Colorado Springs’ Office of Innovation has been working on technology-driven projects over the past few years with the intention of making Colorado Springs a “smart city.”
Deborah Newman, innovation analyst for the Office of Innovation, said that “smart cities” are developed with a set of specific goals in mind.
“The focus is on resolving the community’s pressing issues and improving quality of life, using technology to collect and analyze data for efficient resource management [and] enabling data-driven decision-making,” she wrote via email.
The Office of Innovation has partnered with UCCS’ Innovation Program to conduct research for some of these projects, and they have implemented several others through their SmartCOS Initiative.
Newman said that their research with UCCS has contributed to their Waste Characterization Study and Action Plan. The goal of this plan is to get the city to adopt a more circular economy.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a circular economy is designed so that it “keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long possible.”
Newman also said that UCCS has helped the Office of Innovation do research for their Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan, which will help the city prepare for more EV ownership.
The SmartCOS Initiative focuses on similar topics and is a combination of 29 projects implemented in various parts of the city.
According to an article from The Gazette, these include smart trash bins, which send a notification to staff when they are full and monitor foot traffic, and smart streetlights that can collect weather and ozone-related information.
Newman said that transforming Colorado Springs into a “Smart City” may lead to many benefits for its population. “Smart Cities waste less, optimize services to improve resident quality of life, and spur socio-economic development while protecting and conserving the natural environment,” she said.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about these projects and staying up to date on the city’s SmartCOS implementation progress can visit their website.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Raven Sanchez
Quelle/Source: The Scribe, 18.02.2023
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