Results of a recent Gulf Intelligence questionnaire indicate
that many respondents view Qatar’s industrial and academic spheres as being in strong
need of crossover technologies in order to maintain adequate water security for
the state.
Crossover systems — defined as adopting innovations from
other sectors to suit water operations — are expected to save time and lower
maintenance costs for the state’s infrastructure.
The Gulf Intelligence
(GI) Industry Survey results indicated that nearly half, 48 percent, of those
polled believe Qatar’s highest priority should be research and development
dedicated to preserving the state’s water supply in a relatively dry climate
with little rainfall.
If the state invests in crossover technologies, experts say,
industries could redirect funds now allotted to water management for other
high-priority areas because in crossover techniques, a single modality can
function in several different applications.
Crossover takes many forms, from
facial recognition software for pathologists to water pipe inspection, for
example. The medical and aviation industries in particular stand to gain from
such an adaptation.
Earlier in 2016, The Gulf
Intelligence published an article summarizing the survey, stating that 75
percent of Qatar’s water strategies in the realms of industry, academia and
government were in need of realignment.
Among questions explored at that time
were whether Qatar would benefit from consolidating its domestic water research
labs into a master plan and which technology strategy would be the best choice for
water security.
More than one third, 38 percent, of survey respondents
believed that Qatar’s industry and academia should stick with current
applications, indicating low confidence levels in desalination technology,
which is still in its early days and relatively expensive.
Less than one-fifth, 17
percent, on the other hand felt the state should completely redirect its technology
to new systems.
Qatar could soon witness a turning point in its economy with
the right decisions as it looks toward long-term goals set for the country’s
National Vision 2030.
