Dubbed the "Digital Communities" initiative, Intel is leading a diverse group of high-tech companies in the design and deployment of cutting-edge technology to enhance government efficiency, promote economic growth, foster greater community involvement and bridge the digital divide. To date, that effort has focused on 13 pilot or "proof-of-concept" cities that include Cleveland; Corpus Christi, Texas; Philadelphia; and Taipei, Taiwan.
"A couple of years ago, we launched the unwired initiative that changed the way information technology could be used in and out of the workplace, greatly increasing the productivity and flexibility of those environments," explained Anand Chandrasekher, vice president and general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group. "I view the Digital Communities initiative as a layer on top of the unwired initiative. Once you have communities unwired, the potential to layer mobile services and application capabilities on top of this unleashes some pretty unique opportunities. The ability to improve services and lower operational costs becomes quite phenomenal, especially in key areas like public safety, economic development and citizen services."
The new applications already being deployed in these 13 pilot communities range from automating mobile workers such as meter readers and building inspectors, to remotely monitoring vehicle location for increased safety and enhanced resource management of first responders, and even upgrading parent/teacher collaboration for improved student success.
Chandrasekher emphasized that the Digital Communities initiative has already taken on an international scope involving not just the Americas, but also municipalities in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Other participating cities include Portland, Ore., in the U.S., along with Mangaratiba, Brazil; Dusseldorf, Germany; Gyor, Hungary; Jerusalem, Israel; the Principality of Monaco; Seoul, South Korea; Osaka, Japan; and Westminster, United Kingdom.
"While we have engaged 13 proof-of-concept communities to date, our expectation is that this will expand significantly over the next several years," Chandrasekher said. "The momentum here is quite strong. Many more communities are interested in pursuing these kinds of developments for many different reasons -- reasons that generally boil down to citizen satisfaction, bridging the digital divide, enabling better safety and security through digital technology, and ultimately -- when you combine all of this together -- he economic vitality of communities.
"Our vision for the digital community program is simply that as you unwire communities and then layer ... services and applications on top of it, we think it should eventually make life better for a great many people," he added.
Partnering with Industry Leaders
There is considerable technological weight behind the Digital Communities initiative. Intel is working closely with Cisco, Dell, IBM, and SAP to help not only major metropolitan areas, but also smaller cities. Other partners in the Digital Communities consortium include Accela, Airpath Wireless, Alvarion, British Telecom, CapGemini, CDW Government Inc (CDW-G), Check Point, Civitium, EarthLink, iMove, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, Pronto Networks, Szintezis Rt., Telindus, Tropos and Vertex.
However, Chandrasekher emphasized that the real heroes of the Digital Community initiative are the mayors and other municipal leaders who are pushing through the innovations in their communities. These are the ones who are driving forward the Digital Community vision and who are beginning to utilize the new opportunities offered by wireless technologies.
"Being an Intel Digital Community allows us to think broadly about technology and the transformation it can make for government and individuals," said George (Skip) K. Noe, city manager of Corpus Christi. "Wi-Fi is an amazing technology with multiple facets. This is a unique opportunity to improve service for our customers and end up with a resource the entire community can benefit from. Wi-Fi is creating endless possibilities for economic development and improved cost service in Corpus Christi."
Dianah Neff, Philadelphia's chief information officer, offered a similar view. "Philadelphia is working closely with Intel on the Digital Communities initiative, which has helped advance the concept that wireless networks deliver multitudes of benefits beyond broadband access," she explained. "We believe our wireless network will ensure efficiencies for government, business and citizens. It will reduce processing time by as much as two hours per day for field operations staff. It will lower the cost of high-speed Internet access for small and disadvantaged businesses to help them grow or create new companies. It will connect parents with schools to access homework, tutorials and advanced classes for their children. And it will provide computers, training and affordable connectivity to all people in the city regardless of their economic status."
New Online Community
Intel has also partnered with Government Technology magazine to launch a new Digital Communities Web site. This is directly sponsored by many of the other technology partners involved in the initiative.
"For many years, the mission of Government Technology has been to provide community leaders with timely, cutting-edge information that assists them in harnessing the tools of the digital age to better serve citizens," explained Don Pearson, publisher of Government Technology. "So we are excited that we are now able to join with Intel to launch this new Web site. We hope it will become an important and useful resource for all those communities around the world interested in pursuing the Digital Communities vision."
The Web site will feature international news relevant to the Digital Communities initiative, broadband and wireless best practices and case studies, and a comprehensive informational toolkit on Digital Communities. Additionally, a network of Web site correspondents around the world will report on progress in each of the 13 cities, as well as on other important wireless and broadband developments.
