State and local governments downsize space and staff requirements with consolidation.
Sometimes, the best way to go big is to first figure out how to be small.
For the city of Doral, Fla., where Gladys Gonzalez is CIO, the solution proved to be hyperconvergence: an IT framework with the capacity to do it all.
Read more: US: Data Center Optimization Helps Agencies Do More with Less
A city in Kansas has approved a 10-year pilot program to deploy a smart pavement technology at five intersections in a public-private partnership. The P3 marks a step forward in deploying the technology, which entails precast concrete road sections embedded with digital technology and fiber optic connectivity for traffic data collection through in-roads sensors, Wi-Fi, 5G and more through antennas in the expansion ports, edge services and cloud access and wireless electric vehicle charging.
At a Lenexa city council meeting April 19, members approved a resolution to allow Integrated Roadways to begin design for the first of five intersections, accepting a $250,000 innovative technology program grant from the Kansas Dept. of Transportation, according to the meeting minutes. KDOT first tested the technology on a section of Interstate 35 in 2013.
Read more: US: Smart Road Pilot P3 Gets Green Light in Kansas
Sharing data across city government is as much about shifting the culture within departments as it is about technology.
Cities collect mountains of data, but only in the past six or seven years have they been able to leverage that data to make decisions and better serve their communities. According to a June 2021 report by What Works Cities and the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, the percentage of cities with platforms to share data with residents more than tripled, from 18 percent to 67 percent since 2015.
Read more: US: Smart City Leaders Work to Break Down Data Silos to Improve Services
US: Louisiana: New Orleans: City Council expands pay-to-play investigation into Smart City WiFi plan
The New Orleans City Council Thursday has opened a formal investigation into Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s plan to provide free WiFi services in the city over concerns top members of her administration are personally benefiting from the plan.
The council approved the investigation Thursday on a five to zero vote. An initial hearing will be held next week.
City leaders want Dallas to be a “Smart City” with wireless internet access everywhere. The plans were discussed Monday at a briefing for the City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Right now, the city’s free Wi-Fi is limited to certain areas with more to be added by the end of the year, but Monday’s discussion was about a very big picture for the future and it has city council members seeing dollar signs.