Smart technology is improving the lives of citizens in cities across the globe. The drawback, though, is that the cost to improve municipal systems tends to be expensive, which understandably pushes away municipalities. But those municipalities need to look at the benefits that come with smart city tech in the long run, allowing for online utility payments, smart transportation and IoT-enabled road signage.
Off-site cloud payments save citizens’ time and allows cities to save taxpayer dollars on human resources and physical materials traditionally used for account billing. Smart transportation apps allow commuters to purchase tickets with the click of a button and provide up-to-date information on the quickest public transit routes or the level of congestion.
IoT-enabled road signage enables drivers to make more informed decisions about travel routes, which saves on fuel costs while also cutting down on emissions from unnecessary travel and traffic congestion.
Digging deeper, local governments also generate revenue with parking enforcement software, smart kiosks and digital public signage that display advertisements to the community and citizen usage of online services that creates the potential for valuable data collection that can then be sold to third-parties.
Cocoflo, a SaaS company that provides cloud-based smart city service solutions to governments worldwide, is set to assist the state of Virginia with smart tech in collaboration with the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. and the Stafford County Department of Economic Development.
The Commonwealth of Virginia SmartAlerts initiative is a pilot project that improve Stafford’s flood zones. SmartAlerts integrates with IoT devices across the region that supply valuable data to keep citizens safe in case of a flood emergency. The objective of SmartAlerts is to use live data that is gathered from IoT devices across the region to quickly and clearly communicate information that minimizes harm to citizens, city infrastructure and the economy.
"This is a fantastic opportunity to partner with the VIPC,” said Jonathan Levitt, vice president, growth of Cocoflo, “building our team in Virginia, further expanding throughout the state and region and providing government software solutions that will benefit the entire community."
The D.C., Maryland and Virginia region that Stafford is located in is a hub for technology and innovation – a destination for IT workers to gain employment. Cocoflo’s Virginia office is headquartered at the Virginia Smart Community Testbed.
Cocoflo is a silver sponsor at IoT Evolution Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Feb. 14-17, 2023. #TECHSUPERSHOW includes nearly a dozen collocated business technology events that bring buyers, users, sellers and partners together under one roof to educate and build business relationships around the technologies driving business success today. Cocoflo will be in Booth #763.
Edited by
Erik Linask
