Under the supervision of the Autonomous Systems Council, the Integrated Transport Centre «Abu Dhabi Mobility», part of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, has inaugurated a central control room dedicated to overseeing autonomous vehicle operations in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The opening was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Saeed bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan and His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport. The move reinforces Abu Dhabi's journey towards smart mobility and aims to develop direct oversight and effective regulation of the sector through advanced systems for real-time monitoring, data analysis, and decision-support, ensuring the highest levels of safety and operational efficiency.
The inauguration of the control room comes amid the continued expansion of autonomous vehicle services in the emirate, reflecting the importance of developing regulatory mechanisms that keep pace with the sector's rapid growth.
The centre explained that the control room monitors the movement of autonomous vehicles in real time, enabling swift responses to any operational or emergency situations in accordance with approved procedures, and enhancing road safety.
The control room relies on advanced monitoring and operational systems, including a central surveillance system alongside an integrated platform for managing the operational and experimental activities of autonomous vehicles — the Autonomous Vehicle Integrated Traffic and Operations Management System (AViTOMS) — which provides real-time tracking of vehicle locations, speeds, and routes, issues instant alerts upon detecting any unusual indicators, records and analyses trips, and enables the management of response plans in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Dr Abdullah Hamad Al Ghafli, Acting Director General of the Integrated Transport Centre, said: «The inauguration of the central control room is a fundamental milestone in the development of the regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles in Abu Dhabi, and comes in response to the accelerating growth in the adoption of smart mobility technologies.»