SPOKANE, Wash. – Urbanova, the smart city living laboratory in the Spokane University District, is a finalist for an inaugural International Data Corporation Smart Cities North America Award.
The project was among 70 submissions and is now a finalist in the category of Sustainable Infrastructure (e.g. Smart Lighting, Waste Collection, Environmental Monitoring, and Resiliency). IDC is asking people to vote online for what they think “offers the most innovative and life-changing project.”
Voting is open through Thursday, April 5. Winners will be announced Monday, April 9.
WSU is one of six founding partners in Urbanova, which is gathering data “to gain insights, empower people, and solve urban challenges.” The University is active in the Smart and Connected Streetlight Pilot, whose goals include efficiently managing and controlling streetlights, and the Shared Energy Economy Model Pilot in which different institutions share energy assets for greater efficiency and resiliency.
Researchers in WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture are also leading a $1.5 million initiative to monitor, predict and control energy and air quality in the district. The initiative is part of WSU’s Grand Challenges in smart systems, which aims to harness technology to improve quality of life.
Other partners are the City of Spokane, Avista Utilities, Itron, McKinstry, and Spokane’s University District.
