900LBS TO BRING SMART CITY EXPERIENCE TO LIFE FOR DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY

900LBS TO BRING SMART CITY EXPERIENCE TO LIFE FOR DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY

900lbs of Creative, an innovation lab that utilizes emerging technology to create one-of-a-kind experiences, announced a strategic partnership with the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) to bring the vision for Dallas’ West End District to life. The DIA is a 501C(3) Public-Private Partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart city strategy for Dallas, with initial efforts focused on building a living lab in the West End District of downtown Dallas.

“Innovation is at the core of what 900lbs does, as is giving back to our community, so partnering with the Dallas Innovation Alliance is a perfect fit for us,” states Steve Deitz, CEO, 900lbs of Creative. “We truly care about Dallas, its citizens, and the future of our city, and we see this as an opportunity to bring the Dallas Innovation Alliance’s vision to life using virtual reality. We are honored and excited to be collaborating with the DIA to help make Dallas the smartest city in the world.”

“The Dallas Innovation Alliance is so grateful to 900lbs for bringing its team’s talent, technology and creative vision to support the work of our organization,” stated Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director, Dallas Innovation Alliance. “Supportive community partnerships and investment that draw upon the vast talent within Dallas’ ecosystem is an essential catalyst that helps ensure that today’s vision becomes tomorrow’s reality for Dallas. We can’t wait to share the fruits of this collaboration with the community while highlighting the work of an innovative, homegrown Dallas company.”

Inspiring organizations to innovate, 900lbs’ projects span from projection mapping, and touch screen displays, to racing a T-Rex, and joining Tony Hawk on the halfpipe in 360 degree virtual reality. Clients include Activision, Bank of America, Boy Scouts of America, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Museum of Art, Frito Lay, Pepsico, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Shell Oil Company, ZTE, and many others. The company plans to utilize their expertise in helping Dallas become the smartest and safest city in the world.

About 900lbs of Creative

To brands seeking to stand out from the crowd, 900lbs of Creative is an innovation lab and marketing studio that utilizes emerging technology to create one-of-a-kind wow experiences. The team is a collective of experiential designers, interactive artists and visual content developers who continually test new technologies and bring experience design to life through a variety of services including: interactive installations, exhibits, UI/UX design, visual content, virtual reality, and augmented reality. 900lbs is on a mission to inform, educate, and entertain the world through technology. For more information, visit www.900lbs.com.

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, defined as a city where social and technological solutions facilitate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improves the quality of life in the city for its citizens. DIA’s overarching goal is to elevate Dallas as a city that is not only prepared for – but a driving force in shaping – the future of cities, and providing opportunities for prosperity for its citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. For more information please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com.

DALLAS IS GETTING SMARTER EVERY DAY AS SMART CITIES INITIATIVE ANNOUNCES KEY SUPPORT FROM AT&T AND LEAD PARTNERS

DALLAS IS GETTING SMARTER EVERY DAY AS SMART CITIES INITIATIVE ANNOUNCES KEY SUPPORT FROM AT&T AND LEAD PARTNERS

The Dallas Innovation Alliance collaborates with technology leaders in the public and private sectors

DALLAS, TX, April 13, 2016 — When it comes to smart and digital cities, the Dallas business community is working hard to stay ahead of the game. Through organizations such as the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), public and private sectors are teaming to create and deploy smart cities solutions, fueled by Internet of Things (IoT) innovations, in an effort to accelerate sustainable economic growth and improve quality of life.

These solutions include enhancing transportation by alerting commuters in near real-time when the next bus or train will arrive; improving public safety by more effectively managing traffic patterns; increasing efficiency via smart streetlights and use of sensors to help monitor crowds and air quality; and enhancing connectivity via small cell technology in interactive kiosks and waste management solutions.

Through the support and collaboration of its members, the DIA is committed to advancing transformative change in the city of Dallas. Some of DIA’s public and nonprofit sector members include the City of Dallas, Dallas Regional Chamber, Downtown Dallas Inc., Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Dallas 2030 District, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Real Estate Council, and the Texas Research Alliance.

Today, the Dallas Innovation Alliance would like to recognize its key collaborators who have shown forward-thinking leadership and dedication to the mission of the DIA, and the Dallas community:

·       Foundational Partner: AT&T

·       Lead Partner: Cisco

·       Pivotal Partner: Current, powered by GE

·       Partner: AECOM

·       Community Impact Partner: IBM

The DIA has a mission to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that utilizes the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. AT&T’s support of the DIA is part of their national effort in building a smart cities framework to help cities better serve their citizens.

“Dallas is a clear choice for our involvement,” said Mike Zeto, general manager, Smart Cities, AT&T. “The region shows promise across the board, with a heavy presence of cutting-edge technology companies, forward-thinking leadership at the city and county level, and a driven entrepreneurial community. The Dallas Innovation Alliance brings these key stakeholders together to achieve collective impact, and we are thrilled to strengthen and support the alliance in the city that we call home.”

“AT&T has shown remarkable leadership in its support of smart cities and the Dallas Innovation Alliance; it is only through the commitment of our community collaborators that true transformation can occur that helps to set the future course for our city,” commented Jennifer Sanders, who joined the Dallas Innovation Alliance as executive director last month. “The DIA is grateful to its collaborators for their support in Dallas and, more broadly, for their continued commitment to leaving a lasting impact on Dallas through innovative technology and civic engagement.”

In the coming months, the DIA will finalize its strategic priorities and begin implementation of initial projects in the West End Historic District in Dallas’ central business district, focused on smart infrastructure, smart mobility and connected living. In December, Dallas was selected as one of 10 cities in the inaugural Envision America program, which was announced at the White House in September 2015.

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, leveraging social and technological infrastructures to accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improve the quality of life for its citizens. DIA’s overarching goal is to elevate Dallas as a city that is not only prepared for, but a driving force in shaping, the future of cities, and providing opportunities for prosperity for its citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. For more information, please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com.  

Press Release: Dallas Innovation Alliance Announces Senior Hire

Dallas Innovation Alliance Announces Senior Hire

Organization Names Co-Founder Jennifer Sanders as Executive Director

DALLAS, TX – March 29, 2016 – Today, the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a 501c(3) public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities strategy for Dallas, announced the hiring of its first Executive Director, co-founder Jennifer Sanders.

Jen brings over 12 years of expertise across a broad array of industries, including energy, technology, economic development, nonprofit and finance, serving in functions including communications, stakeholder and community relations, strategic counsel and operations. She joins the Dallas Innovation Alliance from Perry Street Communications, a financial and strategic communications firm.

“I am honored to serve the Dallas Innovation Alliance as Executive Director, and continue to drive the organization’s mission to create technology and social infrastructures that drive sustainable economic development and improve quality of life for the citizens of Dallas,” commented Ms. Sanders. “There is tremendous energy and momentum surrounding DIA’s work from our partners, community organizations and citizens. I look forward to harnessing this enthusiasm and working with our partners to build out our projects in the West End and across the city.”

Trey Bowles, cofounder and Chairman of the DIA stated “We are thrilled to bring on Jen Sanders as our Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. Her passion for creating sustainable cities combined with her experience and knowledge on how this has worked in other cities across the world make her the best possible choice for this role. We are excited to see Dallas become a leader in implementing Smart Cities solutions and showcasing the innovative spirit of our region.”

Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director

Jen actively serves the community through roles including President of the Mayor’s Star Council, a group of culturally and professionally diverse young leaders who are empowered to impact the city through its mission to learn, serve and connect. She serves on the board of the Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas as well as the advisory board for Dallas startup Need Edition. She serves as an Ambassador for the Dallas Entrepreneur Center, working to advocate for and mentor those in the startup community, and regularly volunteers with community organizations including Hunger Busters, who provides food-insecure DISD students with a crucial third meal of the day, Capes 4 Kids, which makes superhero capes for critically ill children, and Feed the City. Jen received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor concentration in economics from the University of Virginia.

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a coalition of stakeholders from the City of Dallas, corporations, civic and NGO organizations, academia and private individuals who are invested in Dallas’ continued evolution as a forward-thinking city where social and technological infrastructures and solutions facilitate and accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improves the quality of life in the city for its citizens. Operating from a foundational vision that smart cities are about people – and not just technology – DIA is focused on the end user, and building a critical mass of the most highly-engaged citizens in the country.

Led by the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC), founding members of the Dallas Innovation Alliance include: Mayor Mike Rawlings and the City of Dallas, AECOM, AT&T, Cisco, Dallas 2030 District, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Dallas Regional Chamber, Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, Deloitte, Downtown Dallas Inc., Ericsson, GE, IBM, Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Texas Research Alliance and The Real Estate Council (TREC).

For more information on the initiative and to get involved, please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com.

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, defined as a city where social and technological infrastructures and solutions facilitate and accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improves the quality of life in the city for its citizens. DIA’s overarching goal is to elevate Dallas as a city that is not only prepared for – but a driving force in shaping – the future of cities, and providing opportunities for prosperity for its citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. For more information please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com.

O'Reilly Report: Are Your Networks Ready for the IoT?

The DIA was thrilled to be included in a recent O'Reilly report on IoT and Smart Cities, sneak peek below, check it out (and download full report for free) at http://oreil.ly/21l44Yu

The smart city movement has emerged as the unofficial test bed for IoT development on a grand scale. Since smart city projects are often combinations of new and old technologies, they offer unique opportunities for exploring the potential of IoT ecosystems. The Dallas Innovation Alliance is a public-private partnership driving smart city initiatives for the City of Dallas. Alliance cofounders Jennifer Sanders and Trey Bowles emphasized the foundational value of creating strong network infrastructures.

“Our vision is to execute a multi-phased strategy, with its pilot phase focused in a downtown district called the West End,” Bowles says. The West End is already equipped with optical fiber, making it an ideal area for beginning smart cities initiatives and “eliminating project delays based on the need for initial infrastructure develop‐ ment of the backbone of the network.” The city also plans to con‐ tinue improving networks across Dallas and will roll out best practices, developed in the West End, to other parts of the city, he says.

“Most cities are at varying points of ‘network readiness’ across a spectrum,” says Bowles. Handling the massive amounts of data pro‐ duced by citizens on a daily basis—independent of a robust smart cities initiative—requires solid partnerships with experienced ser‐ vice providers. Conducting a thorough audit of existing network capabilities and comparing them with projected needs are necessary steps in the evolution of smart cities.

“We believe most cities will need to take a close look at (their) existing network infrastructure and capacity,” says Bowles. “We have learned from the experts that without a smart infrastructure as a foundation, a smart city initiative will not be successful. It is enormously important to learn from those who have walked this path before ... there are clear best practices and lessons learned to be utilized as a foundation for new efforts.”

DIA in Inc. Magazine: What Corporate America Doesn't Understand About Big Data

Big Data is changing fast, and what companies don't know could hurt them - and the data they're collecting.

BY LISA ABEYTA Founder and CEO, APPCityLife

I recently had the privilege of moderating the Smart Cities panel during the Big Data, Open Data: Inspiring Corporate & Civic Innovation Conference hosted by the University of Phoenix. The idea for the conference came up in a conversation I had almost a year ago with Dennis Bonilla, the Executive Dean - College of Information Systems and Technology at University of Phoenix - Apollo Education Group, who has spent the majority of his career driving technology innovation and strategies for corporations like Microsoft and previously serving as Vice President of Oracle.

I first met Dennis when I responded to his post on Twitter sharing a column I had written about some of the reasons girls didn't like to code. The ensuing exchange led to a series of emails and phone calls, and within a few weeks, he invited me and our COO to join him at the university's headquarters in Arizona where he had also assembled some of his team from across the country to begin a dialogue about the university's role in training a workforce for the new digital age.

For Dennis, the conference in Dallas was really a continuation of that same conversation, but this time with some of the movers and shakers within the corporate world. "I wanted to bring industry leaders together to explore the challenges for preparing tomorrow's workforce as well as the opportunities surrounding data for both business growth and solving problems in our cities."

From the opening keynote delivered by Dr. Erica Groshen, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to the final presentation by Joe Hill, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Fellow and Chief Technologist for Analytics, who took us on a deep dive into best practices for managing data, it was enlightening to hear the perspectives on the future of data from leaders within major corporations like IBM, KPMG, Walmart, At&T, Verizon, Cognizant and Sabre as well as government.

A few of the more interesting nuggets of insight I took away

Privacy Paramount for Volunteer Participation in Data Gathering

Despite the Bureau of Labor Statistics falling within the Department of Labor, one thing that Dr. Erica Groshen wants to make abundantly clear is that the data submitted to their department is not shared with other agencies for enforcement purposes. 

"The American people entrust us with sensitive data because they know that confidentiality is of the utmost importance to BLS. They understand that we use these data only to produce key economic statistics that help companies, policymakers and family members make smart decisions," she says. "The information respondents give to us is protected by law and is not shared with anyone, including other government agencies."

Big Data is Changing More Than Just the Bottom Line for Corporations

IBM's Emerging Roles and Markets Leader, Cortnie Abercrombie, says big data is about so much more that just financial gains,"... changing every aspect of life, not just corporate bottom lines. I'm watching data and analytics being used to solve for everything from cancer to adaptive learning to farming."

She adds that for some, data and analytics bring fear of being disrupted and the need to catch up quickly while others see it as a huge opportunity to do new innovative initiatives that can change the future. "No matter the side, data and analytics are bringing with it a whole new inquisitive fail-fast culture (vs. 100 percent risk averse), new tools and techniques, and the need for a whole new set of skills and multi-faceted talent."

For some corporations, big data isn't a side-effect of doing business but the main product.

"We've evolved from the 'Big' in 'Big Data' and now we just call it 'data' at Progressive... it's kind of understood," says Progressive's Data & Analytics Business Leader Pawan Divakarla. "We don't sell something tangible, so data is really our product when you think about it. The challenge for companies is no longer 'how do we secure data about our customers?' which is a given, but rather 'how do we utilize it to give them a unique experience that builds trust and loyalty?' Our Snapshot program is one example of how we answered that question."

Zulfikar Sidi, Vice President, Enterprise Data and Analytics at Sabre Corporation, had some great advice for companies wanting to leverage data:

"To be successful, you have to make it easy for people to access data without cumbersome processes," he said, adding that the most successful are "those who know how to use the data to tell stories."

We're Creating a Boatload of Data ... And It's Hard to Protect

Well, to be accurate, it's a lot more than a boatload - we're talking data lakes.

While the spirited discussion among panelists covered everything from the legal side of security - such as the need for agreements that clearly define who owns the data - and best practices for using, developing and storing data,  one of the more interesting nuggets to emerge from the session was that the amount of data being captured by the tools we use to protect our data are creating additional challenges. 

"The growing sophistication of hackers is making it more difficult to identify attacks with point solution security tools that utilize filters, policies, or signature-based detection methods," says Jim Covington, Chief Technologist at Booz Allen Hamilton. "Aggravating the issue is the overwhelming amount of data captured by these tools and the inability of security teams to synthesize the data into meaningful and actionable information." 

But there was good news. Covington says that the current challenges are "leading to the increased use of Data Lakes where data scientists can apply predictive analytics to identify attack patterns that may have otherwise gone undetected."

Big Data Can Open the Door to New Opportunities

With the explosion of corporations, organizations and government agencies focusing not only on the internal value of big data but the bigger value to society, the opportunities to make significant impact has also increased. Finding ways to identify, track and harness all of this activity is no easy task. 

One newly-formed agency hoping to make leverage big data from both the public and private sectors is DIA - Dallas Innovation Alliance. Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director, says that big data presents in implementing smart city initiatives are immense. 

"Data provides visibility, connection points and analytics that drive results," she says. "We are focused on the integration of public and private data formats and creation of an open platform that allows DIA to maximize insights while allowing citizens and startups to build off of that data and provide transparency. Dallas has made great initial strides through it's open data platform, and we want to leverage and build on that progress."

Dallas Fort-Worth: A Call To Innovate

Our own co-founder Trey Bowles lays down a call-to-action for innovation in Dallas Innovates this week.

The term “innovation” is often thrown around, a catchall term used to fill in a gap. If something is different or new or controversial or expensive, or if we don’t have another buzzword to use, we call it innovative, and we think we have contributed to the conversation. It is a term we use to seem relevant around the dinner table or to sound educated when drinking beers at happy hour. But, do we really know what innovation is and what it could do if we used it effectively?

To me, innovation is about finding ways of doing things that create efficiencies and increase effectiveness to the benefit of those involved.

To me, innovation is about finding ways of doing things that create efficiencies and increase effectiveness to the benefit of those involved. Also, innovation is all about people. By their nature, innovators are curious, creative, and impact-driven individuals who seek the best solutions for the greater good. And in a city like Dallas, we can all be innovators. It is in our DNA, and it is what makes us different from other cities around the world.

Our Innovators

Building amazing technology and infrastructure is important. Having the nation’s largest Arts District and the largest rail system in the country is spectacular, but what really transforms a city is pulling the people who live there together and teaching them how to think about their future through the lens of innovation, and several here are doing this, including Sarah Ritesma and Courtney Egelston who are building a new pattern of education and contextualized learning at the IDEA school in DISD. Another example is the launch of the Dallas Smart Cities initiative that was created through a public/private partnership (Dallas Innovation Alliance) with the city of Dallas and several other key partners. Another is the great work that Darron Babcockand his team are doing through Bonton Farms and H.I.S Bridge Builders that plans to add 18 acres of land to the urban farming concept they have created. And we all are aware of the way Chad Houser is creating a solution for recidivism with excellent food through the groundbreaking—and delicious—Cafe Momentum (which was named a best new restaurant by the Dallas Observer in 2015).

Let’s Tell Our Story

Dallas is a city created and built by innovators and entrepreneurs—from John Neely Bryan to Mark Cuban to those mentioned above. We are a city that strives to be the best place to live in the country with a low cost of living and a great work-life balance where families can grow and thrive. The potential we have within this city is exponential. There is a great responsibility on all of us who live here now to not squander that opportunity but rather channel it to change the trajectory of our futures by developing an approach for innovation that makes this a better place to live. It’s time we step up and tell our innovative story. We cannot shy away from addressing the hard topics and hard issues, but rather embrace them and run at them with a strategy that looks at us as one city, with one goal for everyone.

The great thing about Dallas is that we have myriad people, organizations, and initiatives that are focused on driving innovation.

The great thing about Dallas is that we have myriad people, organizations, and initiatives that are focused on driving innovation. The key is that for real innovation to exist, we must put our own agendas aside and look at the impact that could be created by working together. Innovation provides opportunities to not only address some of the biggest challenges that we have as a city but also to continue to grow, advance, and ultimately, change the perception of our city to the rest of the globe.

Dallas Getting Ready to get 'Smart'

Mitchell Schnurman, Dallas Morning News

December 8, 2015

“We’re at the beginning of a journey,” keynote speaker Mike Zeto told a group of technology experts last month in Irving.

He was talking about the emergence of “smart cities” — communities adopting the latest technologies to cut costs, boost efficiencies and improve the lives of their residents.

As he spoke, a video began to play. A young woman, dressed in shorts and a tank top, was jogging across a city bridge. LED street lamps turned on as she passed below, lighting her way with every stride.

Then the video began to falter and the audio broke up. Within seconds, everything stopped — and the audience laughed.

“Well, that’s not exactly the way I thought it was gonna work,” said Zeto, general manager for AT&T’s smart cities unit.

It was a reminder that technology sometimes disappoints. That’s worth keeping in mind as cities and companies start pushing hard for major investments in sensors and connectivity. This movement is part of the Internet of things, a popular description for connecting billions of objects through the cloud.

Dallas recently created a public-private partnership that plans a smart cities project in downtown’s West End. Expected to launch next year, the project represents the kind of forward thinking that appeals to startups and young talent.

“This ties in with the ethos of the modern entrepreneur,” said Geoffrey Orsak, a leader in academia. “They want to be in environments that are advanced, even experimental. The West End could become a living laboratory.”

The Dallas group is focusing on adding smart technologies in three areas: infrastructure, mobility and connected living. Efforts could include sensors to capture real-time energy and water use; a green/solar roof initiative; smart parking solutions; improving bike lanes; and adding kiosks with data access.

If advocates can prove the concepts work in the West End, others in North Texas will be clamoring to get in the game.

Cities in Asia and Europe are at the forefront of smart cities because their urban centers are growing fast, often straining resources. Their solutions range from more efficient office buildings to apps that let citizens report potholes to dumpsters that indicate when they’re full and ready to be emptied.

Smart parking alone can reduce traffic by 40 percent in congested cities, said Richard Sear, a partner at the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

“This is the sensorization of things, where you turn something dumb into something smart,” said Sear, who’s working with Dallas leaders. “This drives up revenue for companies and taxes for government. And it saves time and money for consumers.”

Smart cities represent a trillion-dollar global market over the next decade, Frost estimates. Its potential was one of the factors behind a major partnership between Ericsson and Cisco, unveiled in November.

Cisco pointed to Barcelona, which had 22 major smart programs and 83 separate projects last year. The city saved $58 million annually on water and increased parking revenues by $50 million annually, Cisco said. In addition, smart city projects created 47,000 jobs there.

Barcelona “will be a showcase of how we can bring value to other cities around the world,” Hilton Romanski, Cisco’s chief strategy officer, said in an interview last month.

In September, the White House launched a smart cities initiative, pledging over $160 million in federal research for pilot projects and collaborations. It also gave a shout-out to Dallas for creating an alliance of business, government, academia and civic groups.

The Dallas Innovation Alliance lists 13 charter members, including AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, DART, Downtown Dallas Inc. and the city of Dallas.

“We want Dallas to be on the leading edge, not the trailing edge,” said Orsak, executive director of the Texas Research Alliance, which develops projects between local universities and industry. “We don’t want to wait and try to play catch up.”

Last week, Dallas was among 10 cities selected to participate in Envision America, one of the programs announced at the White House. In January, leaders from the cities will meet to discuss strategies and ways to collaborate with business. And the group includes some progressive places, such as Portland, Ore., New York City, Los Angeles and Cambridge, Mass.

Orsak is helping with grant proposals for North Texas, including about 10 submissions for a $100,000 grant from NEC Corp. Researchers have ideas for parking lot safety, optimizing transportation routes, collecting rain water for home use and managing energy, he said.

Proposals for most federal grants are due in the next few months. The National Science Foundation and other federal agencies, including transportation, energy, commerce and homeland security, will award over $100 million.

Dallas’ effort stands out because it brings together top companies and other leaders. And because the West End, relatively small and diverse, is ideal for seeing how technology can cut traffic, improve security and enhance work and life.

“We look like a city that’s ready to tackle these problems, so I think we’re gonna do well in the first round of funding,” Orsak said.

Private companies may pay for much of the costs of the pilot, but eventually cities will have to galvanize public support and find funding. The savings from tech upgrades and creating a sustainable community are key to selling the concept, said AT&T’s Zeto.

That “helps politicians get these programs across the finish line,” Zeto told the tech executives.

But others warn about creating too much hype. While smart cities and the Internet of things have great promise, the market won’t grow 50 percent a year or add many billions of devices by the end of the decade. That’s what some are predicting, said Robin Duke-Woolley, CEO of U.K.-based Beecham Research.

“We need to get real here,” Duke-Woolley wrote last month. “Twenty billion connected devices in 2020 is pie in the sky.”

10 U.S. Cities Selected to Kickoff Envision America Smart Cities Acceleration Initiative

10 U.S. Cities Selected to Kickoff Envision America

Smart Cities Acceleration Initiative

Smart Cities Effort Announced at White House Will Launch in January 2016

Charlotte, North Carolina, Dec. 3, 2015 -- Envision America, a smart cities initiative that was announced at the White House this fall, is proud to select 10 U.S. cities to participate in 2016.  The cities will leverage technology collaborators and businesses to address the challenges of climate change and improve city services. They include Cambridge, MA; Dallas, TX; Greenville, SC; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; New York City, NY: Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA and Spokane, WA.

"We appreciate Los Angeles being selected as one of the country's first Envision America cities," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "L.A. has always been on the cutting edge of innovative technologies that tackle the biggest challenges of our time. This new partnership will help us continue to nurture ideas that can be developed today to better serve residents, businesses, and visitors tomorrow."

Envision America, a program under the nonprofit Envision Charlotte, will host the 10 cities to attend a smart cities workshop from January 12-14th, 2016. The three-day workshop in Charlotte brings city leaders, smart cities experts and corporate partners together to facilitate project planning and implementation.

The Envision America program will help other cities use successes and lessons learned of Envision Charlotte in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Envision Charlotte began its smart cities initiative in 2011 with a goal of reducing energy use by 20% over five years in collaboration with companies such as Duke Energy, Cisco, and Itron. The City of Charlotte is also working to produce cleaner air, decrease the amount of waste going to landfill and reduce water use in buildings through the Envision Charlotte effort.

“Envision Charlotte is excited to share our experiences with cities from across the country and to help ignite a smart and sustainable cities revolution in the U.S., “ said Amy Aussieker, Executive Director of Envision Charlotte and Envision America.

Corporate partners for Envision America are Accelerated Innovations, AT&T, Autodesk, Bank of America, Black and Veatch, Cisco, Duke Energy, Esri, GE, IBM, Intel, Itron, Landis+Gyr, Microsoft, Qualcomm, SAS, ThingWorx, and Wells Fargo.

“Itron is proud to be a part of Envision America, and we look forward to helping advance smart cities initiatives both nationally and around the world. For participating cities and communities, this initiative will drive outcomes, including improved city services, enhanced energy and water management and increased economic opportunity, through collaboration and shared technologies,” said Philip Mezey, Itron president and chief executive officer.

For more information, please visit http://envisionamerica.org/

# # #

Tech Cocktail: Dallas Wants to Help Build America’s Smart Cities

Will Schmidt, Tech Cocktail -- September 15, 2015

It was only a little over a month ago when the White House hosted their first ever Demo Day, an event that shows the Obama Administration’s commitment to technology and innovation. At the White House Demo Day we saw entrepreneurs form across the US showcase their work, but we also saw top companies and VC firms announce several programs and initiatives.

Obviously the event was successful, so it wasn’t surprising to see that the White House wanted to continue creating opportunities for entrepreneurs. Only, this time they’ll be kicking off an inaugural Smart Cities Initiative, hosted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

All told, the White House is investing over $160 million in federal research money and leveraging more than 25 new technology collaborations to help local communities. Specifically, they’re hoping the Smart Cities Initiative will help with key challenges like traffic congestion, crime fighting, economic growth, climate change, and delivery of city services.

There are a host of cities joining in the White House’s initiative, and not to be missed on the list is the ever-present city of Dallas. Leading the charge for the city of Dallas is Trey Bowles, whose name has become almost synonymous with forward thinking and progress.

Bowles has been working on something called the Dallas Innovation Alliance(DIA), which is a group of dedicated Dallas residents who are invested in the city on some level or another. Banded together, they’ll all focus on building Dallas as a city where social and technological infrastructure guides their economy, resource efficiency, and ultimately improves the quality of life for their citizens.

This public-private partnership operates on a foundational vision that smart cities aren’t, in fact, about technology but rather about people. To that end, the DIA is committed to building and executing smart city plans for the entirety of Dallas.

“Dallas has been a pioneer in driving innovative, entrepreneurial solutions in the US, and many organizations across the city are undertaking creative solutions to address urban challenges,” says Trey Bowles, CEO of the DEC and cofounder of the DIA. “As a major metropolitan area with a strong business climate and 21 Fortune 500 companies located in the region, this is the right time for Dallas to undertake a dedicated, comprehensive smart city plan with the goal of creating the most consumer focused Smart City strategy in the world. We are thrilled to have so many pivotal organizations on board as charter members of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, and are looking forward to executing a smart cities program with the goal of creating the most consumer focused Smart City strategy in the world.”

The initial efforts will be centered in the West End district of downtown, where a confluence of multi-modal transit, historic buildings, and a burgeoning innovation district will be ground zero for the city as a living lab. According to Bowles, the DIA’s three pronged strategy will center on infrastructure, mobility, and connected living to start.

To help along the way, the City of Dallas and the Texas Research Alliance will be participating int he MetroLab Network, a national effort that was also announced at the event today at the White House. In effect, it acts as a consortium of university-city teams focused on sharing solutions to difficult problems in urban infrastructure.

“The MetroLab Network is an opportunity for universities and cities to team up and share solutions to the difficult urban issues that cities are dealing with today. Our regional universities have extraordinary and unique capabilities that will be unleashed on urban challenges across North Texas,” says Geoffrey Orsak, executive director of the Texas Research Alliance and head of North Texas’ MetroLab. “Already, projects are emerging that will benefit significantly from the collaboration of university researchers with our city leaders and planners.”

For both the US and Dallas this is another project in a long line of initiatives that have been implemented to heighten the technological presence as both an international player and local tech ecosystem. As such, an initial goal for the DIA will be to collate and aggregate all of the good work being done by previous initiatives and leverage their results and lessons into a comprehensive plan focused on a single neighborhood that can then be replicated throughout the city.

I think it’s also important to recognize that, while Dallas is a huge player in this initiative, it has implications far bigger than any one city. The Smart Cities Initiative is an embodiment of collaboration on perhaps the most macro level you can get these days – I’m dying to see what amazing technologies are born of this alliance. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Xconomy: Dallas Innovation Alliance Aims to Use Tech Innovation to Better Cities

Angela Shah, Xconomy -- September 15, 2015

The Dallas Entrepreneur Center is among a group of organizations that have partnered with the White House to boost smart cities.

The DEC joins other Dallas area groups and businesses such as AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft to form the Dallas Innovation Alliance, an effort to use technological innovation to promote  sustainable economic growth while  improving quality of life for residents. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and tied to the start of Smart Cities Week in Washington, D.C.

“Dallas has been a pioneer in driving innovative, entrepreneurial solutions in the US, and many organizations across the city are undertaking creative solutions to address urban challenges,” stated Trey Bowles, the DEC’s CEO and co-founder of the Dallas alliance.  “As a major metropolitan area with a strong business climate and 21 Fortune 500 companies located in the region, this is the right time for Dallas to undertake a dedicated, comprehensive smart city plan with the goal of creating the most consumer focused Smart City strategy in the world. 

Among the ways that technology could be leveraged to benefit cities include so-called smart systems for municipal lighting, parking, and transit in order to help government provide services more efficiently.

The first project will address the historic West End neighborhood of downtown Dallas. “A confluence of multi-modal transit, walkability, historic buildings, and a burgeoning innovation district will be ground zero for the city as a living lab,” according to a Dallas alliance press release. “A three-pronged strategy will center on infrastructure, mobility, and connected living.”