Smarter Cities Challenge

Main article: Smart cities

Smarter Cities Challenge is a global grant program launched in 2010, in which IBM provides free advice on the provision of vital services to the public through competitive local authorities.

Program Terms and Conditions

The company IBM sends a team of five to six of its leading specialists to each Smarter Cities Challenge grant recipient city. At least a month before the trip, they are looking into key issues outlined by city officials. After that, the team of experts spends three weeks in the grantee region, where they work closely with representatives of local authorities and public organizations, collecting additional information. They then analyze the findings and provide recommendations to the municipality to improve the quality of care for citizens, which may include strategy elements, data analysis tools, detailed plans for the implementation of relevant projects, as well as staff training programs.

Grant-winning cities

As part of the Smarter Cities Challenge initiative, cities have used insights from data analytics to improve affordable housing, economic development, infrastructure and urban planning, public safety, social service systems, transportation, and water, energy and environmental quality programs. Here are just some of the grant-receiving cities of past years:

• Memphis (USA) The city partnered with IBM to reduce emergency medical time and ensure public access to treatment and prevention activities. In particular, the purpose of the program was to support poor citizens who received medical care mainly in hospital emergency wards.

• Dublin (Ireland) Thanks to work with IBM, the city has the opportunity to use environmentally friendly and inexpensive solar energy. As a result of cooperation, solar panels were installed on the roofs of almost all city government buildings.

• Pyeongchang (South Korea) The future capital of the 2018 Olympics, is now developing and promoting new tourism opportunities beyond the Winter Olympics. This is expected to solve the existing problems of socio-economic development at the regional level.

• Syracuse (USA) The city currently uses data analysis to identify areas that have a high proportion of unoccupied premises and risk foreclosure. Analytics is also used to mobilize the necessary resources to stabilize the situation in such zones and increase the taxable base of facilities.

As a result of IBM's innovative recommendations, cities around the world have been recognized for their achievements. For example, Townsville (Australia) won the prestigious National Smart Infrastructure Award for a project to reduce water consumption. Pindong (Taiwan) in 2015 won the Energy Smart Communities Initiative competition for the implementation of a smart microgrid of renewable energy sources. Cheongju (South Korea) was noted in a statement by the Minister of Public Administration and Security as the best example of implementing effective use of the budget.

History

2017: Program Expansion

In February 2017, IBM announced the expansion of the Smarter Cities Challenge program and the establishment of additional grants for city administrations in order to improve the quality of services provided to citizens. To participate in the program, cities need to submit applications no later than February 24, 2017.

By early 2017, as part of the initiative, IBM had deployed 800 of its best professionals to more than 130 cities around the world. The cost of each project was about $500 thousand. The total amount of gratuitous consulting and IT services provided by IBM from 2010 to 2016 is estimated by the company at $65 million.

IBM promises officials free three-week smart cities building consulting

Until that time, IBM will be accepting applications from city administrations, for which the expertise and advanced technologies of the IT giant, such as data analytics, cloud and cognitive computing, as well as comprehensive meteorological observations, can bring tangible benefits. The recommendations, which are transmitted by IBM free of charge, will help local authorities improve quality and efficiency, ensure equal access in the provision of services to citizens.

IBM will select the most interesting applications and name about 10 grant-receiving cities in late spring 2017. The company will provide consulting services until mid-2018.^[1]

Notes