Georgia Smart Communities Challenge Terms, Conditions, and Program Guide

Summary of Funding Opportunity

Rev 1.0 – 3/17/2020

Funding Opportunity Summary:

Up to $100,000 in Grant Funding for Local Governments within the State of Georgia to Conduct Smart Community Technology Projects

Funding Opportunity Title: Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (“Georgia Smart”)

Announcement Type: This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity. This is not a follow-on notice.

Application Due Date: Pre-proposals due by 4/24/2020 at 5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time.

Applications due by 06/12/2020 at 5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time.

All documents should be submitted online. Submission links can be found in this Program Guide and at our website: https://smartcities.gatech.edu/georgia-smart

Questions: Email Questions to: sci2@gatech.edu

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Table of Contents 1 Program Description ............................................................................................................... 3 2 Participation Options .............................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Regions Definition……………………………………………………………………...4 2.2 Region 1: Georgia Smart Communities Challenge for Georgia Communities……..…. 5 2.3 Region 2: LCI with Georgia Smart for Metropolitan Atlanta Communities…….……..5 2.4 Participation Options Differences ………………………………………………………7

3 Pre-Proposal for Georgia Tech Researcher Matching (NEW)……………………………….8 4 Smart Community Projects ..................................................................................................... 8

4.1 General Guidelines.......................................................................................................... 8 4.2 Framework Plan ............................................................................................................ 10

4.3 First-Year Plan of Action .............................................................................................. 10 4.4 Research Plan ................................................................................................................ 11

4.5 Smart Topic Areas ........................................................................................................ 11

5 Summary of Technical and Financial Support...................................................................... 12

5.1 Georgia Tech Research Support ................................................................................... 12 6 Eligibility and Application Requirements............................................................................. 13 7 Proposal Schedule…………………………………………………………………………..15

8 Proposal Development Webinars & Workshops .................................................................. 15 9 Project Proposals ................................................................................................................... 15

9.1 Formatting Requirements.............................................................................................. 16 9.2 Content Requirements ................................................................................................... 16

9.3 Length Requirements .................................................................................................... 19 9.4 Legal Documentation .................................................................................................... 19

9.5 Review Process ............................................................................................................. 20 9.6 Additional Considerations ............................................................................................ 22

10 Georgia Smart Schedule and Expectation of Winners.......................................................... 23 11 Intellectual Property Rights .................................................................................................. 23 12 Georgia Smart Project Examples……………………………………………………………24

12.1 2019 Georgia Smart Communities................................................................................ 24 12.2 2018 Georgia Smart Communities................................................................................ 26

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1 Program Description The Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (“Georgia Smart”) is a funding and technical assistance program for local governments within the State of Georgia, USA. Georgia Smart is organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology in partnership with Georgia Power, Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), Georgia Centers for Innovation, Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Chamber, Georgia Planners Association, Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), Georgia Association of Regional Commissions, and Global City Teams Challenge, with financial support from Georgia Power, Atlanta Regional Commission, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Georgia Smart is a competitive one year program that supports local governments of any size within the State of Georgia—cities, counties, and consolidated city-county governments—by providing seed funding and access to technical assistance, expert advice, and a network of peers. Successful applicants will leverage these resources to explore, study, and plan for the use, deployment, and/or integration of smart community technologies into their jurisdictions and operations. Technologies explored may include intelligent infrastructures1, information and communication technologies (ICTs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and other computational or digital technologies, such as data centers and portals, web and smartphone applications, and automated digital services. Georgia Smart projects will address three key elements of smart community development— planning and pilot studies, capacity building, and research. Planning and pilot studies help communities develop and articulate their community’s vision, goals, and plans for improving the lives of all citizens in inclusive and equitable ways by addressing known local challenges. In conjunction with planning, Georgia Smart projects will help communities to establish relationships, create governing organizations, identify resources, and build the organic capacity that will enable them to achieve their goals and to address future challenges as they arise. Lastly, teams must partner with a Georgia Tech researcher who will assist and advise the team and conduct research in support of the community’s needs and goals. Research projects will be designed by the teams in coordination with the Georgia Tech researcher and may include such varied topics as policy development, creation of a technology roadmap, transportation analysis, the development of a prototype or pilot technology or “app” for public engagement, or any other relevant research topic. Georgia Smart will sponsor a cohort of up to four teams from the state of Georgia, each executing on their own project plan.

Applicants are highly encouraged to participate in at least one pre-proposal event held by the Georgia Institute of Technology (Workshop or Webinar) to become acquainted further with this grant opportunity. _________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Mynatt et al. “A National Research Agenda for Intelligent Infrastructure” https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.01920.pdf

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2 Participation Options Georgia Smart is providing two parallel opportunities for the 2020 challenge depending on your community’s location within the state of Georgia.

2.1 Regions Definition

Region 1: Georgia Smart will operate a grant opportunity available to communities in Georgia that reside outside the Metropolitan Atlanta region. The Metro-Atlanta region for this purpose is defined by the Atlanta Regional Commission (see below). Communities outside the Metro-Atlanta region interested in Smart Cities topics must apply to this option when applying to Georgia Smart for 2020. Region 2: Georgia Smart has partnered directly with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for a parallel opportunity within the 2020 Georgia Smart Communities Challenge. This year’s partnership with ARC allows communities in the Metropolitan Atlanta region who wish to participate in Georgia Smart to apply for funding from ARC’s Livable Center’s Initiative (LCI) program in partnership with Georgia Smart. The Metro-Atlanta region for this purpose is defined by the Atlanta Regional Commission (see below). Communities within the Metro-Atlanta region interested in Smart Cities topics must apply to this option when applying to Georgia Smart for 2020. The Metropolitan Atlanta Region is defined by ARC’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) region which consists of 13 counties and 6 partial counties [Interactive Map - https://atlregional.github.io/boundary/ ] (Figure 1). If any part of your community resides within the MPO area as shown on the map, you must apply for Region 2, LCI with Georgia Smart. If your community resides outside this area, you must apply for Region 1, Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities.

ARC Metro-Atlanta MPO Counties 1. Barrow (partial) 2. Carroll (partial) 3. Cherokee 4. Clayton 5. Cobb 6. Coweta 7. Dawson (partial) 8. DeKalb 9. Douglas 10. Fayette 11. Forsyth 12. Fulton 13. Gwinnett 14. Henry 15. Newton (partial) 16. Paulding 17. Rockdale 18. Spalding (partial) 19. Walton (partial)

Figure 1. ARC MPO Region (Region 2)

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2.2 Region 1: Georgia Smart Communities Challenge for Georgia Communities The Georgia Smart Communities Challenge for Georgia Communities is supported with grant funds provided by Georgia Power. Grant funding will be provided for 80% of the project cost and is available in an amount up to $100,000. The community must provide a minimum of 20% of the project cost (i.e. $125k Project, $100k Grant, $25k Community Cash Match). Additionally, the community must provide an in-kind match with a minimum value equal to 20% of the project cost (i.e. $125k Project, $25k Community In-Kind Match). The in-kind match may come in the form of materials, services, or donations of time and materials. Projects submitted for participation in this opportunity will support one or more of the following approved use cases:

• Safety & security: with a particular focus on using cameras, license plate readers and sensors (like

gunshot detection) to reduce crime, improve evidence management • Traffic management and intelligent transportation systems: with a particular focus on using

cameras and sensors to improve safety and congestion and/or support autonomous electric vehicles • Parking management: with a particular focus on using cameras and sensors to reduce operational

cost and improve revenue collections • Electric transportation for low income areas • Smart lighting: promoting safety, tourism and/or energy savings • Digital signage to support community engagement • Resilience: as defined by securing critical infrastructure backup load generation or distributed energy

resources • Other creative use of lighting poles to support smart city efforts (public Wi-Fi, small cells, DSRC

roadside units, etc.)

The projects may encompass other use cases, but at least one of the above would be a base requirement for participation in the Georgia Smart. Proposing teams must have an established Georgia Tech research partner prior to application submission. Georgia Tech research partners are funded internally by Georgia Tech to perform research in support of each community’s project. Community teams must submit a Georgia Smart compliant application to the Georgia Smart online submission portal before 5:00PM EDT on June 12th, 2020 located at:

https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eya4DEGkYSJ5ZNH Under this option, one or two teams from the Georgia Smart pool of applicants will be selected to participate in the Georgia Smart program. Applications for the Georgia Smart program for Georgia Communities will be judged separately and selected in addition to the LCI with Georgia Smart for Metro-Atlanta applications. 2.3 Region 2: LCI with Georgia Smart for Metropolitan Atlanta Communities Georgia Smart has partnered directly with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for a parallel opportunity within the 2020 Georgia Smart Communities Challenge. This year’s partnership with ARC allows communities in the Metropolitan Atlanta region who wish to participate in Georgia Smart

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to apply to Georgia Smart and be funded by ARC’s Livable Center’s Initiative (LCI). Communities in the Metro-Atlanta region (Region 2 defined above) interested in Smart Cities topics related to Mobility are encouraged to apply to LCI with Georgia Smart for Metro-Atlanta Communities for 2020. LCI grant funding will be provided for 80% of the project cost and is available in an amount up to $100,000. The community must provide a minimum of 20% of the project cost (i.e. $125k Project, $100k Grant, $25k Community Cash Match). Communities applying for LCI with Georgia Smart are strongly encouraged to provide a voluntary in-kind match in addition to the cash match which may come in the form of materials, services, or donations of time and materials. Applicants must adhere to ARC’s LCI terms and conditions as well as any applicable Georgia Smart terms and conditions outlined in this document. LCI-Smart project use cases should focus on how communities will use technology to re-envision themselves as vibrant, walkable places that offer increased mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide improved access to jobs and services. Examples of eligible projects include smart parking apps, connected vehicle/transit/signal technology plans, micromobility studies, or integration of technology at transit stations. Proposing teams must have an established Georgia Tech research partner prior to application submission. Georgia Tech research partners are funded internally by Georgia Tech to perform research in support of each community’s project in addition to any LCI funds awarded. Interested Metropolitan Atlanta communities should visit ARC’s LCI website for information regarding the LCI terms and conditions [ https://atlantaregional.org/community-development/livable-centers-initiative ]. Please note, the source of LCI funding is Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds and all federal rules and requirements must be followed. These funds require a 20% cash match (in-kind is not applicable towards the cash match). Grant recipients must enter into a contract with ARC, and all subcontracts for consultants or professional services must be procured through a competitive process. Applications for LCI with Georgia Smart are due before 5:00PM EDT on June 12th, 2020 and should be submitted through Georgia Smart’s online submission portal at:

https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eya4DEGkYSJ5ZNH Under this option, one or two teams from the LCI with Georgia Smart pool of applicants will be selected to participate in the Georgia Smart program. Applications for the LCI with Georgia Smart program will be judged separately and selected in addition to the Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities applications. Communities interested in LCI with Georgia Smart are encouraged to contact ARC prior to application submission to express intention to apply. ARC’s LCI contact is: Elizabeth Sandlin (ESandlin@AtlantaRegional.org).

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2.4 Participation Options Differences Please note the following differences for this year’s challenge between Georgia Smart for Georgia communities and LCI with Georgia Smart which were outlined above (Table 1):

Georgia Smart LCI w/ Georgia Smart

Eligible Communities Georgia Communities (Region 1)

(Communities outside ARC MPO region) Metropolitan Atlanta Communities (Region 2)

(Communities inside ARC MPO region)

Government Lead Required Required Letter of Commitment Required Required Governmental Partners Highly Encouraged Not Required Non-Governmental Partners Highly Encouraged Not Required Grant Award Up to $100,000 Up to $100,000 Required Community Cash Match

20% minimum of Total Project (Total Project = Grant + Cash Match)

20% minimum of Total Project (Total Project = Grant + Cash Match)

Community Like-Kind Match

20% minimum of Total Project

Voluntary (Strongly Recommended)

Funding Example

Total Project = $125k Grant = $100k

Cash Match = $25k (20% of $125k Total Project)

Like-kind Match = $25k (20% of $125k Total Project)

Total Project = $125k Grant = $100k

Cash Match = $25k (20% of $125k Total Project) Like-kind Match = Voluntary

Community Project Lead Time Commitment

Required (Monthly conference calls, 3-4 Full day

workshops, Onsite Event, etc.)

Required (Monthly conference calls, 3-4 Full day

workshops, Onsite Event, etc.) Georgia Tech Research Partner Required Required Georgia Tech Research Funding

Up to $50,000 (Funded separately from Grant Award)

Up to $50,000 (Funded separately from Grant Award)

Program Length 1 year

(Sept 2020 - Sept 2021) 1 year

(Sept 2020 - Sept 2021) Application Due Date 5:00PM EDT on June 12th, 2020 5:00PM EDT on June 12th, 2020

Contact(s) sci2@gatech.edu

sci2@gatech.edu esandlin@atlantaregional.org

Table 1. Georgia Smart Options Overview.

Additional LCI with Georgia Smart (Metro-Atlanta Communities) information for your consideration: • Grant recipients must enter into a contract with ARC in addition to Georgia Tech. • The LCI program is funded with US Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds and all

federal rules and requirements must be followed. • Communities must bid out in an open competitive process all subcontracts for consultants or

professional services. If you are thinking about using a consultant under contract for your project work, you must receive approval from ARC.

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3 Pre-Proposal for Georgia Tech Researcher Matching (NEW) A pre-proposal is not required in order to submit a full application to Georgia Smart for 2020. Georgia Smart is accepting pre-proposals from communities who plan to apply for Georgia Smart 2020 (Region 1 OR Region 2). Pre-proposals should contain the themes below, be limited to 2 pages (not including the cover sheet), and adhere to the formatting requirements found in Section 8.1. The cover sheet should include the content outlined in Section 8.2 subsection 1.a,b,c,d,f. (Project Title, Community Name, Contact, etc.).

Pre-proposals should outline the project vision and goals, introduce the project plan, list secured and potential partnerships, and describe the desired research project and expertise of the Georgia Tech research partner.

Georgia Smart will use your pre-proposal information to recommend Georgia Tech research partners who may be a match for your project based on your project’s description, intended research, and our knowledge of research expertise at Georgia Tech. Georgia Smart will work with each community who submits a pre-proposal to secure a research partner before the application deadline. Georgia Smart does not imply or guarantee a research partnership will be secured. One of Georgia Smart’s main benefits is the partnership with Georgia Tech, and as such, the consideration of the research partnership with a Georgia Tech researcher is paramount to the project’s success. Therefore, Georgia Smart is offering this matching service for all communities who submit a pre-proposal as outlined above. Those communities who do not submit a pre-proposal will be required to find a Georgia Tech research partner on their own. Georgia Smart has made a list of potential research experts on our website at the following link [ https://smartcities.gatech.edu/research-faculty ]. Pre-proposals are due before 5:00PM EDT on April 24th, 2020 and should be submitted to the Georgia Smart online Pre-Proposal submission portal located at:

https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25Zz9sxA89YeWIB 4 Smart Community Projects

4.1 General Guidelines Georgia Smart projects will predominantly involve planning and preparation for future smart cities development, acquisition, deployment, and operational efforts. When drafting a Georgia Smart proposal, applicants must address three core questions:

1. Why does the community need or desire to become a smart community? In answering the “why” question, communities should also answer three related questions:

a. What are the conditions or issues driving this need b. What are the “smart” technologies and concepts that will address these needs? c. What will the future look like in the community once these technologies have

been adopted? 2. How will the community transition from its current state to its desired future state? This

question addresses the long-term, big-picture plan for realizing the community’s vision. 3. What planning activities will the community undertake and what plans will the

community create under the Georgia Smart program, in support of its end-goals? This

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question addresses the community’s proposed plan of action during the one-year execution phase of Georgia Smart.

Georgia Smart projects should strive to address the needs of the community in an equitable and inclusive manner that involves some type of “smart communities” technology. As such, teams should consider these needs, along with a compelling vision and set of community-derived goals for the community’s future, when developing their proposals. Likewise, teams should consider the impact of applying “smart” technologies in their community and how those communities have been improved through these technologies. Georgia Smart projects must also demonstrate a commitment to long-term project support and citizen engagement, clear and defined technology evaluation criteria, and a pathway toward sustained progress beyond the one-year pilot period. More than exploring the potential of advanced technical systems, communities should seek to improve the lives of citizens, expand and extend government operations and services, and generate new economic opportunities for businesses and the workforce at large. First-year projects are simply the means through which communities can plan for and ultimately achieve these quality-of-life outcomes. Communities that are selected to participate in the cohort will have one year to complete their projects, as described in their proposal. As such, projects must be designed to reach their end and produce meaningful results in this time. Projects will be awarded2 on or before September 1, 2020, and projects will officially begin in September 2020, with a formal kickoff meeting to follow on September 10th, 2020. Projects will officially conclude in September 2021 with a project out brief and the completion of a final report for publication of the project’s outcomes, research, and any publically-releasable data. LCI with Georgia Smart communities receiving LCI funding may continue to spend LCI funds through November 2021. ______________________________________________________________________

2 Due to restrictions associated with the source of funding, the “award” mechanism will vary. Teams awarded through LCI will receive funds using a reimbursement system that will be administered by ARC. Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities will receive 50% of their funding at the start of the project (no later than October 2020) and the remaining 50% at the midpoint of the project (no sooner than March 2021).

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4.2 Framework Plan In considering these current and future states, teams should also consider how the community will progress and develop a reasonable, inclusive, data-driven, and realistic guiding framework that will enable the community to reach its stated, overall end-goals. Frameworks should address governing principles for and the outline/structure of a long-term smart community development plan. The framework should describe how the community will organize its efforts among team members, partners, government agencies, citizens, and other participants, and how the community will grow this organization over time. The framework should also identify resources that are currently available or that may be needed to ensure long-term sustainability of their smart community and how those resources will be captured and leveraged. Frameworks should identify a high-level project schedule, including, phases, milestones, and end-goals. Finally, frameworks should identify metrics and success criteria for judging the effectiveness of the community’s transformation efforts. The consideration and development of such a framework will enable teams to design first-year project plans that will enable the community to make meaningful progress towards addressing its current issues and moving towards its goals.

4.3 First-Year Plan of Action First-year projects should present a plan of action that the community will undertake during the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge grant period. Projects should align with the community’s guiding framework to lay the groundwork for future efforts. First-year plans of action must be planning and pilot study-oriented3. This means that communities should propose to do work under this first-year plan of action that allows the community to study its issues, enumerate specific solutions, assess alternatives, create implementation plans, estimate costs, identify and develop future resources, establish networks, and refine its guiding framework. Conversely, the first-year plan should not include developing, testing, piloting, or deploying smart communities technologies, other than as would be necessary to support the planning efforts described, above. First-year projects may, therefore, include such activities and efforts as:

• Community Engagement: may include leading town halls, workshops, or information sessions; conducting citizen surveys; or deploying an “app” to crowd source real-time data from the community

• Team Formation: may include establishing organizations, departments, or offices to lead and coordinate smart communities efforts, or networking with peers to share knowledge and experience

___________________________________________________________________________ 3 Projects must be planning or pilot study-oriented. Planning and pilot studies produce reports that assess and test conditions and plan for implementations. Technology procurement for test and pilot evaluations are an acceptable use of grant funds, but using funds provided by Georgia Smart to solely procure technology is not allowed, nor can funds be used to pay staff (e.g., salaries). Community matching funds could be used for either purpose. However, the main thrust of these first-year projects should still predominantly be to identify and plan for future efforts. Plans that propose to develop or deploy smart technologies do not comport with Georgia Smart’s goals unless such activities directly and clearly support the community’s planning and pilot studies and are required for success.

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• Knowledge Development: may include sending members of the team to participate in smart communities conferences; training for team members in relevant technologies; or planning and development for community education programs

• Planning and Pilot Studies: may include planning for, testing, collecting, and/or analyzing data, such as energy data for public buildings or traffic/transit data; studying, testing, planning for, or selecting “smart infrastructure” technologies for traffic control, fleet electrification, or disaster response

Communities applying for Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities must have a plan of action that proposes activities that align with the use case topics from the list of approved use cases in Section 2.1. This is mandatory—applicants whose first-year plans propose to address topics outside of these areas will not be considered. Communities applying for LCI with Georgia Smart must adhere to ARC’s guidelines and use case for LCI-Smart projects. LCI-Smart project use cases should focus on how communities will use technology to re-envision themselves as vibrant, walkable places that offer increased mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide improved access to jobs and services. Examples of eligible projects include smart parking apps, connected vehicle/transit/signal technology plans, micromobility studies, or integration of technology at transit stations.

4.4 Research Plan Projects must also include, as part of their first year, a research component which will be undertaken under the guidance and expertise of a Georgia Tech research partner. This research component should be designed in conjunction with the Georgia Tech researcher who will lead the research effort and generally assist with and advise on the community’s proposal and (if selected) project execution. The research component is open-ended, but it must be technology- focused and it must directly advance the community’s project goals, or generally align with the community’s needs, goals, and framework.

4.5 Smart Topic Areas Projects submitted for participation in Georgia Smart for Georgia communities should be centered on the concepts of Smart Mobility and Smart Resilience while LCI with Georgia Smart projects must be focused on Smart Mobility only. Smart Mobility projects seek to improve how people and goods move, and how mobility infrastructure and services are operated, maintained, and (re)developed. Smart Resilience projects seek to improve how communities function by addressing technologies that lead to the long-term viability and sustainability of vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous communities.

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5 Summary of Technical and Financial Support Georgia Smart provides support for selected local governments in a few ways:

• One community grant per team, up to $100,000, to be used to execute the first-year project plan. Grant funds may be used only in support of planning and pilot studies. Funds may be used to cover costs related to such, examples of which include hosting workshops and community engagement events, covering conference and training fees, or paying for professional services.

o Any other uses of grant funds must directly support proposed planning efforts, studies, data collection, or some other related activity.

o Funds may not be used to solely procure and /or install technology. o Funds may not be used to fund staff salaries. o The value of each individual expense should be modest. As a rule of thumb,

individual expenses should be less than 25% of the overall value of the grant. o Georgia Smart places no restrictions on how community’s matching funds are

used. These funds may be used for any purpose, including procurement and staffing costs, though any purchases made using community funds should clearly support the community’s proposed efforts.

• One research grant per team, up to $50,000, to be used to support the efforts of the team’s Georgia Tech research partner.

• One Smart Community Corps intern (Georgia Tech student) to be placed in your community to work with your team on your Georgia Smart project for 10-12 weeks during summer 2021. Paid for by Georgia Tech and funded outside your community grant funds. Students will work 40hrs/week alongside your team to enhance project execution during the last quarter of the project.

• Technical support from experts at Georgia Tech and from a network of partners in the form of quarterly workshops to assist with the execution of projects, refine and develop long-term project plans, and learn best practices from other smart communities and network partners;

• Access to a network of peer governments to share best practices and learnings in monthly calls with Georgia Smart staff and partners;

• Monthly meetings with Georgia Smart staff to discuss the current status of the project and emerging issues, barriers, or questions;

• Access to local, national, and international network of experts to advise smart communities.

5.1 Georgia Tech Research Support One research grant per team, up to $50,000, to be used to support the efforts of the team’s Georgia Tech research partner. These funds will be held and distributed to the researcher by Georgia Tech and will not be directly disbursed to winning teams. Funds may be used to hire a master’s level GRA, for Materials & Supplies (M&S), or to provide for up to 50% of the lead researcher’s time with a minimum time budget of 1%. If a researcher desires to hire a Doctoral student, you must contact the Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation (SCI2) group at Georgia Tech for approval. Tuition waivers, if required, must be applied for through your individual

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school. No tuition waivers are available from SCI2. We strongly advise researchers to coordinate this with the academic advisors in their home department. Researchers should include a separate budget of expected expenses (M&S, Labor, Student Labor, etc.) in the grant proposal. In addition to research support, Georgia Tech researchers are responsible for headlining a 1 hr. long webinar (to be recorded) on their research and how it relates to the Georgia Smart project they are participating with. In addition, researchers must support the community team by participating in all monthly status telecoms, workshops, and other related Georgia Smart events. 6 Eligibility and Application Requirements Teams that wish to apply to Georgia Smart must adhere to the following requirements:

• Eligible Governments: Any local government within the State of Georgia can apply to lead or participate on a team under the Georgia Smart program. These governments include city governments, county governments, and consolidated city-county governments. No population or land area requirements exist for participation. No government outside of Georgia is eligible.

• Team Formation: Applicants are encouraged to form teams that feature collaborative projects that span more than one government/jurisdiction4 and which include other qusai- or non-governmental participants (e.g., neighborhood planning units, community improvement groups, business associations, or corporate sponsors). Applications can feature collaboration with nonprofit or for-profit entities, but must be submitted by a lead government. Partnerships with nonprofits, such as community improvement districts, or for-profit companies, such as technology providers, are encouraged where applicable.

• Local Preference: Preference is given to applications that feature collaborations with nongovernment entities that reside within the State of Georgia.

• Team Leads: In the case of a joint proposal across more than one local government, a lead government (“a lead”) must be identified. The lead is determined by the group of collaborators and not by any external criteria (e.g. size, types, or location).

• Letters of Support: All participating local governments must submit a letter of support from a high-ranking5 elected representative or employee of the local government (e.g. Mayor, County Commission Chair, City Manager, etc.). Collaborative applications across governments require a letter of support from each government involved.

• Letters of Understanding for Non-Government Entities: Applications that list collaborations with non-government entities require a letter of understanding from each collaborator, signed by a representative of the organization authorized to make such an agreement.

• Designated Point of Contact: Applications require a designated point-of-contact who is employed by the lead local government. The point-of-contact needs to have valid email and phone number, and must be available to answer questions about the application during the review period.

• Joint Proposal Point of Contact: For joint proposals, the lead government furnishes the point-of-contact necessary for the purposes of application and submission. The lead will remain as the point-of-contact for the duration of Georgia Smart.

• Community Cash Match: Communities that wish to participate in Georgia Smart must provide a minimum cash contribution equal to 20% of the proposed project cost with the grant comprising up to 80% of the remaining project total.6 Additionally, communities applying for

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Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities must provide an in-kind match with a minimum value equal to 20% of the project cost (i.e. $125k Project, $25k Community Cash Match, $25k Community In-Kind Match). The in-kind match may come in the form of materials, services, or donations. Metro Atlanta communities applying for LCI with Georgia Smart are not required to provide an in-kind match but are highly encouraged to include an in-kind match to demonstrate community support and craft a competitive proposal.

• Community In-Kind Match: The community in-kind match is not required to be direct funding but can include budget allocations, private donations, volunteered labor hours, materials, supplies, equipment, software, professional services, land, event space, or other resources that are relevant to and may be used in the execution of the community’s planned work. The in-kind match is required for Georgia Communities and strongly recommended for Metro-Atlanta Communities as these funds may be used to support government staff during performance on this project. It is expected the project lead and supporting team members spend non trivial amounts of time on the project every month including monthly status calls, quarterly workshops, stakeholder engagement events, and at least 1 onsite event with Georgia Smart in your community. Communities must supply documentation with their application stating the source, nature, and value of the match, including letters of support or other documents guaranteeing the availability of such resources.

_______________________________________________________________________________ 4 Regional projects qualify. For example, city-county collaborations or regional projects will be accepted. 5 There are no apriori requirements for exactly which high-ranking official must provide this letter of support. However, the individual chosen must be authorized and empowered to commit the government’s time and resources as necessary to complete the proposed work. 6 The value of the cash match in the team’s proposal must be no less than 20% of the total project cost. However, if the eventual funding supplied to the community by Georgia Smart is less than the proposal request, then the community will only need to match up to 20% of the total project cost while Georgia Smart’s grant represents the reaming 80%

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7 Proposal Schedule The following schedule outlines the timeline and events during the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge proposal period.

Request for Proposal – Launch March 17th, 2020

Georgia Smart Spring Workshop CANCELED March 26th, 2020, 8:30am-4:30pm

Georgia Smart Informational Webinar (Opportunity #1) April 6th, 2020, 12pm-1pm

Pre-proposals Due April 24th, 2020, 5pm

Georgia Smart Informational Webinar (Opportunity #2) April 28th, 2020, 12pm-1pm

Final Proposal Due June 12th, 2020, 5pm

Winning Communities Notified July - August, 2020

Table 2. Georgia Smart Proposal Schedule

8 Proposal Development Webinars & Workshops Applicants are encouraged to participate in at least one proposal development session that Georgia Smart will host. Teams should pre-register for these sessions on the Georgia Smart website to ensure that Georgia Smart can communicate updates with participants. The first session will be a webinar, which will provide communities with an opportunity to hear more about Georgia Smart and provide a forum for program and proposal Q&A. The webinar will be open to all participants and interested parties, and a recording of the webinar will be posted to the Georgia Smart website after the event. The webinar will be held on April 6th, 2020, from noon to 1pm and information about how and when to access the webinar will be posted on the Georgia Smart website. A second webinar with the same material will be held on April 28th, 2020, from noon to 1pm. Additionally, a proposal preparation workshops will be held on March 26th, 2020 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta, GA as part of the Georgia Smart Spring Workshop [ https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/spring-workshop-2020 ]. Local governments and teams should send representatives to attend the workshop in order to learn more about Smart Communities and this specific opportunity including panel discussions with Georgia Tech researchers and Georgia Smart organizers, receive assistance with proposal development, address program questions, seek out collaborators and partners, and network with potential research partners.

9 Project Proposals Applicants must create and submit a project proposal in order to be considered for participation in the Georgia Smart program. Proposals must be submitted on the Georgia Smart website no later than 5:00 PM EDT on June 12, 2020. Proposals submitted after this deadline or using any other mechanism will not be accepted. Proposals must conform to certain formatting and content guidelines. These guidelines are outlined in the following sections.

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9.1 Formatting Requirements Proposal documents must adhere to the following formatting requirements. A Word template file that conforms to these requirements is available for download on the Georgia Smart website.

1. Proposal is a single Adobe PDF document with the “pdf” extension. 2. Font face is “Times New Roman” throughout the document, except as used within

figures, graphics, images, and charts. 3. Font color is black throughout the document, except as used within figures, graphics,

images, and charts. 4. Line spacing is no less than “1.0”. 5. All margins are at least 1”, including those margins on the left and right sides, the top,

and the bottom. 6. Content in the Project Narrative and Execution Plan sections meet the following

requirements: a. Font size is no less than “12.0” and no more than “16.0” for all body text,

headings, titles, etc.; and b. Font size is no less than “9.0” for all figure, graphics, image, chart, table, and

other captions. 7. Each page’s footer contains the page number.

9.2 Content Requirements Proposal documents must contain the following sections and content:

1. The proposal must have a cover page displaying the following content: a. The title of the proposal; b. The words “Georgia Smart Communities Challenge 2020”; c. The Georgia Smart Region selected using the words “A Georgia Community” or “A

Metro-Atlanta Community” as outlined in Section 2: Participation Options; d. Official name of the proposal’s lead government entity, identified as such; e. Names of all other participating entities, identified as such; and f. Contact information (name, address, phone number, and email address) for the

point of contact for the lead government entity. 2. The proposal must have a table of contents. 3. Section 1 of the proposal is entitled “Project Narrative” and contains the following

subsections: a. Section 1.1 is entitled “Vision,” and it addresses:

• The community’s motivations for participating and what they expect to achieve in the long run; and

• Current conditions, motivating factors, citizen feedback, prior efforts, end- goals, and/or the envisioned future state of the community.

b. Section 1.2 is entitled “Framework,” and it addresses the overarching framework the community will use to address the issues described in the “Vision” section.

c. Section 1.3 is entitled “Plan,” and it addresses what the community will do during its first year. This section is the crux of the proposal and should clearly explain to the judges exactly what the community will do should they be selected for

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support and funding by Georgia Smart. This section should detail: • The plan of action that the community will execute should they win the

competition; • How the plan maps against the framework described in the “Framework”

section; • How the plan will impact the community; • How this plan advances the community towards addressing its overall

vision; • The topic area being addressed by the proposal (i.e., Smart Mobility or

Smart Resilience); • If you are applying through LCI with Georgia Smart, please provide an

explanation of how your project ties to transportation and will improve mobility in your community.

d. Section 1.4 is entitled “Research,” and it addresses how a Georgia Tech research partner will be utilized as part of this plan, including: • A description of the type of activities to be performed; • How those activities will support either the current-year plan or the overall

framework plan; and • How the research aligns with a “smart” technology that is pertinent to the

community’s overall vision. 4. Section 2 of the proposal is entitled “Execution Plan” and contains the following

subsections: a. Section 2.1 is entitled “Cost Plan,” and it contains, at a minimum:

• A table identifying total project costs per activity, per month; and • A brief narrative describing the community’s planned expenditures and the

source and nature of its matching funds. b. Section 2.2 is entitled “Personnel Plan,” and it contains, at a minimum:

• A designated individual who will serve as the project’s point-of-contact7, including contact information and the amount of time (hours or percentage) they will commit to the project;

• A designated individual who will serve as the project’s lead8, including contact information, the amount of time (hours or percentage) they will commit to the project, and their relevant qualifications;

________________________________________________________________________________________________

7This individual will serve as the main interface between the project and Georgia Smart and will be expected to generally participate in all meetings, calls, site visits, and other events associated with Georgia Smart. This person must be able to dedicate a sizable portion of their time to the project. This person may be the same person as the proposal POC, or it may be a different person. 8 This individual will serve as the project’s leader and manager and will coordinate the community’s efforts under Georgia Smart. This person must be able to dedicate a sizable portion of their time to the project. This person may be the same person as the proposal POC or project POC, or it may be a different person.

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• A list or table of other key personnel participating in the project, their anticipated role on the project, the amount of time (hours or percentage) they will commit to the project, and their relevant qualifications;

• A team organizational chart showing the organization and role of all relevant participants; and

• A brief narrative describing how the team will be organized and managed. c. Section 2.3 is entitled “Schedule,” and it contains, at a minimum:

• A list or table of project milestones with anticipated dates associated with each;

• A brief narrative describing the milestones; and • Any methods to be used for tracking or publishing project progress.

d. Section 2.49 is entitled “Collaboration,” and it contains: • A brief narrative describing how each government and non-governmental

entity will participate in the team effort; and • A description of how the intergovernmental team will be organized.

5. Proposal contains each of the following required documents in an appendix10: a. Appendix A is required for all proposals and contains the Letter(s) of Support,

each signed by a high-ranking elected official or employee of the lead government and any participating governments;

b. Appendix B is required for all proposals and contains the documentation of the availability, source, and value of the team’s “local match,” including any letters of support necessary to prove that the resources will be made available if the team is funded under Georgia Smart;

c. Appendix C11 contains the Letter(s) of Understanding from non-government entities, if applicable, signed by an authorized representative of the entity; and

d. Appendix D12 contains a listing of references and citations from the main body of the proposal, if applicable, as it relates to documentation or data from previous planning studies, documented best practices, or other industry or academic literature referenced in Section 1 or 2 – this appendix may be omitted if it is otherwise blank.

6. Other than the sections already mentioned, there must be no other sections or content in the proposal document.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 This section should be omitted entirely if the proposal is being submitted by an individual government entity. 10 The PDF document submitted should include the first page of each appendix section that displays the appendix name, as in the provided Word template. Each appendix name page should then be followed by the contents of that appendix, such as signed and scanned letters, incorporated into the PDF. Appendix content pages do not have to display page numbers, and they do not have to conform to any of the other proposal formatting guidelines. 11 This appendix is only required if non-governmental entities are participating as part of the project team. This appendix should be omitted entirely if it would otherwise be blank. 12 This appendix is optional but may be included if the team wishes to reference published research, prior studies, or other work within the body of the proposal. This appendix should be omitted entirely if it would otherwise be blank.

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9.3 Length Requirements Proposers are limited to a total of twelve (12) pages for the main body of the proposal, which comprises only the Project Narrative and Execution Plan sections. Pages may be apportioned between these sections in any way, as long as each section’s content requirements are met. The appendices do not have any restrictions on length. Appendices must not be used for additional content or as a way to get around the length restrictions of the proposal.

9.4 Legal Documentation

Letter(s) of Support Local governments must submit a letter of support from a high-ranking elected official or employee from the local government who is authorized to commit the necessary resources to ensure project success13 (e.g. Mayor, County Commission Chair, City Manager, or an authorized designee). If the project is a collaboration across multiple governments, a letter of support from each government is necessary. A sample letter can be found on the Georgia Smart website. Letters must appear on official letterhead and include the representative’s signature for that government. Scanned copies of each letter should be included as part of the proposal PDF document and should appear in Appendix A. Local Match Documentation Governments must provide proof regarding the nature, source, and value of the community’s “local match.” Letters and other documents must be provided showing what form each match takes (e.g., money, time, materials, etc.), the value of the resource, and the method used to value the resource. In the case of apportionment of time or allocation of government resources, an attestation must be provided stating the team’s commitment to making the match. For donations of money, materials, or other tangible goods, a letter from the donor guaranteeing the donation must be provided. For matches that involve small community contributions of time or money (e.g., volunteer time), this must be stated in a letter. Letters from government entities must appear on official letterhead and include the signature of an official authorized to commit the resources. Letters from donors should include a commitment statement and the donor’s signature. Other documentation may be provided, as necessary, to establish the nature, value, and source of the match. Scanned copies of any letters and all other documentation should be included as part of the proposal PDF document and should appear in Appendix B.

Letter(s) of Understanding If the project involves partnerships with any non-government entities, letters of understanding from each collaborating entity is required. The letter of understanding must detail the role of the non-government entity in the context of the project—what the entity will provide, do, or support. The letter of understanding must be signed by a representative of the organization authorized to ________________________________________________________________________________________________

13 If there is any question about the authority or applicability of this representative, please contact Georgia Smart for clarification and pre-authorization.

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make such an agreement. Scanned copies of each letter should be included as part of the proposal PDF document and should appear in Appendix C. Such letters are not required if the proposing team involves only government participants. In this case, the appendix should be omitted entirely.

9.5 Review Process The Georgia Smart proposals will be evaluated by a panel of judges with expertise in smart communities. Applications will be split between those submitted to LCI with Georgia Smart and those submitted to Georgia Smart for Georgia Communities. Judges will evaluate proposals from each pool of applicants separately. Up to two proposals may be selected from each pool to participate in the cohort. Winning teams will be notified and a public announcement made in summer 2020. Judges will separately evaluate and score each proposal on its individual merits. Scores from each judge will be combined to select the winning communities. Applications must achieve a minimum score in order to be considered for participation. If only a single application achieves the minimum score from each pool of applicants, or if no applications meet the minimum score, Georgia Smart reserves the right to (1) select a single winner for the pool, (2) select no winners for the pool, or (3) change the minimum requirements to allow for up to two winners. In this case, Georgia Smart may alter how funds are allocated to the winning teams.

Georgia Smart will award funds to the top proposal(s) that meet minimum scoring requirements from each pool. In the case of a tie, Georgia Smart reserves the right to break the tie using any method that Georgia Smart deems appropriate.

Other General Guidance Successful proposals should incorporate plans for how the community will work towards one or more of the following overarching goals:

• Add and/or extend governmental services in order to increase participation, inclusion, efficiency, and/or openness in local government;

• Increase and/or sustain communication between citizens and government, amongst governmental departments, and across government jurisdictions and subject matter domains;

• Reach underserved populations and develop economic opportunities that balance growth and equity;

• Mitigate short-term challenges, while planning for long-term strategies; or • Commit to strategic planning, organizational change, and capacity building.

Preference will be given to proposals that incorporate plans for one or more of the following:

• Inter-departmental and/or inter-jurisdictional resource sharing, including the sharing of data, technical infrastructure, personnel, and other resources that are prohibitive to a single department or jurisdiction;

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• Partnerships with nongovernment entities, esp. organizations located within the state of Georgia, including nonprofit organizations (including community development districts) and for-profit organizations (including technology companies, design and development firms, and other project-vital products and services);

• Workforce development and capacity building programs, including collaborations with educational institutions, community centers, chambers of commerce, or similar organizations;

• Embedded performance and evaluation metrics.

Applicants should keep the following in mind when writing their proposals:

• Applications should express long-term commitment to a smart community approach within their local government beyond the initial year. This approach can be expressed through examples of other contemporaneous projects, past referenda, or other means;

• Applications should illustrate deep knowledge of the challenges that face their residents; • Applications should articulate a holistic understanding of smart communities, including

strategies to reach underserved populations within a jurisdiction; • Applications must clearly express how the project fits within one of two topical areas; • Applications must articulate known and/or potential barriers to the proposed plan and

suggest possible alternatives to addressing the challenge in the given timeframe; and • Applications must articulate other known challenges within their jurisdictions in order to

contextualize the plan amongst other priorities.

Specific Scoring Metrics In keeping with the general guidance, above, applications will be evaluated using subjective metrics that are similar to but not limited to the following:

• Proper Motivation: The degree to which the proposal articulates current conditions within the community that may be addressed through the application of “smart communities” concepts.

• Compelling Vision: The degree to which the proposal clearly articulates a compelling vision for the community’s improved future state, to be achieved through the appropriate application of “smart” concepts.

• Guiding Framework: The degree to which the proposal outlines a reasonable, inclusive, data-driven, and realistic guiding framework that will enable the community to reach its stated, overall end-goals.

• Comprehensive Approach: The degree to which the proposal presents a holistic and realistic understanding of the issues related to adopting “smart” concepts and technologies within the community.

• Reasonable Plan: The degree to which the proposal presents a high-quality plan of action for the first year that is (1) generally reasonable, well-conceived, and of appropriate detail, and (2) likely to be both actionable and successful within the first year.

• Framework Alignment: The degree to which the proposed first-year plan is aligned with the community’s “smart” framework and end-goals.

• Meaningful Impact: The degree to which the proposed first-year plan is like to either (1) have an immediate, meaningful, and positive impact on the community, (2) make

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substantive progress towards the community’s end-goals, or (3) enable future efforts that move the community towards its stated goals.

• Research Oriented: The degree to which the proposal presents a reasonable and impactful plan for working with an academic collaborator.

• Realistic Cost: The degree to which the proposed budget is reasonable for the proposed activities.

• Effective Organization: The degree to which proposed staffing, organizational structures, partnerships, and collaborations are reasonable for and ensure the success of the proposed activities and overall vision.

• Dedicated Leadership: The degree to which proposed project leadership personnel are dedicated to the project and capable of ensuring the success of the project.

• Attainable Schedule: The degree to which the proposal identifies attainable milestones and milestone dates and incorporates sensible durations for each activity.

• Appropriate Application: The degree to which the proposal identifies and suggests “smart” concepts, technologies, policies, models, issues, etc., that are appropriate for that community’s self-identified issues and opportunities.

• Conceptual Understanding: The degree to which the proposal appropriately applies the “smart” moniker to concepts, technologies, policies, models, issues, etc., that are referenced in the proposal.

• Community Support: The level of community support shown in the form of the value of any in-kind match proposed as well as the appropriateness of partnerships with other local community organizations who will support the project as shown in the form of Letters of Support and Understanding.

9.6 Additional Considerations Partial or late applications will not be considered. Partial applications include the failure to include the necessary letters of support and letters of understanding from project collaborators and partners, as well as the failure to include any required section in the proposal. Late applications are applications submitted after the submission deadline or those that are not submitted through the official Georgia Smart application portal. Exceptions will be made if the submission portal is down or unavailable due to website inaccessibility issues out of your community’s control. Contact sci2@gatech.edu for assistance with the submission portal. A local government may be the lead on only one application submission, but can be a collaborator (i.e. not the lead) on an additional application. No restrictions exist on the number of applications that can list a non-government entity. No restrictions exist for the number of collaborators or partnering governments on a single application. Preference will not be given to applications with a higher number of collaborators or partners. The appropriateness of the number of collaborators and partners will be evaluated based on the proposed project. No matter the number of partners or collaborators, the financial support remains the same. Projects have a maximum of a one-year duration, beginning in September 2020 and ending in September 2021. Proposals that suggest an accelerated timeline will not be given preference.

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10 Georgia Smart Schedule and Expectation of Winners Upon winning a Georgia Smart Communities Challenge grant, project teams will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding and legal contract that outlines the rules and requirements of the execution phase of the program. Funding for a given team will be withheld until this document is signed by that team, and the team will forfeit their participation in the program if the memorandum is not signed within 45 days after winners are notified. LCI with Georgia Smart grant recipients must also sign a contract with ARC and meet all ARC LCI requirements. Project team leads will be required to act as the point of contact for all communication for the program, as well as have the authority and ability to make decisions on behalf of the project to ensure project success. Team leads are required to produce monthly status reports and attend monthly status telecoms with Georgia Smart representatives. Team leads are in charge of generating a mid-year status report due in March 2021 and a project final report due in September 2021. Team leads are required to attend up to 4 all day workshops hosted by Georgia Smart in Atlanta throughout the year long engagement. Team leads will be responsible for assisting Georgia Smart in planning one community workshop to be hosted by you in your community for the benefit of your project, team, and community. Community matching funds and in-kind matches may be used to cover staff salaries for the community lead and other project team members to Teams are expected to begin work on the project in September 2020, with mandatory attendance at an initial kickoff workshop scheduled for September 10, 2020 in Atlanta. A project close-out workshop will be held in September 2021 to review the final outcome of each project along with the project deliverable report. Each team will also be required to participate in a public presentation of the projects at the workshop to share results, outcomes, and future plans. The dates and times of additional workshops, telecoms, and other related events will be finalized and posted after winners have been announced. The following schedule outlines the timeline and events during the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge project period.

Public Announcement of Winning Communities** July - August, 2020

Georgia Smart Evening Reception* September 9, 2020

Georgia Smart Fall Workshop Project Kickoffs* September 10, 2020, 8:30am-4:30pm

Monthly Project Status Telecoms** Dates TBD (End of the month, afternoon)

Georgia Tech Research Partner Webinar (1hr) Dates TBD (1 per GT research partner)

Community Onsite Event* Dates TBD (1 per community project)

Georgia Smart Spring Workshop Midterm Presentations* Date TBD, March, 2021

Georgia Smart Fall Workshop Final Presentations* Date TBD, September, 2021

*Project community lead attendance required. **Project community team representative attendance required.

Table 3. Georgia Smart Schedule

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11 Intellectual Property Rights Entrants should not submit confidential information in the proposal, inclusive of technologies or processes from non-government entities that require nondisclosure agreements. Teams agree that any proposals that are submitted to Georgia Smart are authorized for public release, but Georgia Smart will only make such proposals public after the winning teams have been publicized. Upon winning a Georgia Smart Communities Challenge grant, each project and all parties included in the project (governments and nongovernment entities) must consent to a data sharing agreement with Georgia Smart, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and Georgia Power. The data sharing agreement requires that project teams share all non-personally identifying information and other data pertaining to the project in a shared data repository hosted at and administered by the Georgia Institute of Technology. The data is shared for the purposes of research only and will not be used for any other purpose.

12 Georgia Smart Project Examples 12.1 2019 Georgia Smart Communities

Columbus Consolidated Government Project Title: Smart Uptown Project Overview: Columbus Consolidated Government (Columbus) will develop smart technologies for their Uptown district to promote safety, security and an intelligent transportation system through a coalition for data sharing and infrastructure improvement. The proposed smart technologies for this area includes free public wireless access, license plate readers, and population movement sensors to address concerns regarding public safety, security and transportation. Columbus is partnering with Georgia Tech researchers to start planning of suitable locations for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and analysis of the data captured to provide a better service and reduce overall Police, Fire and EMT response time. Columbus will utilize the existing fiber optics infrastructure, and public wireless access for prototyping of minimum two IoT devices capable of gathering and relaying data so at least two data models can be constructed to present the collected data. Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/columbus Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/ColumbusConsolidatedGovt_SMART-Uptown.pdf

Macon-Bibb County Project Title: Smart Neighborhoods MBC Project Overview: Macon-Bibb County will develop a Smart Kiosk system to integrate existing mobile applications and smart solutions. Macon-Bibb County currently has several existing mobile applications and browser based Smart Solutions including a 311 application (See, Click, Fix), an open-data portal geo-hub (Macon Insights), and an online employment applicant system (Neogov). These services are currently available to web and mobile users but out of reach of the economically disadvantaged neighbors who don’t have access to high speed internet or smart phone devices. Smart Neighborhoods MBC (Macon-Bibb County) promotes equity in

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economically stressed neighborhoods by placing Smart Kiosks in strategic locations such as community centers, libraries, recreation centers, high traffic pedestrian areas and public buildings. By partnering with the local transit authority, school district, institutions of higher learning and neighborhood improvement districts, they can effectively reach citizens where they work or live. This will provide the under-privileged citizen better access and engagement with their local government departments. Using these Smart Kiosks citizens can directly apply for jobs within local government and other community organizations by using Smart Neighborhoods MBC. They can find information on elections, public health, safety, crime and services like Mosquito Spraying and Solid Waste pickup schedules instead of traveling to city hall. One prototype Kiosk will be procured by the end of Dec 2019 so the browser-based content can be developed before project completion. Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/macon-bibb Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/MaconBibbGovernment_SmartNeighborhoodsMBC.pdf

City of Milton Project Title: Smarter Safer Routes to School Project Overview: The City of Milton will develop an interactive app for smart phones to provide real-time group communication for parents of kids who want to walk to school in a group with other kids, also known as a “Walking School Bus”. The app will have features and information that will encourage the children to walk and bike to and from School and reduce the number of parents’ drop-off trips via cars. The targeted test area to implement this smart mobility project is downtown Milton in the historic Crabapple community with the following schools: Crossing Elementary School, Northwestern Middle School and Milton High School. This area has already implemented the Georgia program “Safe Routes to School”, which promotes connecting sidewalks from residential neighborhoods to the school to encourage students to walk to school. The app will allow parents to set up and join a Walking School Bus, see real-time location and estimated arrival times of their children, see which friends and parents will be on the route, see the number of students and parent volunteers walking to school that day, link to the local weather and temperature, request Milton or Fulton County Schools Police Officer escort for the walk, and get confirmations about their kids arrival at school. Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/milton Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/CityOfMilton_SmarterSaferRoutesToSchool.pdf City of Woodstock Project Title: Smart Woodstock Master Plan and Corridor Study Project Overview: The City of Woodstock will develop a masterplan and a Smart Corridor Study for optimizing infrastructure needs and modeling land use changes. The city has experienced significant growth in the past few decades as its population has doubled. This population growth along with a variety of community focused recreational events periodically held in the city has caused traffic congestion and parking challenges. Woodstock’s Downtown District has several physical barriers that contribute to the traffic congestion. Commuters are also

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a significant part of the traffic congestion. Current conditions along the main corridors in town are varied and unpredictable at times, and the corridors experience both major congestion during rush hour and dangerous speeding during non-peak times. Cherokee County is projected to experience continued rapid growth over the next few decades and Woodstock is expected to be the destination for both residents of Woodstock and those who live in the surrounding community. This will bring many challenges in balancing traffic and pedestrians in the core of the city. The city of Woodstock hopes to increase efficiency in the corridors by utilizing autonomous vehicles with drop-off lanes, to reduce the need for parking, and managed right of way traffic controls with smart data-capturing sensors to ease traffic flow without destroying the walkability and family-oriented atmosphere of its downtown. Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/woodstock Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/CityOfWoodstock_SmartWoodstockMasterPlanAndSmartCorridor.pdf

12.2 2018 Georgia Smart Communities

City of Albany Project Title; Albany Housing Data Analytics and Visualization Initiative Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/city-albany Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/Albany__Housing-Data-Analytics-and-Visualization-for-the-City__Release.pdf City of Chamblee Project Title: Shared Autonomous Vehicle Study Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/city-chamblee Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/Chamblee__Phase-2-Shared-Autonomous-Vehicle-Study__Release.pdf Chatham County Project Title: Smart Sea Level Sensors for Emergency Management and Response Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/chatham-county Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/Chatham-Co__Smart-Sea-Level-Tools-for-Emergency-Planning-and-Response__Release.pdf Gwinnett County Project Title: Connected Vehicle Technology Master Plan Website: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/gwinnett-county Read the full Proposal: https://smartcities.ipat.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/Gwinnett-Co__Connected-Vehicle-Technology-Master-Plan__Release.pdf