As autonomous vehicles beckon, LiDAR accelerates connectivity
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released its 2020 annual traffic crash data, showing that 2020 had the highest number of fatalities since 2007.
In 45% of fatal crashes, the drivers of passenger vehicles were engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors: speeding, alcohol impairment, or not wearing a seat belt.
Read more: US: LiDAR is the secret sauce for connected vehicles and smart city adoption
Initiatives from both the city and county governments earned recognition as nominees for IDC Government Insights' annual awards program.
Pittsburgh is being recognized for two civic programs that are paving the way for smart city innovation.
Tech and public policy consulting firm IDC Government Insights announced the finalists for its fifth annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA) this week. Meant to recognize initiatives from cities, counties, states and universities that promote the use of information and communication tech to advance citizen welfare and government services, these awards honor cities for prowess in administration, civic engagement, data-driven policing and more.
With the help of video game software developer Unity, the Orlando Economic Partnership is creating an interactive 3D map of the entire Orlando, Fla., region to show to companies who may want to locate in the area.
New mapping and other real-time technologies are allowing communities to showcase their regions in approaches that reach far beyond the static PowerPoint.
Read more: US: Orlando, Fla., Hopes ‘Digital Twin’ Map Will Help Companies
Every day, hundreds of thousands of commuters across the country travel from houses, apartments and other residential spaces to commercial buildings—from offices and schools to gyms and grocery stores. These destinations, combined with transportation between them, account for more than half of the total energy consumed in the United States each year.
To determine how these daily mobility patterns affect energy usage, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) partnered with the Smart City Division within the City of Chattanooga's Department of Information Technology. Benefits from this work could ultimately include more efficient heating and cooling of buildings based on their populations and faster, better informed responses in emergency scenarios.
The state is now number two in the country in electric vehicles sales.
At the time, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unprecedented $25 million investment in electric vehicle infrastructure may have left some scratching their heads. That investment was followed by DeSantis signing into law SB 7018 which empowered the Florida Department of Transportation and numerous stakeholders to create an electric vehicle roadmap for the state.
Read more: US: Smart policy puts Florida in the driver’s seat on electric vehicles