WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — ATIS and US Ignite today announced the launch of a joint initiative to give cities the ability to greatly enhance their Smart Cities’ data sharing capabilities and is inviting cities and municipalities of all sizes to participate. This new initiative is bringing city thought-leaders and industry together to create a blueprint for the secure and interoperable exchange of data beyond city operational boundaries.

Cities are exploring new and innovative Smart Cities applications, which require sophisticated data collection devices that can process and deliver real-time data from sensors, vehicles, and IoT-enabled infrastructure.  In order to analyze and apply this data, they have deployed a wide range of data management platforms to meet their unique needs.  For cities to be able to benefit from the next generation of enhanced applications leveraging real-time data and creating a vibrant data ecosystem, the data they collect must be shared in an interoperable and secure way with other cities, adjacent communities, federal/state government agencies, trusted partners, citizens, and application developers. The goal is to position cities for success in leveraging the next decade of Smart Cities applications.  

At this critical point in Smart Cities deployment, cities are beginning to identify the value of working together and exchanging data to meet the needs of macro-applications across regions, resiliency demands, and interoperability concerns driven by coordination with other government agencies. The cities participating with ATIS and US Ignite will lay a foundation for the development of a data-exchange specification to meet these concerns and map the evolutionary path forward. It will include a data-sharing framework, data formats and protocols, security and privacy requirements and common APIs. While primarily focusing on data exchanges, the work will also help cities advance toward participating in robust data marketplaces, which fully enlist the private sector and promote new business models for trading, owning and optionally monetizing the data they collect.

“Effective sharing of Smart Cities data can be a great equalizer for communities of different sizes, demographics, income levels and geography,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller.

“ATIS and US Ignite are committed not only to enhancing cities’ ability to solve current data challenges, but to creating a partnership with industry to help cities advance into the future possibilities that secure and effective data sharing will enable,” said ATIS Vice President – Technology and Solutions, Mike Nawrocki.

“Sharing data is how smart communities will continue to grow, improving economic development and quality of life,” said Nick Maynard, Chief Strategy Officer of US Ignite. “But we can only achieve that reality by collaborating on issues of technology, security, privacy, and usability. Working with ATIS, it’s our goal to help ease the transition to a smarter data-sharing society. We may not have all the solutions today, but through this program, we can act as a guide through the process by aggregating resources and best practices, defining technical standards, and consolidating efforts already underway in communities around the country.”

The work has a fast-tracked target completion date of spring 2019. The inaugural meeting for cities interested in participating in developing the Smart Cities Data Exchange is scheduled for September 26.  Learn more.

About ATIS
As a leading technology and solutions development organization, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s business priorities. ATIS’ 150 member companies are currently working to address 5G, Smart Cities, robocall mitigation, artificial intelligence-enabled networks, distributed ledger/blockchain technology, cybersecurity, IoT, emergency services, quality of service, billing support, operations, and much more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle – from design and innovation through standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, open source solutions, and interoperability testing.

ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a founding Partner of the oneM2M global initiative, a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org. Follow ATIS on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

ATIS’ Smart Cities Initiative
Smart City planners and decision-makers are investing in a broad range of data management platforms via partnerships with industry solution-providers and start-ups. ATIS recently made a major contribution toward advancing this work by developing a Data Sharing Framework for Smart Cities, building on the success of its Smart Cities Technology Roadmap published in 2017.

ATIS is now advancing dialogue with city officials seeking opportunities to promote the new data sharing strategy as part of their long-term Smart Cities’ strategies. Visit the Smart Cities Data Exchange site.

About US Ignite
US Ignite, Inc. is a non‐profit organization accelerating the smart city movement by guiding communities into the connected future, creating a path for private sector growth, and advancing technology research that’s at the heart of smart city development. Learn more.

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SOURCE ATIS