UTC’s smart city research center, the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, with the Chattanooga Smart City Division, Ouster, and Seoul Robotics, have been named a winner of IDC Government Insights’ fourth annual Smart Cities North America Awards.
The awards were designed to recognize the progress North American municipalities have made in executing Smart Cities projects, as well as providing a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development in the region.
The team was recognized for their project, “Pedestrian Analysis of the MLK Smart Corridor,” a project that uses an advanced imaging technology called lidar to better understand pedestrian and vehicle interactions. Lidar will give researchers a more nuanced insight into what can be done to mitigate pedestrian injuries and fatalities at intersections.
“Winning this award is affirmation that the work we do creates value,” CUIP Director, Mina Sartipi, said. “We are always striving for excellence in innovation, and we’re honored to be recognized for that.”
Winners of the SCNAA illustrate best practice examples of how forward-thinking municipalities are effectively leveraging technology and innovation to offer new services and economic opportunities and to meet the needs and expectations of citizens and residents.
“Pedestrian Analysis of the MLK Smart Corridor” uses cutting-edge sensing technology, lidar, to analyze how pedestrians and vehicles interact. Previously, researchers relied on cameras to study these interactions, which provided inconsistent time and physical space measurements. Lidar sensors actually measure objects in physical spaces using lasers, providing researchers with highly accurate data about the research environment.
“Our team is talented and has a clear vision of what it means to make cities safer for citizens,” Kevin Comstock, Chattanooga Smart City Director, said. “Recognitions like the Smart City North America Awards give us more momentum and drive to continue our work. We are thrilled.”
CUIP, the Chattanooga Smart City Division, Seoul Robotics, and Ouster will be recognized at the Smart Cities Connect conference in Washington, D.C, this October.
The Center for Urban Informatics and Progress is a smart city research center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. CUIP is committed to applied smart city research that betters the lives of citizens every day. For more on the work we’re doing and our mission, visit www.utc.edu/cuip.