City of Lima, OH Named Finalist in IDC Government Insights’ 5th Annual Smart Cities North America Awards
March 7, 2022 – The City of Lima has been named a finalist in IDC Government Insights’ fifth annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA) in the Transportation Infrastructure (SMART TRAIN AVOIDANCE) category. The awards recognize the progress North American municipalities have made in executing Smart Cities projects, as well as provide a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development in the region. As a next step in the nomination process, IDC invites the public to vote on the named finalists at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCNAA22 . Voting will be open through 5:00pm ET on Sunday, March 13th. Winners will be honored at Smart Cities Connect being held April 4 – 7th in Columbus, OH. To learn more about the award program, visit HERE.
Finalists in 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. The City of Lima was recognized for unprecedented progress in creating and sustaining smart city projects in the Transportation Infrastructure category.
Project Details: While the City of Lima has previously developed different options to address the issue, the City has strived for a solution that was less costly and time consuming, and more sustainable.. Most notably was a recently completed project to create a grade separation between the train tracks and vehicular street that took 20 years of planning and millions of dollars from local, state, and federal sources. And this is not just a City of Lima issue. The Midwest has a very important role to play in train transportation, being tasked with getting goods to both coasts as efficiently as possible. Therefore, in partnership with US Ignite, DriveOhio and the team at the City of Lima, Spectrum Enterprise accepted the challenge to research, develop, and implement a proof of concept to help mitigate the traffic issues. The main objectives and goals for the project are to:
- Capture data about train operations
- Develop predictive analytics regarding impacts on selected crossings
- Provide observed train metrics and predictive analytics into a visualization platform or via an API
A successful outcome would determine the feasibility of sharing the collective data with the city to provide insights on planning and potentially communication with those using the roads within the City.
“We commend all the SCNAA finalists for their commitment and dedication to making smart city initiatives a reality, designed to improve and enhance cities and states across North America for the betterment of all citizens and residents,” said Ruthbea Yesner, Vice President, IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities and Communities Strategies. “As more and more government officials recognize the invaluable role of innovative technology in creating new economic opportunities, enhancing citizen engagement, and optimizing operations, the library of practical use cases will continue to grow, helping to evangelize the power of smart city initiatives and provide a roadmap to success.”
For additional information about these awards or to speak with Ruthbea Yesner, please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or sarah@attunecommunications.com.
City of Lima CONTACTS IDC Government CONTACTS:
Kirk Niemeyer, PE Sarah Murray
City Engineer Attune Communications
419-998-5508 781-378-2674
kirk.niemeyer@cityhall.lima.oh.us sarah@attunecommunications.com