AI has reached a level of ubiquity. While some celebrate AI’s unprecedented analytical capabilities, others express caution about the unknown and ethical implications of an unregulated technology. Our panel of thoughtful and experienced city leaders will discuss their own applications and considerations of AI, including generative AI, and discuss important topics from resident engagement to policy implications. Join us to hear about specific use cases, policy developments, and advice for smart city leaders on how to navigate these unprecedented times.

Listen to Andrea Battaglia’s (FIWARE CEO) and Marcus Scheiber’s (ms.GIS CEO) insights on the development of open-source solutions and their benefits for the ecosystem.

Are you excited or concerned about the about the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? It can be overwhelming to know what AI really is and where to start. You may already be using AI and not realize it. Data and analytics are the foundation of AI and we will help you understand how it can be leveraged by the public sector to better serve citizens.

In 2023, Memphis and Philadelphia initiated transformative lighting projects, focusing on public safety, equity, and sustainability. The Philadelphia Streetlight Improvement Project (PSIP), a major endeavor to convert 130,000 streetlights to LEDs within two years, is set to be Philadelphia's most extensive energy conservation project. The City emphasized the project's dual benefits: enhancing residents' quality of life with improved, reliable lighting and advancing the Philadelphia's Vision Zero and 2030 climate goals. This move is crucial in light of data showing a tripling in the risk of fatal crashes at night and a University of Chicago's Urban Labs study demonstrating a 36% drop in crime with better lighting. Echoing this approach, the City of Memphis announced the upgrade of 84,000 streetlights, underscoring the role of lighting in crime prevention. The session will bring together experts, including those from the Memphis Gas Light and Water, Philadelphia Energy Authority, Ameresco and Ubicquia to delve into the strategy and execution of these pivotal U.S. lighting projects and their progression.

This keynote focuses on the use of propane and renewable sources for power generation, transportation, and emergency response resilience. An informative and thought-provoking talk, offering insights on how to leverage these resources to enhance preparedness and resilience.

Panel discussion of the City of Miramar’s journey to net zero. The conversation will focus on how the city is leveraging a combination of energy efficiency and low/no emissions technologies solutions (LED lighting, building automation, renewable energy, EV vehicles & infrastructure) along with smart cities technologies (I.O.T, Digitalization, Data Analytics) to proactively monitor gains and increase resiliency. The panel consists of key stakeholders who will share their role in these efforts from the unique perspective of their various positions at the City.

Cutting energy costs and reducing carbon footprint are the primary reasons why most cities and utilities upgrade streetlighting. However, tremendous operational efficiencies also can be achieved by pairing smart streetlights with streetlight operations software — a step that so far is often overlooked. This integrated approach can enable proactive outage repairs, improved 311 operations, enhanced citizen services, fewer maintenance truck rolls, more accurate billing, and less redundant or manual work.

When building a business case for smart streetlighting, it’s important to understand the measurable benefits that streetlight operations software can deliver. Streetlight operations software includes mobile applications built specifically for field crews to tap into the features of the smart lighting central management systems (CMS), as well as back-office platforms, so crews can work faster and smarter than ever before. Streetlight operations software enhances overall project economics by increasing the efficiency of deployment, maintenance and business processes. Additionally, this software amplifies the benefits of smart lighting by accelerating energy savings, reducing expenses and expanding environmental benefits, which helps build stakeholder support for the smart streetlighting investment.

The population growth of Istanbul puts enormous pressure on the city’s transportation network. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has turned to AI to create smart-city digital infrastructure. AI/ML is running to analyze historical traffic data and incorporate live data feeds from a growing network of sources, including traffic cameras, sensors, data readers, mobile applications and payment gateways. The system can optimize bus routes with new traffic and passenger data to improve service and route availability. It can also anticipate traffic anomalies such as accidents, lane closures and congestion in real-time by analyzing route densities, driver behavior and journey maps.

With AI and analytics, Istanbul’s municipal government can assess traffic conditions in real-time, anticipate congestion trouble spots, and intelligently route traffic and guide citizens on their journeys, this helps reduce congestion, lower pollution levels and improve the quality of life for our citizens. The AI system supports Istanbul’s sustainability goals, restores public confidence in mass transit, and ultimately improves traffic flow that leads to better economic opportunities” said Dr. Naim Erol Özgüner, CIO of IMM.

The Smart City concept takes on different forms for different cities, depending on the state of current infrastructure, the population demographics, the availability of financing and the geography. In its broadest form it covers energy consumption, distribution & generation, water, telecom & internet access, transportation, education, healthcare, community interactions, recreation and other aspects that lead to an ecologically friendly work-life balanced human living.

Implementation of any kind of smart city depends on (various tracks as follows):

• Data Generation by leveraging IoT and edge computing.
• Multi-Modal Analysis by employing hardware and software systems.
• Decision Support Systems by utilizing AI/ML algorithms on large datasets.
• Self-Adapting Control Systems to finally close the loop.
• Deployment Optimization with Governance and finance support.

$270M and counting…Yes, that’s how much the government has provided to the great ideas, clean tech innovators, and activities leading the clean energy revolution. And there is more to come! Do you have a game-changing idea to help advance the clean energy marketplace, improve climate change impacts, spur innovation in the tech industry, build partnerships, or advance equitable clean energy access in communities? If so, there are opportunities available that can benefit you!

The U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made program is your fast track to the clean energy revolution, and we want to share opportunities, success stories, and partnership opportunities for everyone to get involved. We need you to join us to help build a clean energy workforce of the future and takes into account energy justice for all and offers opportunities for everyone to thrive.

Come learn how prizes and other government programming are making a difference in communities across the nation and find out how you can get involved, win cash prizes, partner with us, and help change the world!

The 11th annual Smart Cities Connect Challenge bring together technology & solution providers working on next generation Smart City solutions with city, military, investors, and industry leadership.

Cities share what it means to remain relevant, safe, and invested in a time of digital transformation. Hear about the unique challenges and opportunities facing city leaders and what the future may hold for connected communities.

The age of the digital city is upon us. As public works departments evolve from cumbersome analog systems to agile digital systems, emerging technologies and advanced data capture capabilities are raising the bar for what is possible in urban operations. This panel will explore the transformative impact—as well as the challenges and opportunities—of this technological renaissance on heavy-duty fleets. Join our panel of experts to discover how artificial intelligence, edge computing, and other digital innovations are revolutionizing operations, efficiency, and sustainability in public works, and what the future holds for smart fleet management.

For our cities to be smart, the public transportation experience must be frictionless, accessible, and connected, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable urban space. Our riders should look at public transportation as a cherished part of city life, where they are active participants in a smooth flowing urban ecosystem.

This panel will discuss our latest step toward smart transportation, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and how its new mobile app experience is transforming the way customers engage with its brand and find transit information.

SEPTA’s product is not just the transit system, but the digital assets that support it. As part of broader innovation and product goals, we partnered with SEPTA to reimagine the navigation experience by modernizing its mobile app to empower customers with the features they need most. These include SEPTA Metro, an interconnected wayfinding system, as well as a comprehensive program of accessibility improvements.

Objectives:

• Review project objectives and strategy for successful launch
• Explore our approach to customer engagement; competitive analysis; design thinking, interaction, and visual rebranding: SEPTA Metro
• Share wins, roadmap, and ongoing challenges
• Present actionable takeaways that can be applied to your own projects

LED adoption has penetrated ~50% of outdoor lighting in the U.S. and potential energy savings with streetlight controls is substantial, driving cities and utilities to shed light on their own energy bills. Lighting represents ~40% of a municipal’s energy spending, but without monitoring and controls, costs must be estimated with flat rate tariffs, leaving cities in the dark about the true costs of their lighting systems. As the adoption of smart city sensors under industrial IoT (IIoT) streetlight canopies also grows, lack of visibility into these assets affects operations and drives energy consumption up–with cities and utilities footing the bill.

In 2021, ANSI published the C136.50 standard for Metrology of a Network Lighting Control, opening the door to accurate and timely billing. Now, consumption data from certified NLC’s can support TOU tariffs for smart lights and sensors—just like a smart meter at home. Regulatory bodies can then leverage this data to design flexible rate programs that can result in more equitable billing for municipalities and incentivized peak conservation for consumers. Further, smart lighting can as a network platform for sustainability, digitalization, and public safety services, ultimately accelerating value and improving quality for communities of all sizes.

Government teams expend significant resources trying to adapt commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tools to meet critical public needs, yet only a fraction of those projects succeed. What might a more collaborative and sustainable approach to government software development look like? From delivering services to record-keeping to community outreach, teams across governments face common challenges that can be addressed with similar solutions. Open source projects that are shared across governments not only reduce redundancies but also foster innovative solutions that better adapt to community needs. We will discuss strategies and challenges in developing and maintaining shared open source software, citing real-world examples from city and state agencies that led projects with support from the Google.org Fellowship program. For example, we will discuss lessons learned from the development of civiform.us, a responsive web app that streamlines the application process for residents and their trusted intermediaries. The tool allows folks to enter their information once for use across program applications, ultimately reduced the average time to complete an application from 33 min down to 3. Finally, we share stories of public servants organizing and advocating for more collaborative approaches to leveraging technology in government.

The 11th annual Smart Cities Connect Challenge bring together technology & solution providers working on next generation Smart City solutions with city, military, investors, and industry leadership.

AI has brought added dimensions to cybersecurity. We will discuss the new and emerging risks, and how smart city architects and leaders can design in ways to combat them

Cities and urban areas across the U.S. and beyond are growing and changing at a rapid pace. The City of Raleigh, one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., is utilizing smart city technologies, data, and modeling to help better serve the community through strategies that include mitigating the impacts of climate change. The City of Raleigh and The MITRE Corporation have collaborated on advanced, urban micro-climate awareness to improve heat stress mitigation within and throughout the city. This work, leveraging microscale weather modeling and digital twin technologies for urban heat resilience, has been recognized as 2024 Smart20 awardee. This panel discussion will share insights and examples of this modeling work and how it enables the City of Raleigh to build on their existing Urban Heat Island Mapping, paired with GIS mapping of various heat and flooding mitigation strategies and community data on equity and vulnerability to prioritize projects and infrastructure to mitigate impacts for those most impacted by climate change. This is essential work in the implementation of Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan which focuses on greenhouse gas mitigation, addressing equity and environmental justice, and building community resilience to the impacts of climate change. A demo of the microscale weather modeling solutions for Raleigh and other cities and a range of applications will be presented, and key principals with the City of Raleigh will discuss how integration of this model data and service, for the city and region, with existing and maturing data and digital twin environments may inform, empower, and advance climate sustainability initiatives and outcomes for affected populations and city / community services.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and communities statewide are partnering to test and evaluate autonomous vehicles in pilots that provide free shared rides to the public through the Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) program. CASSI shows the public what autonomous vehicle technology can do in safe, real-world settings. CASSI evaluates how autonomous vehicles can best be used by riders with different needs and in different environments. Pilots focus on transit applications such as first mile/last mile solutions and demonstrating connected vehicle infrastructure.

NCDOT’s most recent automated shuttle pilots under the CASSI program were in Cary's Fred G. Bond Metro Park (Bond Park) and at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) campus. This panel will provide an overview of the pilots with a focus on the partnerships and data that were critical to evaluating an automated shuttle as a transit option in two different environments: a municipal park and a university campus. This panel will detail the teamwork, problem-solving, and outcomes achieved by NCDOT, Cary, the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), UNC Charlotte, and the technology vendors across the two projects and will offer lessons learned for future automated vehicle pilots.

The presentation will identify key challenges to accelerating the proliferation of Smart Cities and Smart Grids. The primary focus will be areas where both Smart Cities and Smart Grid converge and ultimately “work together to achieve common goals.” Discussion points covered will include the importance of standards, digitalization, identifying common priorities, and what specific milestones should be established and what successes can be accelerated.

Smart Cities don’t just happen by accident. They require dedicated leadership, clear problem statements, a shared community vision and goals, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and partnerships with regional agencies and private industry. Learn how two cities, Orlando FL and Charlotte NC, developed their Smart City initiatives through community engagement, assessment of technology options, and project prioritization to meet their identified needs. These cities are now implementing innovative projects to address digital equity and inclusion; electric and autonomous vehicles; resilience hubs and energy microgrids; innovation incubators, advanced air mobility (AAM), and more!

The 11th annual Smart Cities Connect Challenge bring together technology & solution providers working on next generation Smart City solutions with city, military, investors, and industry leadership.

EcoMap Technologies

Public sector entities - regardless of locality or size - face challenges with both understanding and and achieving buy-in from elected officials to deploy promising new technologies. The procurement process and strategic planning across silos to find 'one investment, multiple KPI' projects are critical. The barriers create scenarios where many good new ideas come to die. Innovative approaches to understanding a solution fully and identifying metrics to prove out the investment require creative approaches.

Through initiatives from nonprofit consortiums like the NTXIA and Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, Calls for Innovation provide an avenue for multiple public sector entities to better understand the current landscape of the technology, and opportunities to evaluate it on-the-ground via tactics like demo days and pilots. These programs have resulted in multiple project deployments and positive outcomes.

The Netherlands is considered one of the leading countries, if not the leading country, in serving its citizens and businesses with mobility services. Bicycles, of course, but all modes, from transit to freight, cars, and pedestrians, leverage the highly dense infrastructure very well. It took over 50 years of focused policy, knowledge, and technology development, implementation, and drive toward operational excellence.

The United States of America is not The Netherlands. But what would happen when you package up the Dutch Transportation Solution, adapt it to various US situations, and deploy it? In this keynote, you will learn the fundamentals behind the solution, what it takes to implement it, and the dramatic material benefits of the deployments in the USA being received by citizens and businesses.

Urbanization demands innovation for creating safer, more efficient, and sustainable cities. Join our insightful roundtable where cross-industry leaders will explore how AI and more specifically computer vision is transforming urban life.

Our diverse panel includes urban planners, transportation and infrastructure developers, public safety officials, sustainability champions, and other specialists who will discuss the potential of computer vision to enable smarter cities.

We will delve into practical applications of this rapidly-evolving technology, such as enhancing mobility and safety through the extraction of visual data insights. Panelists will also share examples of overcoming silos through public-private sector collaborations aimed at harmonizing advanced technology with civic interests.

Throughout this forward-looking dialogue, discover how computing innovations designed to mimic human vision are charting an optimistic path toward more livable and equitable urban environments. We invite you to join us as we illuminate how emerging capabilities in machine perception can intersect with human needs to advance the common good.

Join the Town of Cary for an exciting journey into the future of urban green spaces as we unveil our groundbreaking project – the deployment of sensors on a LoRaWAN network in their brand-new downtown destination park. Be sure to attend the IoT: A Walk in the Park Workshop (5/10) (Pre-registration required)

The rapid proliferation of technologies that facilitate data collection in the public right of way including location intelligence, IoT technology, V2X technology, beacon marketing, etc., is occurring at a time when trust in government is at an all-time low. While many of these technologies gather valuable data for cities, how can municipalities weigh these benefits against the risks to data privacy and public trust? How can cities work in tandem with residents to shape the parameters around the transparency, governance, and use of these tools? This panel seeks to delve into the complex intersection of technology deployment, community empowerment, and data governance strategies, emphasizing the need for equitable practices in the digital transformation of cities. Participants will hear about applied solutions from practitioners working to build accountability, transparency, and public process into smart city technology initiatives.

Government agencies are experiencing a significant shift in the development and adoption of digital and emerging technologies. With pressure from government leaders, many government agencies now want to own the technology used on their projects/programs and, more importantly, own the data generated by these technologies. Many organizations haven’t yet started the necessary transformation or are early in their process. Our panel of thought leaders and innovators from organizations such as yours, will discuss why their organization started their digital transformation journey, their approach, the risks of doing nothing, the challenges, securing funds, and benefits their organizations have gained from their digital transformation journey.

City managers are responsible for more assets than the largest private enterprises, a task made even more daunting by smart assets that transmit huge volumes of data. Disparate systems capture and store this information, but without integration and analysis, administrators can’t make sense of the data or generate the insights necessary to make their city more efficient and sustainable. This session will share lessons learned when one of the world's largest cities applied advanced data and AI to better understand

Across Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, FIWARE is experiencing rapid adoption, revolutionizing the development of smart cities, energy, and water management. With over 1,000 smart data models adopted in more than 350 cities, the organization saves time and fosters trust when implementing smart solutions globally. As the de facto standard, FIWARE is pioneering the future of data exchange and data models.

This moderated panel of city leaders will focus on practical and specific lessons learned, successes and failures, and the resulting best practices surrounding urban infrastructure.

As emerging technologies constantly push the envelope of technological advancement, what are companies doing to ensure community acceptance is high? This session highlights why education and community engagement programs are needed as new technologies partner with cities. Attendees will walk away with a plan for how to incorporate community engagement in existing or new programs.

As an organization, how do you find and leverage funding and partners? How do you discover if your technology has dual use capabilities (industry to city and industry to military)? Join our panel of investment, federal, and military experts as they present recommendations and resources to take your organization to the next level. Bring your questions and energy to this great panel!

Join us as we announce the winner of the 2024 Spring Smart Cities Startup Challenge, sponsored by NREL!

AWS cloud technologies are powering groundbreaking Smart City solutions to make cities more accessible, livable and sustainable for their citizens. Step into the future of urban innovation with AWS and our distinguished panel of partners—Opendatasoft, Quantela, and Klika Tech. From AI to IoT and beyond, discover how these AWS Partners harness the power of data to drive tangible outcomes, making cities more livable, sustainable, and citizen-centric. Join us for an insightful discussion on the transformative power of data-driven solutions in shaping the future of smart cities.

Join Chris Danforth from Duke Energy, Northeast Group’s Ben Gardener, and Keith Chinchar from Ubicquia in this panel presentation sharing lessons of scale from Duke Energy’s largest intelligent streetlighting deployment of 2023. This innovative deployment allowed for a rapid, software-forward installation process, where smart nodes quickly connect to a cellular network and begin transmitting data securely.

Duke Energy has achieved improved network control and real-time insights, including outage alerts and diagnostics for issues like power loss and wiring problems, and has streamlined repair processes with APIs for quicker, more efficient maintenance.

Learn more about: Best Practices, Reduced Operations and Maintenance. Performance Tracking, Enhanced Control

Hear how mobility solutions are shaping the future of smart cities. This panel of city leaders and innovators will discuss their mobility priorities and the biggest challenges they are facing in transforming urban mobility.

Join us for a panel discussion where experts will explore the game-changing role of digital twins in transforming critical infrastructure management. Discover how organizations are leveraging these twins as descriptive and operational tools to optimize efficiency and decision-making processes. Hear from leaders, including representatives from the Orlando Economic Partnership, who will share insights into expanding groundbreaking twins for regional benefits. Don't miss this opportunity to delve into the future of smart infrastructure management in the digital era.

Join IDC as we celebrate the award winners from the 2024 IDC Smart Cities North America Awards. This session will shine a spotlight on the winners of our 7th annual SCNAA. All the winning projects are from forward-thinking state, local and/ or educational institutions and founded on strong leadership and the innovative use of technology to serve the public and deliver outcomes. These awards are especially important as these organization executed and sustained successful smart city initiatives amid challenging times. Moderated by Ruthbea Yesner, Vice President, IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities and Communities Strategies, this awards session will focus on best practices for successful project implementations. Join us to gain insight into the critical success factors of these award-winning initiatives that made more sustainable and livable cities with new services and economic opportunities.

To learn more about the 2024 award winners visit: https://www.idc.com/prodserv/insights#government-smart_cities_awards

Welcome to this esteemed panel discussion, part of the U.S. Mayoral Roundtable at the Smart City Connect Conference. There is a growing trend across cities to implement computer vision AI solutions—using cameras and other sensors to capture data and insights. Thanks to advancements in camera technology and new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, computer vision solutions are making cities safer, smarter, more efficient, and sustainable. To deliver on all the outcomes a city needs—improving the citizen experience, operational efficiency, safety and security, and sustainability—it is essential to design an architecture that offers a resilient, easy to orchestrate, scalable and flexible solution to meet the demands of smart city workloads.

Learn how to navigate these technology complexities to achieve your outcomes with a practical and realistic approach.

In an era where urbanization is on the rise and the effects of climate change are wreaking havoc on communities around the world, the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins holds immense promise in shaping the future of resilient infrastructure and safer communities. Participants will leave with valuable insights, actionable strategies, and a deeper appreciation for the pivotal role that real-time data processing, AI, and Digital Twins play in delivering critical insights that help build a safer and more sustainable future.

The Smart City concept takes on different forms for different cities, depending on the state of current infrastructure, the population demographics, the availability of financing and the geography. In its broadest form it covers energy consumption, distribution & generation, water, telecom & internet access, transportation, education, healthcare, community interactions, recreation and other aspects that lead to an ecologically friendly work-life balanced human living. Implementation of any kind of smart city depends on (various tracks as follows) Data Generation by leveraging IoT and edge computing Multi-Modal Analysis by employing hardware and software systems. Decision Support Systems by utilizing AI/ML algorithms on large datasets. Self-Adapting Control Systems to finally close the loop. Deployment Optimization with Governance and finance support

Cities are responsible for 75% of global global resource consumption, energy use, as well as CO2 emissions, thereby fueling global warming. Rethinking radically new ways of living, building, and designing our cities is therefore key to respecting our planet’s limits. When addressing the future of cities and energy efficient use, fundamental research and thought provoking ideas are essential to present a realm of possibilities to daring policymakers, industry leaders, engineers, economists and the civil society. In Switzerland, researchers of diverse scientific background provide essential data and technology, such as modeling programs, thin-film solar modules, geothermal and AI-driven systems designed for urban ecosystems. This transfer of knowledge helps industry leaders and policymakers get a better understanding of the plethora of developments available and craft a vision which includes highly innovative solutions. Smart cities such as Lausanne, in focus here, are highly benefiting from research hubs, spin-offs and academic knowledge gravitating around them. Join us for an engaging presentation and talk with groundbreaking cleantech speakers from the city of Lausanne in Switzerland and discover how this thriving urban center is harnessing the potential of next-generation technologies to re-invent energy use.

Keynote presentation by Dr Alessandro Rotta Loria, Co-Founder and CTO of Enerdrape & Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Chicago.

• Enerdrape is a start-up founded at the Polytechnical Institute of Technology in Lausanne, bringing the first urban geothermal solution to market
• GEOEG, top notch engineering solution from Lausanne Switzerland, using underground structures to heat and cool urban districts

Followed by a discussion moderated by Olivia Gachoud, Head of Science & Technology at the Embassy of Switzerland in the USA

In an era where natural disasters and data breaches increasingly threaten both security and privacy, how can cities ensure seamless, secure access to essential services for their residents? Join us for an impactful panel discussion that explores the power of Digital IDs in transforming the speed and ease of interaction between government and citizens. This panel will discuss different technology approaches to establishing privacy preserving digital identity including portable IDs, use of wallets, and ID verification platforms as identity layers. Learn how digital IDs are a means to reduce and eliminate fraud in emergency or cash disbursement programs, how digital IDs can empower nonprofits and community organizations in trust building, and the potential to transform municipal IDs into powerful, privacy protecting assets for citizens to safely access government services.

Cities are under immense pressure to offer connected, smart services to an increasingly digital constituency. The challenge is two-fold: identifying the areas with the greatest positive impact, and implementing the cloud-enabled systems to effectively manage them. Learn how one of the world’s most tech-forward countries connected its healthcare system for citizens’ benefit and established a digital control room that enabled managers to monitor and maintain the entire network in real time.

This moderated panel of city leaders will focus on practical and specific lessons learned, successes and failures, and the resulting best practices.

Hear from leading industry experts about critical technology advancements, new standards, security considerations, and funding models that are transforming the way cities work and the value they can deliver to their constituents. The panel will examine the latest developments in smart street lights, sensors and high-speed wireless connectivity, as well as other related technologies including public Wi-Fi. Gain exposure to panelist success stories regarding leading smart city projects that are delivering scale and value. By attending this session you will take away a set of considerations to enable you to put in place the technology foundation and long-term strategy to scale your smart city efforts for maximal success.

Join Opendatasoft, the Town of Cary, the Town of Morrisville and the City of Raleigh as they lead a discussion on effective data governance practices in building smart cities. This panel aims to delve into the common policies and processes of open data initiatives within the context of smart cities.

The session will highlight the importance of a robust data governance strategy while working with open data to foster innovation, transparency, and citizen engagement. From autonomous vehicles, to environmental monitoring, Cary, Morrisville and Raleigh will showcase how effective data governance has respected community privacy while allowing for growth.

The panelists will collectively highlight best practices, challenges, and success stories in implementing open data strategies.

This discussion promises to be a platform for knowledge sharing, encouraging attendees to explore the necessity of data governance in shaping smarter, more sustainable cities. Join us for this insightful panel and be part of the conversation on data governance in building the smart cities of the future.

Explore the transformative potential of AI in addressing the challenges faced by growing cities striving to achieve more with fewer resources. Delve into the diverse applications of AI, ranging from tackling homelessness to optimizing 311 call centers and operational processes. Join us for a panel as we examine how cities have navigated the inception of their AI initiatives, sharing invaluable insights, lessons learned, and tangible outcomes along their journey.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is facing the challenge of managing energy use, costs, and carbon emissions across its extensive 400+ building portfolio. Navigating the complexity of compliance with stringent local energy laws and the unique mix of externally leased and internally occupied buildings has demanded a strategic solution. Enter EDC's groundbreaking strategy – a dual-pronged approach integrating cutting-edge software and a dedicated 3rd-party energy services provider. Leveraging advanced software, EDC centralizes its energy data swiftly, accelerating aggregation and pinpointing high-impact energy efficiency opportunities. This expedites compliance with local laws and streamlines decision-making for implementing economically viable energy carbon reduction projects. To maximize the potential of this software-driven initiative, EDC has enlisted a 3rd-party energy service provider. This partnership facilitates seamless data collection, rapid analysis, compliance reporting, and portfolio benchmarking. Virtual and onsite energy audits further enhance the corporation's ability to prioritize and implement impactful initiatives. Join us as we delve into EDC's innovative energy management journey, showcasing the power of technology and strategic partnerships in creating a sustainable and compliant future.

The Research Triangle region of North Carolina is a hotspot of both emerging technology and local government sustainability initiatives. City Sustainability Managers are the linchpin of local efforts to improve governments’ efficient use of resources and to make cities more sustainable, livable, and equitable. This panel will feature three municipal Sustainability Managers from around the region who will discuss their initiatives to transition to clean energy, reduce carbon emissions footprints, and leverage technology as a force multiplier to enhance local government productivity and operational efficiency.

This panel will focus on practical and specific lessons learned, successes and failures, and the resulting best practices used over the past years by these diverse and unique cities.

Data + AI is critical for smart, safe and sustainable cities. America's parks systems are aging. Budgets are tight for recreation and parks. But parks were our saving grace during the covid pandemic, enabling people to recreate safely and stay healthy through a very tough pandemic year. This panel is intended to discuss how parks agencies are collecting data about parks usage, events, activites, festivals, and how such data can be used for usage-based budgeting and prioritization. The panel will talk about data collected from successful new programs like "slow streets", and share their thoughts about the evolution of such programs post-COVID as cities have now reopened. The panel will also discuss how socio economic factors and mobility programs can ensure equitable access to the parks systems.

Transformative projects abound with technology advancements more accessible than ever. Correct implementation can be a game changer for achieving equitable and systems-focused change for organizations of any size. But the best of intentions can fall flat without the resources to deliver, the consultation and engagement of residents, and the buy-in from stretched thin staff and partners with different outcome drivers. During this session, the moderator will highlight a framework for equitable project design that demonstrates how to build off of existing infrastructure, partnerships, and funding. The panelists will showcase this framework, giving applied examples of ways they designed and implemented infrastructure monitoring, accessible transportation, and data driven solutions for impactful change in communities across the country. These real life examples will highlight operational methodologies for improving stakeholder buy-in, identifying existing infrastructure from which to build, and securing investments that demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

Internet backhaul is undergoing a significant upgrade to handle Smart City computing needs. While fiber delivers great bandwidth and reliability, the costs are extremely high, the right of way negotiations have challenging standards, and construction timelines are subject to delays and traffic that have a significantly negative carbon-footprint. “Wireless fiber” can get your community up to speed in days, not years, with zero-emissions and at a fraction of the cost. In this session, you’ll learn about about Free Space Optics, the technical capabilities of laser communication today, and the comparison costs analysis of adding capacity to internet infrastructure in a dense urban city area.

In exploring the evolution of smart cities, it becomes evident that technology alone is not the sole driver. Rather, it is the fusion of digital solutions with community engagement and equitable practices that defines the trajectory toward a more livable future. Traditionally synonymous with technological advancement, the smart cities movement, in addition to sustainability, is now shifting towards prioritizing equity. While smart technologies offer myriad benefits, such as increased civic engagement and trust in City officials, recent reassessments underscore the importance of addressing emerging inequities. This narrative highlights the transformative power of integrating technology, community collaboration, and equity-driven strategies to shape cities that are not only technologically advanced but also inclusive and equitable.

In our panel discussion, we delve into the critical fusion of community collaboration and technology to foster equitable smart cities. Our focus is not merely on bridging the digital divide but on weaving a fabric of inclusivity through genuine engagement.

City of Glendale is invested in fostering a collaborative and co-creative smart culture for its citizens and stakeholders. Their smart city initiative e.g., “The evolution of Modern Data Platform” designed to serve 28 different city departments, from Fire to Finance and Water to Waste Management, it includes numerous use cases and vendors, such as Microsoft, Tyler Technologies, Oracle, Esri, Motorola, Snowflake, and Collibra.

Partners like I&I are helping cities build solutions to tackle these challenges. In this session you will learn how the City of Glendale was able to work with I&I and its various partners, in creating multiple smart city solutions and aggregating data from multiple applications across the city for reporting and analytics. The city is also using GIS data for governance and able to expose these through the concept of digital twins. We will talk about Glendale’s award-winning GIS Center of Excellence. Glendale was the first city in Arizona to implement the generative AI initiative. We will discuss the journey of implementation the journey of generative AI.

You will learn how the innovative solutions impacted the citizens lives and cities growth during Major national supporting events hosted in Glendale (FinalFour & Fiesta Bowl).

Washington’s DC vision for a smarter, safer and more energy efficient city laid the foundation for one of the largest urban streetlight modernization projects in the US.

The DC Smart Street Lighting Project, implemented by the long-term public private partnership between District of Columbia and the Plenary Infrastructure DC (PIDC) consortium, has a significant environmental and economic output, aiming to reduce the energy consumption by more than 50%, optimizing maintenance operations and enabling safer, more connected communities.

Besides converting all the city’s street and alley lights to energy-efficient LED technology, the project deployed inteliLIGHT® smart street lighting NEMA controllers to provide individual lamp control and monitoring capabilities and uses inteliLIGHT®’s Streetlight Control Software, integrated with the existing maintenance and workforce management software, for city-wide grid awareness and maintenance optimization.

The panel discussion will ideally consist of a joint discussion between major players from all realms of the public sector to discuss their utilization of data and AI to up-level the services they bring their their communities and organizations.

Using projects undertaken by the Smart Cities team in Philadelphia as case studies, this presentation will share an overview of what worked and what did not so far. It will focus on practical implementation of innovative and strategic initiatives while establishing clear definitions.

Smart cities are not only about technology, but also about people. Engaging citizens in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of smart city initiatives is crucial for ensuring their success and sustainability. However, fostering community engagement in smart cities is not an easy task. It requires collaborative leadership, effective communication, and inclusive participation from diverse stakeholders.

In this panel, we will explore the challenges and opportunities of building engaged communities in smart cities. We will discuss the following questions:

• What are the benefits of community engagement for smart cities?
• What are the barriers and gaps that prevent citizens from actively taking part in smart city projects?
• What are the best practices and strategies for enhancing community engagement in smart cities?
• How can smart city technologies facilitate and support community engagement?
• What are the ethical and social implications of community engagement in smart cities?

The panel features city leadership, urban planning experts, and technologists, who will share their insights and experiences from different smart city contexts. The panel will also invite questions and comments from the audience, aiming to stimulate a lively and interactive discussion.

Welcome to a workshop like no other! Join us for an exciting journey into the future of urban green spaces as we unveil our groundbreaking project – the deployment of sensors on a LoRaWAN network in our brand-new downtown destination park. This workshop provides a balanced perspective on the deployment. Get ready to be captivated by the possibilities, inspired by innovation, and learn about the challenges and potential pitfalls that come with this endeavor.

By the end of this workshop, you will be equipped with a well-rounded perspective on LoRaWAN network deployment and sensor integration, ready to navigate the terrain with a comprehensive understanding of both the exciting opportunities and the challenges that lie ahead.

Bus transportation, lunch and networking reception included. Buses depart for Downtown Cary Park at 12:45 PM and depart the park at 7:15 PM for the Raleigh Convention Center.