New Community Welcome
Introducing our New Community Welcome! Most years we welcome the newest partners in our Smart Gigabit Communities network with an on-stage ceremony and conference reception. This year, since we’re not meeting in person, we decided to highlight new communities with two weeks of featured content across our media channels: the US Ignite website, YouTube, and social media accounts.
New Community Welcome Video Archive
- February 16, 2021 – Video Introduction
- February 17, 2021 – Featuring Philadelphia
- February 18, 2021 – Featuring Lima, OH
- February 19, 2021 – Featuring Syracuse, NY
- February 22, 2021 – Featuring West Lafayette, IN
- February 23, 2021 – Featuring Greensboro, NC
- February 24, 2021 – Featuring Eugene-Springfield, OR
- February 25, 2021 – Featuring Arlington, VA
February 16, 2021 – Introduction
Starting tomorrow, we’ll feature one new community each day with a short video and links to further details on that community’s smart city initiatives. View our introduction below.
We’re just getting new projects off the ground with many of these partners, and you can expect to hear more about efforts to expand connectivity and deploy technology pilots in the year ahead. In the meantime, the next two weeks will serve as a welcome and introduction. Check back each day for new feature content.
February 17, 2021 – Featuring Philadelphia
Smart City Director Emily Yates in Philadelphia talks about data privacy, the digital divide, the city’s pitch and pilot program, and the need for public-private partnerships. She also talks about why Philly is partnering with US Ignite and hints at what challenges the city is hoping to address with the help of technology. We’re happy to welcome Philadelphia on board as part of our Smart Gigabit Communities network.
Relevant Links
- SmartCityPHL Roadmap
- SmartCityPHL: two years and four pilots smarter
- Philadelphia Innovation Management Team
February 18, 2021 – Featuring Lima, Ohio
Mayor David Berger of Lima, Ohio explains the importance of railway infrastructure to his city, but also how railway crossings can cause major vehicle delays and traffic congestion. The city of Lima has now partnered with state agencies Drive Ohio and InnovateOhio, network provider Spectrum, and US Ignite to test a system of sensors as a possible solution for rerouting vehicles and minimizing backups. If successful, Mayor Berger believes the pilot project in Lima could be a model for other cities around the country.
Relevant Links
- US Ignite and Spectrum Award Grant to the State of Ohio to Advance Smart Transportation Initiatives
- DriveOhio and Partners to Bring Smart Transportation Initiatives to Lima Residents
- Could Smart City Tech Fix Railroad Crossing Traffic? (GovTech)
- US Ignite funds tech to reduce railway crossing congestion in Ohio (StateScoop)
Bonus Video!
Mayor Berger illustrates traffic congestion challenges at one of Lima’s many railway crossings.
February 19, 2021 – Featuring Syracuse, New York
The city of Syracuse, New York is combining a strategic effort to develop a multi-year, smart city roadmap with a series of near-term pilot projects designed to collect data from new sensors and camera-based systems. Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Tifft explains some of the city’s priorities and why the local government is making investments in digital infrastructure.
Relevant Links
- Syracuse Surge
- New York Power Authority Completes Streetlight Conversion to LEDs in Syracuse
- Smart City Small Cells with Syracuse
- Street Smarts: How Syracuse, N.Y., Built a Foundation for Innovation (StateTech)
February 22, 2021 – Featuring West Lafayette, IN
The Discovery Park District in West Lafayette, Indiana alongside Purdue University is a greenfield community with developers working to build out network connectivity in a variety of ways. David Broecker, Chief Innovation and Collaboration Officer, and Troy Hege, Vice President of Innovation and Technology, discuss their vision for a neutral host infrastructure that will enable both competition and novel experimentation. This includes building out a private cellular network (CBRS), LoRaWAN connectivity for Internet of Things applications, and WiFi access for innovative new services. It also includes partnering with three different Internet service providers to deliver commercial broadband.
Relevant Links:
February 23, 2021 – Featuring Greensboro, NC
Greensboro CIO Jane Nickles talks about connecting the unconnected and how the pandemic exposed gaps in broadband coverage for students in the community. She also talks about partnering with US Ignite and fiber provider Segra, as well as building connected cities in the Triad region of North Carolina. The community in Greensboro is finding supporters among universities, nonprofits, chambers of commerce, foundations, and local developers.
Relevant Links
- Greensboro, NC Selected as Smart Gigabit Community
- Open Gate City (Greensboro open data portal)
February 24, 2021 – Featuring Eugene-Springfield, OR
US Ignite is proud to welcome the city of Eugene, Oregon as a renewing member of the Smart Gigabit Communities network. In this video, Director Matt Sayre of the nonprofit Onward Eugene explains how the community is looking to build on three years of digital infrastructure growth and extend its efforts through a partnership with the neighboring city of Springfield. Sayre talks about the investments the city made pre-pandemic that are helping to keep students connected throughout the region for remote learning, and how teaming up with multiple local entities is improving the community’s ability to address post-pandemic economic recovery.
Relevant Links
February 25, 2021 – Featuring Arlington, VA
Arlington County in Virginia is starting a Safety and Innovation Zone Demonstration project with partners US Ignite, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), and Comcast. The county’s Assistant CIO for Strategic Initiatives Holly Hartell talks about the use cases the project will explore, and how technology could help Arlington officials respond to emergencies faster. She also talks about privacy safeguards including a new privacy panel the county is putting in place.
Relevant Links
