Austin’s northern neighbor of Georgetown has been making surprising waves in the nationalpress and in several movies and documentaries, including Al Gore’s latest. This town of 67,000, “one of the redder towns in one of the redder counties in Texas,” in the words of its mayor, has become one of “the first US towns, and the largest in Texas, to depend entirely on renewable energy,” in a process that began in 2012. We spoke with Mayor Dale Ross recently to hear about his vision and to discuss how green and tech innovation in Georgetown and Austin might influence each other.
Read MoreThe popular fascination with self-driving passenger cars has opened a new era of how we envision moving people. Meanwhile, a parallel lane has also opened: automating how we move things. While we have yet to marvel at convoys of driverless and digitally connected eighteen-wheelers, or even set cargo-hoisting drones aflight, they seem nearly visible on the horizon.
Read MoreAs communities across the United States wait to learn how high-speed mobile networks will figure in a long-promised infrastructure plan, some cities are already attracting private investment in next-generation 5G networks. They are doing so by finding new ways to collaborate with network and equipment providers, creating a set of “best practices” that other local governments can follow.
Read MoreToo often, innovative ideas in the public sector never see the light of day due to regulations and oversight designed for a different era. While procurement regulations are intended to ensure accountability and minimize risk, the process leaves little room for experimentation or creative engagement with entrepreneurs. Philadelphia's FastFWD initiative tackled these challenges directly by opening up new mechanisms for entrepreneurs to co-create solutions with the city.
Read MoreBitcoin buzz has reached stratospheric levels that are tough to rival. Nonetheless, it does lead one to think about which of today’s emerging trends will bear fruit in the coming years and become the next Bitcoin. Edge computing, though not likely to hit Bitcoin levels of buzz, is one trend worth watching.
Read MoreIoT News of the Week: February 9, 2018
Read MoreWASHINGTON — To help state and local governments leverage digital technologies, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a leading science and tech policy think tank, along with Government Technologyand Governing magazines and 11 state and local governments, today announced the launch of the government Digital Transformation Exchange (DTE), an online platform powered by ProudCity, for public agencies to share and discuss strategies for using technology to modernize and improve state government operations. The first-in-the-nation partnership will accelerate adoption of new technologies and digital government platforms by empowering collaboration and sharing of standardized best-practices among government agencies.
Read MoreIf the idea of designing and building drones that can carry people appeals to you, the online education company Udacity has just rolled out a college degree in flying cars.
Read MoreFreestanding nanogrid combines wind, solar and batteries to provide up to six USB charging ports and LED lighting
Read MoreUrban planning, rural planning, transportation planning: all of it is personal. This is something that practicing planners (and policymakers of all kinds) need to understand. The work we do influences where people can live, influences where people can work or go to school, and can transform the entire trajectory of an individual’s lived experience. This makes our work a very heavy responsibility.
Read MoreBoston's CIO has worked to transform traditional bureaucratic procedures to speed the rollout of the latest mobile broadband infrastructure.
Read MoreAugmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are the future of retail — and many other industries. Lurking in the background is blockchain, which has the power to disrupt everything in our daily lives.
Read MoreThe Denver City Council approved a four-year, $12 million smart technology program that will lay the groundwork for a full-fledged smart network, according to The Denver Post and others.
Read MoreChina builds an IoT project like no other along a 1,400km stretch of canal that has been almost six years in the making.
Read MoreThe next wave of cellular IoT adoption is focused on new vertical segments like smart cities and infrastructure
Read MoreFord and Silicon Valley-based Autonomic will work together to build a new open platform upon which cities can build out infrastructure communications, including connected traffic lights and parking spots, called the “Transportation Mobility Cloud.” Ford CEO Jim Hackett announced the news on Monday at the CES 2018 keynote kicking off the annual conference.
Read MoreIn an interview with Texas Public Radio (TPR), Mayor Nirenberg explained the committee was developed because San Antonio's "smart city" goals lacked a unified policy vision. By forming this dedicated team, the city is now on the path toward efficiently assessing community needs and investing in smart solutions. Though TPR notes the committee still needs to figure out what "smart city" means for San Antonio and its stakeholders, as the term carries a vast number of varied definitions.
Read MoreThere is great enthusiasm for the smart city concept. Integration of autonomous vehicles, drones and networked communications are expected to manage congestion, lead to fewer accidents, reduce pollution and enhance quality of life.
Read MoreAbout 1,500 Chinese tech companies, including industry giants like Baidu and Alibaba as well as startups put their home-grown gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which kicked off Tuesday in Las Vegas.
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