Envision America involves a year-long commitment in which representatives of selected cities will work with a variety of experts to develop their smart city projects, the technologies they need to accomplish them, determine costs and come up with an implementation plan.
As one of the companies that will provide guidance for the participating cities, Council Associate Partner Black & Veatch will contribute its knowledge and experience in construction, engineering, program management and data analytics.
In committing to the project, Black & Veatch joins Council Lead Partners Cisco, GE, Itron, Microsoft and Qualcomm, which also are providing their expertise.
"U.S. cities are reimagining the way their energy, water, telecom and transportation systems fit together," said Fred Ellermeier, VP and COO of Black & Veath's Smart Integrated Infrastructure practice. "Black & Veatch will apply expertise as cities, and the utilities that serve them, create plans to build and operate these critical infrastructure systems in a more intelligent way."
Specifically, Envision America focuses on supporting cities' use of technology to address their needs in the areas of energy, water, waste, air, transportation, crime and others. Cities currently participating are Cambridge, MA; Dallas, TX; Greenville, SC; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; New York City, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA, and Spokane, WA. They are meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina this week for a kickoff smart city workshop.
Black & Veatch and the other companies involved will work with city representatives during the workshop sessions.
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