Given a boost by the $2 trillion announcement made jointly by the U.S. Congress and Administration earlier this month, the Infrastructure Week non-profit organization, which supports and is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, Business Roundtable, ASCE, Value of Water Campaign, Metropolitan Policy Program and the National Association of Manufacturers, is gearing up for a full week of hundreds of events across the nation.
For the second year in a row, Infrastructure Week is partnering with Smart City Works, an accelerator focused on smart infrastructure solutions, many which are powered by the IoT. The sold-out event, which has doubled in size compared to last year’s maiden voyage, will focus on the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, bringing experts in building smarter villages, towns and cities using connected solutions.
“Whether more efficient roads, bridges, tunnels and public transportation, the control and management of energy, the use of technologies which enable law enforcement agencies to keep citizens safer, when we blend connected solutions into our next generation of infrastructure, we all win,” said Bob Mazer, co-founder of Smart City Works. “Technology is the lifeblood of next generation public investment, and timing couldn’t be better for our event and the many hundreds more which are bringing together a cross-section of leaders, from lawmakers and policy experts to enterprises and academic institutions, to exchange ideas and establish partnerships that will result in positive developments for years to come.”
More than 500 Affiliate organizations, companies, and cities are hosting over 100 events nationwide, participating in the press and on social media, and leading the fight to rebuild and modernize America’s infrastructure.
“It’s a honor to be asked back this year,” said Don DeLoach, founder and CEO of Rocket Wagon Venture Studios. It’s no surprise the attendees have more than doubled, given the success of last year’s event.”
DeLoach established Rocket Wagon Venture Studios in early 2019, after pioneering in big data and IoT technology development, and publishing a book on The Future of IoT. Based in Chicago, DeLoach has also been an active contributor to the Midwest IoT Council and has traveled globally to speak about the potential of smart communities.
“The most successful implementations are both local, regional and in the next few years national. Local implementations serve each community’s specific needs, while regional projects replicate the model of our roads and highway systems. As we progress and scale IoT and IIoT technologies, the next frontier will be federal support of national connected communities, similar to the way the Air Traffic Control system works, but with many new applications which will be far more feasible economically given a new level of scale – from mass production of sensors, actuators and other components, to the adoption of many different kinds of transmission networks, from NB-IoT and LoRa to 5G, more affordable satellite and more. Broadband for rural communities, for example, which is a big part of the $2 trillion promise, means growth in everything from education and development of local engineering talent to the availability of electric vehicles and adoption of alternative energy creation, including solar, wind and water conservation.”
DeLoach will be delivering the Framing Presentation on “Resilience and the Cyber-Physical World, along with Christopher Rezendes, Founder, IOT Impact Labs.
Other speakers include:
- Clarence Anthony, Executive Director, National League of Cities
- Matthew Chase, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities
- George Thomas, Principal, New Urban Informatics
- Robert Mazer, Founding Partner, SmartCityWorks
- Kris Carter, Co-Head, Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston, MA
- Biju George, EVP, Operations and Engineering, DC Water
- Lidija Sekaric, Senior Director of Marketing and Strategy, U.S. Center of Competence in Distributed Energy Systems, Siemens
- Denise Roth, Chief Development Officer, WSP and former Administrator, GSA
- Lisa Brown, National Senior Director, Local Government and Municipal Infrastructure, Johnson Controls
- Zachary Schafer, CEO, Infrastructure Week
- Commissioner Randy Maluchnik, Carver County, MN, NACO Transportation Chair
- Robert Stalzer, City Manager, Fairfax, VA
- Robert Johnson, Senior Vice President, Hannon Armstrong
- Aundra Wallace, President, JAXUSA Partnership
- David Ihrie, Chief Technology Officer, Center for Innovative Technology
- Christina Winn, Director of Business Investment, Arlington Economic Development, Arlington County, VA
- Brooks Rainwater, Center for City Solution, National League of Cities
- Erica Pandey, Reporter, Axios Global
- Carlos Rivero, Chief Data Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Phil Horvitz, Chief Technology Officer, Management Services Group, AECOM
- Joseph Averkamp, Vice President, Systems and Solutions, Parsons
- David Heyman, Founding Partner, Smart City Works
TMC is the media partner for Tuesday’s event, and while the event sold out quickly, we will be covering the event and sharing feature articles about smart digital infrastructure of the future.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
