City initiative “a coordinated effort to achieve resiliency, improve connectivity, and invest in Sarasota’s future’
The City of Sarasota has received a Smart 20 Award from Smart Cities Connect for its Smart City Initiative, city staff has announced.
The presentation came in April, during the Smart Cities Connect annual conference, which was held in San Antonio, Texas.
“The Smart City Initiative, a coordinated effort to achieve resiliency, improve connectivity, and invest in Sarasota’s future,” includes the availability of pedestrian and traffic safety data, real-time beach and red tide monitoring technology, and a program providing free wi-fi in four city parks, a city news release notes.
“We’re thrilled that Sarasota’s Smart City Initiative was recognized with a Smart 20 Award,” said City Engineer Nikesh Patel in the release. “This initiative’s goal is to carry Sarasota towards the future while allowing for more efficient and data driven decision making,” he continued in the release. “We’ve seen promising and encouraging results as the initiative has taken shape, including increased precision in pinpointing areas for traffic calming, bicycle and pedestrian safety issues, resiliency efforts, and much more.”
The initiative includes the following:
- Bicycle and pedestrian safety; traffic calming — “Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) camera technology, which can detect and report a wide range of safety issues, has been installed at 16 of 93 City intersections,” the release points out. “A traffic-calming data program, focusing on roadway usage and traffic patterns, is in use citywide, allowing for traffic signal adjustments and assisting City staff in making data-driven traffic calming decisions.”
- Beach conditions; red tide monitoring — “The real-time beach conditions and red tide monitoring system, operated in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory, gives residents and visitors alike the ability to access real-time reports at www.VisitBeaches.org,” the release continues. Users are able to access data from up to 17 locations within the Sarasota city limits, including information about beach conditions, weather, surf and crowd size.
- Wi-Fi in the parks — Free, high-speed internet service is available in four city parks, the release notes: Arlington Park, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, Payne Park and Bayfront Park, “promoting equitable access to internet services.
The release adds, “High-speed fiber optic lines have been installed in key areas across the City to support additional Smart City technology,” as well as to assist with municipal and emergency communications and traffic control.
Visit the Smart City Initiative webpage for more information.