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IBM announced the 2015-16 Smarter Cities Challenge winning cities. In these cities, the company will send teams of experts to help them with critical issues ranging from jobs creation, transportation, and public safety, to healthcare, revenue, social services, and public works.
The 16 winners for 2015-16 were selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 100 cities around the world that applied for a grant of consulting services from IBM. By mid 2016, IBM will have made such Smarter Cities Challenge grants to more than 130 cities worldwide chosen from more than 600 applicants, with nearly 800 of IBM top experts delivering pro bono services valued at more than USD $66 million. Each consulting engagement has a commercial value of USD $500,000.
The winners
- Allahabad, India
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Athens, Greece
- Denver, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- Huizhou, China
- Melbourne, Australia
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Rochester, New York
- San Isidro, Peru
- Santiago, Chile
- Sekondi, Ghana
- Surat, India
- Taichung, Taiwan
- Vizag, India
- Xuzhou, China
The Smarter Cities Challenge process
After intense preparation, IBM Smarter Cities Challenge teams, made up of six IBM experts, spend three weeks working closely with city staff in each winning city, analyzing data about a critical issue facing the municipality. Team members consider diverse perspectives on the topic through meeting with local officials, citizens, businesses, and not-for-profits. Best practices used by other cities are studied. After working closely with city leadership, the IBM team then recommends innovative and specifically tailored ways to address the issue it studied in that particular city, providing a road map on how the city can improve.
More info
- IBM Names 16 Municipalities as IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant Winners
- IBM Smarter Cities Challenge