Could Dunwoody be selected as a participant in the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge?

Interconnected technology drives cities forward.

I read an article regarding a grant possibility that I couldn't help but think that the City of Dunwoody, GA should go after; it's the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge.  Fostering positive economic development within the city is an important item that I and the other members of the City Council have on our priority list.  As a brand new city we have tried to push technology into everything that we do in order to limit manpower, gain efficiency and improve communication by attempting to provide the most transparent governance possible.  The City of Dunwoody government is young and eager, therefore we are looking to now turn that positive energy outward with the hiring of our new Economic Development Director to find ways to improve the competitiveness of businesses in Dunwoody.  Making Dunwoody a place where businesses want to locate goes hand in hand with making Dunwoody a great place to live, therefore as we strive to improve for one, we are actually trying to improve the other.

When I look at the graphic above though the eyes of a City Councilman, I believe it accurately depicts the interwoven relationships of what moves a good city forward into a great one.  The push of information and technology through this intertwined web is not only what fosters relationships among the various groups, but it also allows for innovation and it is that innovation that drives the competitive marketplace.

I hope that the City together with the Chamber of Commerce and the local business community get together to explore the grant application because I believe that we as a community would grow by being part of the application process, having discussions on sharing and utilizing data to improve the quality of life for ourselves as well as the surrounding communities.  Besides that, if IBM were to ever have another event in Atlanta like last year, I hope I can attend.

Video Overview

IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge is a unique three year $50 million grant program designed to help 100 cities, competitively selected, to gain access to the technology and problem solving capacity to address the challenge and opportunity of making themselves smarter.

We firmly believe that these grants could help cities around the world to become smarter by enhancing their capacity to collect, analyze and act upon information across multiple systems; to create an environment where global cities can learn from one another; and to foster cross-sector partnerships that address critical challenges and provide a road map for the future.

IBM would like to help make your city smarter. I encourage you to apply for a Smarter Cities Challenge grant.

Thank you,

Stanley S. Litow
Vice President, IBM Corporate Citizenship and
Corporate Affairs and President, IBM
International Foundation