i3 - January/February 2018 - 34

Policy

By Jeremy Snow

T EC H H U B

orget about Silicon Valley, New York or Boston - Columbus has
emerged as one of the most promising smart cities in the nation
and is setting a precedent with its transportation-focused plan.

As IoT and 5G connectivity becomes more
powerful, Ohio's capital is a hopeful testing
grounds thanks to their award-winning
Smart City Initiative, a long-term plan to
connect and modernize the city's transportation, data usage and infrastructure.
In 2016, Columbus beat out 77 other
U.S. cities in the Smart City Challenge,
winning $40 million from the Department
of Transportation and $10 million from
Vulcan Inc. City officials have also collected
more than $500 million in community
commitments from local businesses and
organizations like Ohio State University,
according to Brandi Braun, deputy
innovation officer for the city of Columbus.
Columbus' "smart rush" comes at a good
time - CTA predicts there will be at least
88 smart cities worldwide by 2025, while
66 percent of the world's population will live
in a smart city 25 years later. And by 2020,
the global smart cities market will be a $34.35
billion sector, according to CTA research.
The initiative hopes to modernize a wide
range of parts about the city, including
a complete revamp of transportation in the
city with ridesharing, electric cars and
a smart roads system to allow instant info
on data and parking. With better transportation, the city hopes citizens can access
better jobs both in and outside Columbus.
Other advances in connectivity, such as
5G and big data, will be used to aid in
the transportation upgrades, but also to help
promote businesses, tourism and
sustainability. Columbus is in its early planning phases, as they gather more partnerships, funding and research, Braun says, and

Dawn Dickson, CEO,
Solutions Vending
International

Brandi Braun, Deputy
Innovation Officer,
City of Columbus

We want to make sure our entire
community benefits from this initiative,
including our small businesses and
minority business communities.
-Brandi Braun, Deputy Innovation Officer, Columbus
34

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

don't expect to complete the full
vision until 2040. Until then, they
hope the changes will include benefits like reducing car accidents and
air pollution, increasing carpooling
and repairing aging infrastructure.
Dawn Dickson, CEO of
Solutions Vending International
in Columbus, sees the initiative
as a possible bump for Columbus'
economy, and other tech businesses
as well. Their product, a software
solution that makes vending
machines, micro-markets and other
self-service machines smarter, fits
perfectly into the mobile-based,
AI-focused world of smart cities.
Overall, she called the local tech
community's reaction to the
initiative "stellar." She expects the
changes to bring more clients and
hopes it brings more partnerships
and connections for SVI. "With
more than $500 million in community commitments for smart city
solutions, Columbus has the opportunity to become a smart city hub
which will improve the way the city
serves its citizens, and also create
jobs and economic opportunities,"
Dickson says.

Smart City
Ecosystem
at CES
CES 2018 is the place
to experience the entire
connected ecosystem,
which is bringing
together technologies,
solutions, players and
audiences in the smart
city sector. This year,
CES launches a comprehensive destination
dedicated to smart
city technology.
Presented by CTA
and Deloitte, the program features thought
leaders from Bosch,
Ford, Nissan, Qualcomm
and others to discuss
how smart cities will
revolutionize areas
such as transportation,
energy and public
safety, health care and
data analytics. Keep
an eye out for other
panels, keynotes and
conferences highlighting 5G technologies,
artificial intelligence,
and more emerging
technologies that will
improve American
cities. Then, visit CES'
roughly 20 Smart
City exhibitors, such
as Cognata, GenZe,
Fybr and Tapplock.
CTA continues to
support and study the
future of smart cities,
through reports, surveys and studies. CTA
recently added a focus
on Europe with the
release of The Rise &
Growth of Smart Cities
in Europe, a study that
can be applied to other
cities across the globe.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

iStock/Getty Images

Columbus' Smart Overhaul

i3 - January/February 2018

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