In the near future, 8,000 new residents of Treasure Island, Calif., will travel around the island in buses that drive themselves, according to plans outlined by the city of San Francisco. The project will be funded through a U. S. Department of Transportation award for smart city projects.
The City of Milwaukee is creating a detailed smart city plan after deploying several smaller Internet of Things initiatives over the last couple of years.
The San Diego Foundation awarded an $80,000 grant to Cleantech San Diego to support water technology deployments at the City of Solana Beach. The grant will support public-private partnerships that encourage the adoption of smart city technologies and help achieve water and energy savings in the San Diego region.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is asking cities for proposals to test automated vehicles through the new Automation Proving Ground Pilot Program.
Though some areas of the country have become famous for high-tech innovation–such as Silicon Valley, Austin, Texas, and Seattle–all congressional districts in the U.S. have both investments and contributions in the high-tech space and should be treated as such, according to a recent report by the Information Technology Innovation Foundation.
Newark, N.J., recently launched its first smart city initiative. The city has partnered with New Jersey Institute of Technology, the New Jersey Innovation Institute and private business to start MetroLab@Newark.
Florida has awarded a $700 million contract to Harris Corp. to provide a statewide communications network. This network will connect 4,000 sites, bringing together public safety, law enforcement, public schools, and other state and local government agencies.
As urban populations are increasing across the country, cities are investing in “smart” technology to improve city services, reduce traffic, and increase quality of life for residents. The U.S. Postal Service said that with its vast physical network that it is well suited to collect data needed for smart city initiatives.
The Illinois Department of Information and Technology has partnered with the State of Telangana, India, to advance their smart state initiatives.
The city of Atlanta is one of 60 partners joining the Department of Energy’s Better Communities Alliance and is committed to delivering energy efficient and sustainable solutions.
