INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Water Technologies (OTC:GWTR) is pleased to announced that its proposal submitted with the City of Indianapolis has been named a Top 10 finalist for the White House Commitment: Smart Cities Council Challenge Grants to be awarded to five winning cities in February.
“Indianapolis' culture of innovation and rapidly expanding tech industry provide strategic advantages to our smart city planning, specifically in the areas of water, energy and transportation,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. ”I am proud to see Indianapolis recognized as a national example of the potential for these technologies to improve local neighborhoods.”
“Our city has a vibrant and growing tech sector and we’re excited about the opportunities to showcase smart city solutions in areas that are increasingly important to our country,” said Erik Hromadka, CEO of Global Water Technologies. “We have a unique opportunity to show national leadership in deployment of smart solutions for water, energy and transportation. This recognition reflects years of hard work and investment in Indianapolis to create a world-class city.”
“This is great news for Indianapolis,” said City-County Councillor Vop Osili. “We need to use innovative technologies like smart water solutions to create jobs and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”
“Results-oriented partnerships made Indianapolis a world-class city; Smart Cities leverages our engineering, data management, and information technology expertise for the future efficiency, economic vitality and quality of life of our city,” said Amy Conrad Warner, Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).
The five cities selected as winners of the Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge Grant competition on February 8th will host events and receive a package of professional services; access to best practices from some of the world’s top smart city practitioners; access to the expertise of leading smart cities technology providers in a vendor-neutral setting; the opportunity to learn from peer cities; and international recognition.
“Our members and advisors are the world's leading smart city practitioners,” said Jesse Berst, Chairman of the Smart Cities Council. “We are bringing those experts together to help these cities craft action plans that are innovative, inclusive and 'investment-grade.' And then we are donating products and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to jump-start their efforts.”
The Smart Cities Council, formed in 2012, is the world’s premier consortium of smart city practitioners and experts and includes membership by the leading companies and innovators in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) sector that uses advanced technologies to improve the efficiency of city services and the quality of life for city residents.
The Indianapolis application highlights opportunities for Indianapolis and Central Indiana to serve as a leader in the areas of smart water, energy and transportation. These are three of the most important sectors and this opportunity to highlight an innovative and collaborative approach will place us at the front of the movement to create world-class cities.
The timing of this announcement is good for the city, as Indianapolis was featured at a smart city symposium in Chicago on January 25 and Global Water Technologies outlined its smart water opportunities the same day at the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) in San Diego. In addition, the city’s 16 Tech initiative presents a unique opportunity to showcase smart technologies in a coordinated revitalization effort that includes education and inclusive community outreach.
This opportunity also allows the city to leverage recent funding announcements, including $100 million from the Lilly Endowment for local human service agencies, state and federal funding for technology research and education in the city and $2 million from U.S. EPA for water quality research. A renewed effort to fund infrastructure by the incoming U.S. administration may also be helpful in demonstrating innovation and best practices as a national example.
More information is available from Global Water Technologies at: www.gwtr.com
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