The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) held a training workshop on the API First Guidelines, issued by TDRA in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority and Smart Dubai, for the broader implementation of the guidelines during the next phase of digital transformation.
The workshop, featuring representatives of UAE government and private entities, discussed highlights of the API First Guidelines, on accelerating the design and development of government APIs based on best practices, to be effective, safe, value-added and supportive of interconnectedness of government or private sector channels.
Commenting on this workshop, Eng. Mohammed Al Khamis, Acting Executive Director of the Policy & Programs Department at TDRA, said: "Government work in the UAE has always been guided by the wise leadership towards providing the best, quickest and most advanced services, for the happiness and well-being of the UAE society in all its segments and components. To reach this end, there has to be concerted efforts by the government and private sectors to deliver quick, easy integrated services. From this standpoint, TDRA has launched the API First Guidelines as a tool to facilitate linking various entities in order to offer services to customers anywhere, anytime, whether through government channels or those run by the private sector.”
Eng. Al Khamis added: "APIs contribute significantly to activating a digitally inclusive society as per Smart City features, connecting businesses with the government, individuals and Things in an interactive digital environment to allow delivering new products and services, and creating unprecedented business models for the benefit of all."
The workshop highlighted key instructions and recommendations from the guidelines regarding the adoption of APIs to serve future-shaping strategies.
The workshop discussed the high-level guidelines in designing and implementing APIs, as well as best API environment practices to guide government entities in their API development.
The workshop reviewed the method of linking various entities as presented by the API First Guidelines in order to provide services to customers anywhere, anytime, whether through government channels or those run by the private sector.
The workshop also discussed the role of the guidelines manual in promoting the creation of innovative products through exploiting the unique capacity of service providers or through third-party partnerships such as the private sector.
Speakers at the workshop pointed out that the API First Guidelines are the result of joint efforts in shaping the future, and that they contribute to the realization of an API economy as a key global trend based on innovation and inclusiveness. The API First Guidelines help provide an API-powered environment that encourages digital transformation, facilitates innovation, optimizes data flows between government and private entities and thereby enables private sector organizations to create their own solutions based on public data.
The API First Guidelines primarily target API environment providers, who develop or plan to develop applications that use government service APIs, such as managers looking to deliver interoperable digital services, software developers/system engineers, digital business analysts, service policy advisers and content designers.