Interactive wayfinding and real-time information displays mark the first step in a broader digital transformation of one of the Middle East’s most visited leisure destinations, aligned with the UAE’s national Digital Strategy.
“Smartboards”: Abu Dhabi Tests New Smart City Displays
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s flagship entertainment and tourism hub, has begun deploying interactive smart city infrastructure with the installation of the first two Citix Tom Smartboards at the island’s main entrance points, positioning the destination as a pilot site for a new phase of the emirate’s digital transformation.
Home to attractions such as Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Etihad Arena, and the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Island welcomed more than 38 million visitors last year, placing heavy demands on wayfinding, information services, and traffic management. The newly installed Smartboards provide interactive maps, event listings, real-time weather and traffic, emergency alerts, and public service information through a modular, widget-based interface organized into three functional zones for information, navigation, and advertising.
Citix Mena, which focuses on digitizing urban spaces through smart city infrastructure, said the deployment aligns with the UAE’s national Digital Strategy and Abu Dhabi’s broader push for smart mobility and connected public services delivered through public-private partnerships. Each Smartboard features a modular layout combining information, navigation, and advertising, and is equipped with data-collection tools to analyze pedestrian flows and traffic patterns to support longer-term urban planning.
“These smartboards are designed to be practical and intuitive, supporting how people move through and experience the city,” said Stepan Kasatkin, CEO of Citix Mena. “They add a new digital layer to the urban environment while contributing to the emirate’s vision for connected and intelligent cities.”
Installed at key entry points to Yas Island, the Smartboards are intended to enhance the visitor experience while generating anonymized insights for city operators. Citix said the project represents the first phase of a wider rollout across Abu Dhabi, with future installations planned for highways, tourist destinations, and other high-traffic locations as part of a connected digital network linking information and services across the emirate.
