IBM holds fourth annual smart cities competition

IBM is encouraging regional governing bodies – not only cities- to apply for grants that will fund consultative engagements with IBM experts in 2014. Applications will be accepted until November 8.

The programme was first held in 2011 and has been annual since. IBM has deployed 600 experts in six-person team to proide strategic and practical advice to 100 municipalities.

These three-week engagements, valued at $400,000 each, help cities address key challenges in the areas of economic development; water, energy and environment; health and social services; transportation; and public safety.

Vietnam’s central city of Danang was the recipient of an IBM Smarter Cities grant that sent a team in 2012 to help it outline a smart city development road map.

The teams generally spent three weeks gathering and analysing all available data, meeting with government officials, locals, businesses, and non-profit organisations. In doing so they understand the diverse perspectives and develop solutions.

At the end of the engagements, IBM presents its recommendations, followed by a detailed implementation plan which includes similar examples from around the world.

Past grant recipients were South Korea’s Cheongju city, that invested $2.7 million into redesigning bus routes and won the national Minister’s Citation of Public Administration and Security. Another was the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor improving communication and coordination of municipal agencies that manage complex projects and high speed development. Danang is also improving the effectiveness of its municipal agencies.

The Smarter Cities Challenge is considered an elite programme that has picked only 100 cities out of 400 applicants over the last three years. Selected applications are based on the priority of problems and critical importance to citizens. The city or region is required to share detailed information with the IBM team and they need access to civic, business, and community leaders to ensure they design the most effective solutions to problems.