet another example of how Injazat fulfils its purpose of Empowering Human Achievement by supporting all of our clients from across different industries, including Healthcare, education, Smart Cities, Energy and Utilities, on their digital transformation journey."