Microsoft CityNext: empowering smarter cities
I’m always inspired by what U.S. cities are doing to harness the power of technology to create more sustainable, prosperous and competitive communities. During this week’s focus on smart cities, it’s a privilege to share how Microsoft and our partners are enabling communities to leverage technology for public safety, transportation and other services that improve citizens’ lives.
As in 2015, we are once again honored to join the White House in announcing smart cities-related Microsoft investments and commitments. Working through our CityNext initiative since 2013, we collaborate with partners to empower smarter U.S. cities; here are a few examples:
- Public safety: Microsoft and our partner Genetec are providing 10 U.S. cities with Project Green Light starter kits to enable local businesses to connect surveillance cameras to the cloud, providing a vital tool for police to enhance public safety. This system already has reduced violent crime by 50 percent at participating Detroit businesses.
- Intelligent transportation: Microsoft and its partner Cubic are offering an innovative next-generation, cloud-based traffic and transport management and control pilot instance to five U.S. cities to help them increase efficiency and reduce costs.
- Traffic safety: As part of the Seattle Vision Zero initiative, Microsoft is partnering with DataKind to analyze traffic collision data to help reduce deaths and serious injuries.
- Public health: With a goal of detecting pathogens before they cause outbreaks, Project Premonition is a combination of drones, physical mosquito collection devices and laboratory analytics designed to collect and analyze mosquito-borne illnesses.
- Sharing Microsoft talent: To reinforce our commitment to employee development while helping government better serve citizens, Microsoft has established a new U.S. Civic Leave of Absence Policy allowing employees to take unpaid leave for government, political or civic positions.
We’ve also partnered with many U.S. cities to develop efficient and cost-effective Azure and Azure Government smart city solutions, such as:
- Doral, Fla.: The CityofDoral.com integrated web environment is a brand new portal that’s transforming the way citizens engage with their city. Similar projects are under way in Hillsborough County, Fla., Grand Rapids, Mich., Spokane, Wash., and Birmingham, Ala.
- Mecklenburg County, N.C., which is using technology to save millions of dollars, improve services and empower youth.
- Miami-Dade County, Fla., where economic development is spurred through technology transformation and a Community on Patrol App is enabling citizens to report tips and more effectively collaborate with each other and law enforcement, while providing data to the real-time crime center.
- Montgomery County, Md., where Microsoft Azure is the backbone of an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) project aimed at helping farmers use data to become more productive and successful.
- New England states, which know where their snowplow contractor is through SnowTrax.
- New Orleans, where an IoT technology solution is creating a safer city.
- New York’s use of Windows 10, Surface and Azure is leading the nation in efficient elections and fast voter results.
- Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, which is cutting energy use by 20 percent.
Rhode Island, where Azure is the foundation of the nation’s first single statewide online permitting initiative.
A significant part of our smart city focus is aimed at startups to accelerate civic technology innovations. Our sponsorships include:
- Civic Hall in New York City, “a one-of-a-kind community center for the world’s civic innovators.”
- 1776, a Washington, D.C.-based startup accelerator.
- City Digital, a consortium focused on collaborative demonstration pilots that use Chicago as a testbed for innovations in smart, sustainable urban infrastructure.
- Code for America, which holds events to engage hackers, technologists, academics, governments, nonprofits, and citizens to build stronger cities through technology.
- Our own Microsoft Innovation Centers in Miami and Atlanta, Microsoft Reactors in San Francisco and Philadelphia, and Microsoft Ventures to help deliver world-class resources and support to students, developers, startups and entrepreneurs.
- The Microsoft BizSpark program, which provides free tools, resources and expertise to more than 100,000 startups, including those dedicated to creatively solving city challenges.
Microsoft CityNext is committed to building smart cities. We look forward to working with more communities across the nation to launch innovations that reinvent productivity, reimagine citizen services and modernize government now—and for the next generation.
Please visit our Microsoft Azure Government website to read more about how you can get started.
