City of Syracuse Awarded $200,000 Grant from Empire State Development to Advance Smart City Technology Solutions

Empire State Development (ESD) recently announced that the City of Syracuse has been named one of seven smart cities awarded grant funding to continue its work using technology to better govern. Through New York State’s Smart Cities Innovation Partnership, $1 million has been designated to help municipalities statewide improve governmental operations, with the City receiving $200,000 of those funds. Other cities announced as award recipients for projects chosen include: Glens Falls, Jamestown, New York City, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Southampton.

 “As New York’s flagship smart city, the City of Syracuse is thrilled to be selected by the State of New York as a municipal testbed for smart city technologies. The Smart Cities Innovation Partnership supports our Syracuse Surge strategy for inclusive growth in the new economy, and leverages private sector investment to test new technologies that will improve the quality of life for our community,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “We are thankful to Governor Cuomo and Empire State Development for their support, and to our local research partners, Syracuse University and Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR), for their expertise and commitment to deploy innovative solutions to challenges within our City. By collaborating across government, industry, and the research community, we can catalyze economic growth related to these emerging technologies.”

Syracuse projects where the funding will be applied:

• $150,000 for Algae Bloom Monitoring & Treatment: Deploy unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to monitor Skaneateles Lake for Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs). Goals include effectively and efficiently collecting and testing water samples, visually/automatically mapping HAB formation, identifying the environmental factors that increase algae bloom generation, and deploying automated mitigations/treatments to reduce presence of HABs.
• $50,000 for Vacant Structure Monitoring and Inspection: Deploy smart building tech to monitor existing vacant structures. Goals include using sensors to monitor interiors (e.g., water damage, fire/heat, compromised doors/windows) and exteriors for code violations, making it easier and quicker for an inspector to identify safety issues at vacant buildings. The project will allow the city to proactively deploy inspectors to vacant buildings when remotely sensed.

Companies interested in supporting a project can go to www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5684150/SmartCitiesInnovationPartnership to apply. The deadline for company submissions is September 1, 2020. The projects will be implemented in the municipalities in 2021.