If you’re looking for a way to fast track smart city applications to solve your toughest local government problems, check out an ICMA partner initiative called the Global Cities Teams Challenge (GCTC). Communities collaborate with nonprofits and technology companies that are focused on deploying the Internet of Things (IoT) applications in communities. Some of the projects already in the works include storm water sensing, smart emergency medical teams, and smart agriculture. 

Dan Hoffman, chief innovation officer for Montgomery County, Maryland, said his community is "anticipating and planning for how technology will make our community safer and our government more efficient. GCTC is an enabler in this endeavor because it facilitates connections between subject matter experts and communities. We have found it to be time and energy well spent.”

Your local government can join an existing team or you can build a team with partners. To learn more about existing projects, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and US Ignite are hosting a Tech Jam on March 22 and 23 and an IoT-Enabled Smart City Framework Workshop, March 24-25 on the NIST Campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. There is no cost to participate in the events, but registration is required by March 15, 2016. 

Funding sources

There are a number of ongoing funding sources for developing a smart communities project. Here are two:  

• Participants in the Global City Teams Challenge are eligible for the "Replicable Smart City Technologies" (RSCT) Cooperative Agreement Program. Under the RSCT funding, three local governments participating in the Challenge will each receive $100,000. The application deadline is May 12, 2016.
• Challenge projects are also available for National Science Foundation EAGER awards, which provide up to $300,000 in funding. 

Keep us posted

Share your Global Cities Teams Challenge with us so we can feature in our Knowledge Network by e-mailing dshontz@icma.org.

Participation Guide

Click on this guide to see the entire flow of the Global City Teams Challenge.