Columbus Consolidated Govt

 

Smart Uptown

 

 

"Columbus is extremely excited to have been selected as one of the GA Smart Communities for 2019-2020.  This will allow us to begin collecting data that can be used in a variety of ways.  Predictive analytics will become more and more important as we look for economical ways to provide services for our City.  This will enable us to intelligently deploy our resources to more efficiently serve our citizens."
- Mayor B. H. "Skip" Henderson III, Columbus Consolidated Government

 

 

 

Columbus Consolidated Government (Columbus) will use Georgia Smart grant funding to develop “Smart” technologies for their Uptown district to promote safety, security and an intelligent transportation system through a coalition for data sharing and infrastructure improvement.

Columbus is a planned city that was established in 1828 and is the first Consolidated Government in the state of Georgia. Columbus comprises the entire county of Muscogee and because it is a planned city it was intended for expansion to allow for continued economic development by attracting tourism, new businesses, fine arts, and new residents. The “Uptown” district is striving to become a bustling community. 

The “Uptown” district currently includes universities, a convention center, an ice-skating rink, Riverwalk, a science center and the longest manmade Urban Whitewater course in the United States. The proposed “Smart” technologies for this area includes free public wireless access, license plate readers, population movement sensors to address concerns regarding public safety, security and transportation.

Columbus is partnering with Georgia Tech researchers to start planning of suitable locations for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and analysis of the data captured to provide a better service and reduce overall Police, Fire and EMT response time.

The Georgia Tech scientific team consists of Dr. John E. Taylor, Director - Network Dynamics Lab, Dr. Neda Mohammadi, City Infrastructure Analytics Director - Network Dynamics Lab, and Dr. Russell J. Clark, Director - Mobile Technology & IoT Programs.  The Georgia Tech team led by Dr. Taylor will advise on identifying necessary devices, optimized location across the uptown district, and methods for data storage and analytics. A plan of action document will be the deliverable for the first year of the grant along with implementation of some “Smart” technologies in selected area of the city.

The Columbus Consolidated Government and Georgia Tech Advisors will utilize the existing fiber optics infrastructure, and public wireless access for prototyping of minimum two IoT devices capable of gathering and relaying data so at least two data models can be constructed to present the collected data.

Read Columbus's Smart Uptown Georgia Smart Proposal HERE