IEEE INVITES GLOBAL MUNICIPALITIES TO ENGAGE IN NEW IEEE INITIATIVES
IEEE Smart Cities Initiative to assist local government leaders in planning smart cities for growing urban populations
PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 26 March 2014 – IEEE, the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, today announced the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative. The United Nations predicts a near doubling of city dwellers by 2050, and municipalities preparing for an increase in urban residents are invited to apply for consideration to receive strategic and practical advice from a dedicated team of IEEE experts, as well as education and training to help them address the huge demands on land, resources and services associated with expanding urban living environments.
“Designing successful and sustainable smart cities requires careful planning about citizens’ energy, water, transportation, communications and public health and safety,” said Gilles Betis, chair of the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative. “IEEE has cultivated a powerful and talented brain trust that can assist municipalities in addressing all essential services that need to be managed in unison, to support the smooth operation of critical infrastructure while providing a clean, economic and safe environment for inhabitants to live, work and play.”
A municipality selected for the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative will have the opportunity to work with an IEEE team of insightful experts who will collaborate with members of the public, private and volunteer sectors to explore the issues and address what’s needed to prepare for ever-increasing urban population growth. The effort in each selected municipality will consist of an inaugural workshop, graduate student support (PhD and Masters), funding to develop content for “MOOCs” (Massive Open Online Courses), organization of an international conference on Smart Cities, and access to IEEE Distinguished Lecturers. Focusing on the particular thematic issued from their on-going ‘smartification' process, the selected municipalities will get the opportunity to join the active community of the 10 cities that IEEE aims to engage in developed and developing countries through 2016.
Municipalities interested in formally engaging in the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative can download an application form at http://smartcities.ieee.org. The deadline to submit completed applications is Friday 16th May 2014. Successful applicants who meet the criteria will provide clear, compelling evidence that the municipality is well-positioned to utilize the resources offered through the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative, that its evolution into a smart city has the potential to substantially enhance a city's capacity to act on key issues, and that the city can demonstrate plans to invest human and financial capital into the project.
Guadalajara, Mexico, was the pilot municipality in the IEEE Smart Cities Initiative, which launched in October 2013.
“Guadalajara was an ideal candidate for the inaugural pilot and an excellent model for future projects, as it had already established an organization called the Ciudad Creativa Digital (CCD) to drive the transition to a smart city,” Mr. Betis said. “This effort is part of a comprehensive strategy for the revival and regeneration of the historic city center.”
For more information on the new IEEE Smart Cities Initiative, including criteria and how to apply, visit http://smartcities.ieee.org. Completed applications should be submitted via email to Harold Tepper, IEEE Future Directions at smartcities-cfi@ieee.org by the Friday 16th May deadline.
About IEEE
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Contacts:
Vivian Kelly
For IEEE Smart Cities
+1 703.860.0577, viviankelly@interprosepr.com
Francine Tardo
IEEE
+1 732.465.5865, f.tardo@ieee.org