Georgia Smart Communities Challenge Hosts Workshop/Expo

Georgia Tech hosted local government representatives at a workshop and expo for the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (GA Smart), Monday April 9th, 2018 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta. The event brought together representatives from communities and local governments from around the state, as well as Georgia Tech researchers and solutions providers to discuss the state of Smart Community efforts in Georgia.

To foster awareness and adoption of advanced technologies and data in the public sector, GA Smart is offering a first-of-its-kind opportunity for four winning communities of any size in Georgia to receive funding and support that enables those communities to envision, explore, and plan for their “Smart” future. Communities will be given up to $50,000 in seed funding, community networking opportunities, and access to additional, unique resources to execute their projects. These unique resources include additional funding to work with Georgia Tech research partners, connections to industry experts, and access to technology solutions provided by our provider-partners.

Kicking off the day, Andrew Gerber, Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute and Sr. Vice President of Georgia Tech, welcomed guests to campus. Two morning panels discussed current projects in Smart Communities in Georgia. State Government representatives from the Department of Transportation, Technology Authority, and Centers of Innovation, discussed the Smart Future of Georgia, with topics ranging from broadband to self-driving vehicles. Steve Justice, Executive Director of Georgia’s Centers of Innovation, described the new West Point Visitor Information Center which the state has setup as an innovation laboratory, saying, this is an opportunity to “use state owned facilities as a laboratory to test innovative technologies in the areas of renewable energy, highway safety, and sustainability.”


Georgia Tech’s Dr. Jennifer Clark leads a panel on “The Smart Future of Georgia

Georgia Tech Professors discussed several ongoing Smart Community Research topics at Georgia Tech. Projects presented ranged from public-private-partnerships to smart phone applications for bicycle commute tracking to LEED building certification research. Each panel answered numerous questions from the audience related to current policy and ongoing research into Smart Communities.

Throughout the day, participants engaged with over twenty technology solutions providers at the Expo to learn about their products and services available in the Smart Technology space and to discuss potential partnership opportunities. Attendees focused on the GA Smart Proposal process during the afternoon, where facilitators discussed economic planning tools available for smart communities, as well as led an exercise supporting the development of smart community proposals. GA Smart Communities Challenge proposals are due on May 1st, 2018 with winners announced in early June.


Workshop participants networking with Solutions Providers

Georgia Smart is organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology in partnership with Georgia Power, Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), Georgia Centers for Innovation, Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Chamber, Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), and the Global City Team Challenge. 

For more information, please refer to the GA Smart website at: http://smartcities.gatech.edu/georgia-smart
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Georgia Smart Communities Challenge Hosts Workshop/Expo
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