JEDDAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Tuesday won first place for the best agency implementing big data in the management of operations at the 17th International Operations and Maintenance Conference in the Arab countries being held in Dubai.

The award was received by the General Supervisor of the Transport Sector at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Bassam Ghulman, amid the global participation of leaders and experts in government institutions, agencies, international organizations and business sectors.

Dr. Ghulman said that the award was a result of the development work carried out by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the efforts of Minister Dr. Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Benten and the follow-up of his deputy Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat. This contributed to enhancing the services provided to guests as one of the strategic objectives of the technical transformation of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Big data processing aims not only to take advantage of advanced digital infrastructure, but link it to operational processes to achieve the highest degree of transparency. It also aims to control the quality of services and measure the efficiency of operations, one of the key objectives of Vision 2030.

The ministry has developed the Hajj and Umrah Information Center, which is based on data collection and analysis linked to the system of transport operations, housing and subsistence, in addition to joining the agencies working with the system of Hajj and Umrah services through a unified platform.

In 2019, the system has witnessed significant technological development. The ministry has established the Hajj and Umrah global distribution system, “Maqam,” the smart pilgrimage platform, the “Dhaif” platform for transport operations, the transport operations center and the e-system for Hajj and Umrah, as well as digital applications on smart devices including the “Manasikana” and “Arshdny” applications.