St. Petersburg, Fla., was named a Smart Gigabit Community by US Ignite, a non-profit organization that helps accelerate the smart city movement. As a Smart Gigabit Community, St. Petersburg will have access to “a low-latency and ultra-fast network with local cloud computing and storage capabilities.”
The Smart Gigabit Communities program was launched by US Ignite, in conjunction with the National Science Foundation, in 2015 and now includes 27 member communities. The St. Petersburg Innovation District will serve as the “convening partner” between the city, US Ignite, and private sector partners providing grant funding.
A press release from US Ignite said that the St. Petersburg Innovation District plans to use its access to new cloud computing and storage resources to “develop advanced applications and services that address local needs such as infrastructure, workforce development, public safety, education, and community health.” The results of the St. Petersburg Innovation District’s work will be added to a catalog of more than 150 applications and services developed by the 27 Smart Gigabit Communities over the last three years.
“I want to thank the St. Petersburg Innovation District for working so hard to not only explore smart city technologies, but to be a leader in growing our startup ecosystem,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. “As a Smart Gigabit Community, the Sunshine City will be able to provide the very best tools to entrepreneurs, helping them build great companies and create real solutions for St. Petersburg.”
