Albuquerque is a Smart City
March 23, 2022
The City of Albuquerque has been named a winner in IDC Government Insights’ fifth annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA). The awards recognize the progress North American municipalities have made in executing Smart Cities projects, as well as providing a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development in the region. The City took the top spot in the Education category for its partnership with Central NM Community College IoT Bootcamp.
“We are honored to receive national recognition for what Albuquerque does best – supporting those who bring their own creativity and diverse backgrounds to solve real-world problems,” said Brian Osterloh, director of the Department of Technology and Innovation. “We are eager to continue the growth of this partnership as our community gains recognition as a national hub for IoT excellence.”
The partnership agreement between the Department of Technology and Innovation and CNM provides select IoT Bootcamp cohorts with the use of City property as proving grounds to test the Smart Technology prototypes they create. Students used Pino Yards - a populated, enclosed site with transportation, street, sidewalk, building, lighting, and green space infrastructure - to create a controlled testing area in a real-world environment.
“Now in its fifth year, our annual SCNAA have become a benchmark for how Smart Cities can successfully catalyze the digital transformation of urban ecosystems to produce systemic environmental, financial, and social outcomes,” said Ruthbea Yesner, Vice President, IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities and Communities Strategies. “Winners represent those forward-thinking municipalities that have implemented emerging technologies in collaboration with the public and ecosystem partners to make cities more livable and offer new services and economic opportunities. We are thrilled to acknowledge this significant achievement.”
So far, the City has identified five projects to be developed and tested as refined prototypes: a remote street light controller; a solution for mobile WiFi; a sound detection system; a parking reservation system; and an energy harvesting project. The partnership has also facilized direct hiring of CNM IoT Bootcamp participants by technology companies.
To learn more about the IDC awards program, visit HERE .