Next
chapter: IT Labor Market
Information
in Qatar
BUSINESSMost of Qatar's citizens have access to a phone and have Internet service accounts with Q-tel. No statistics are available to know to what extent or percentage Qataries have Internet service or have a PC at home. According to personal interviews that I conducted with some Qatari citizens most say that they have in their household access to a computer and Internet service. A large number of personal web sites are posted on the Q-tel network.
GOVERNMENTBusinesses in Qatar have been modernizing their IT systems during the last few years. The major investments are in Internet presence, distributive networking (networks and intranets) and computerization of administrative tasks according to Omran Al-Kuwari (Bin-Omran Corporation). Q-tel and small web publishing companies are actively promoting web presence. In the next few years we should see a boom in e-commerce activity in Qatar.
The government of Qatar is extensively using IT and other technologies to become more efficient and cost effective. The GIS program is one example of technology use in the government. virtually all the ministries have IT departments and have a web presence. 16 government agencies in Qatar are using GIS in their day to day activities. Their databases are compatible and they are all integrated through a high speed fiber optic network. Dozens of GIS applications have been developed and are at use benefiting government workers, private businesses and citizens alike. I will illustrate the use of IT with the case of QPGC (Qatar General Petroleum Company), which is the largest and most important (revenue wise) nationally owned company.
MILITARYQGPC has started a program to integrate most of the major systems serving areas such as Finance, Administration and Maintenance using state-of-the-art Client/Server technology. With the advent of powerful scientific workstations and sophisticated geological models, three dimensional reservoir modeling is now a reality. It is planned to create a central repository of information to keep track of Qatar's geological, geophysical and petrophysical data to improve oil and gas production and exploration opportunities.PC's are now a way of life. Over 1900 PCs are in use. Computer literacy and awareness have been enhanced through in-house courses. A penetration ratio of 100% - meaning a computer for each office staff member should be reached by 1999. About 1200 have electronic mail services, which allow them to easily move notes, memos and files throughout the Corporation.
The network facilities are being used to provide access to electronic copies of technical documents on Qatar's Oil & Gas production facilities. About 7 million of pages of documentation and 100,000 technical drawings will be electronically available by 1999. Approximately 10% of this data was in place by the end of 1996.
Internet access was made available to QGPC staff in 1996. QGPC has created its own world wide web site (www.qgpc.com.qa). It is planned to use this technology for internal information services.
To streamline workflow, a major thrust over the next few years will be made towards integrated business solutions. This means that different parts of the Corporation will use a network to access common systems and shared data. The result will be increased productivity due to more accurate and timely information.
Background & IT usage
At the time of independence on September 3, 1971, the armed forces consisted of little more than the Royal Guard Regiment and some scattered units equipped with a few armored cars and four aircraft. By 1992 it had grown to a force of 7,500, including an army of 6,000, a navy of 700, and an air force of 800. In addition to the Royal Guard Regiment, the army had expanded to include a tank battalion, three mechanized infantry battalions, a special forces company, a field artillery regiment, and a SAM battery. The combined combat strength of these units, however, is estimated to be no more than that of a reinforced regiment in a Western army. Initially outfitted with British weaponry, Qatar shifted much of its procurement to France during the 1980s in response to French efforts to develop closer relations.
The lack of sufficient indigenous manpower to staff the armed forces is a continuing problem. By one estimate, Qatari citizens constitute only 30 percent of the army, in which more than twenty nationalities are represented. Many of the officers are of the royal family or members of leading tribes. Enlisted personnel are recruited from beduin tribes that move between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and from other Arab groups. Many Pakistanis serve in combat units. In 1992 there were still a number of British officers, as well as Britons, French, Jordanians, and Pakistanis in advisory or technical positions. More young Qataris are being recruited, and the number of trained and competent Qatari officers is steadily increasing.The Qatari Armed forces employ the latest military communications systems that have been acquired from the West (France, Germany, Brittain, Italy, and the US). GPS (global positionning system) is widely used.
Although official data on military expenditures are not published, the defense budget estimate of US$500 million for 1989 was 8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP--see Glossary). The estimate of US$934 million for 1991, an increase of 80 percent over 1989, was presumably attributable to the costs of the Persian Gulf War.Gulf War Involvement
During the hostilities, the Qatari tank battalion was deployed to the Saudi-Iraqi border as part of Joint Forces Command East. Saudi and Qatari forces that had dug in to defend the road leading south from the border town of Ras al Khafji were forced to withdraw when the Iraqis made their only incursion onto Saudi territory on January 29, 1991. The three Saudi battalions and the one tank battalion from Qatar maintained contact with the Iraqi forces and participated in the coalition counterattack two days later that drove the Iraqis out of the town with considerable losses. The Qatari contingent, composed mostly of Pakistani recruits, acquitted itself well. The Qatari battalion also formed part of the Arab forces that advanced across Iraqi positions toward the city of Kuwait during the general coalition offensive on February 24, 1991. Beginning on January 22, 1991, Qatari aircraft joined other countries in carrying out strikes against Iraqi forces. United States, Canadian, and French fighter squadrons flew daily missions from Doha during the gulf war. One Qatari tank was lost in the engagement, and a number of Arab soldiers were killed or wounded. No Qatari combat deaths were reported during the war.