The State of Colorado and Cisco Join Forces to Strengthen Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability Through Smart+Connected Communities

21st-Century Project Planning and Innovative Network Support Aims to Transform State's Education and Health Care, Efficiently Manage Energy and Provide Enhanced Citizen Quality of Life

 | Source: Cisco Cisco

DENVER, CO and SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - March 24, 2010) -  Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State of Colorado to establish the Colorado Connected Communities Initiative (CCCI) to implement key growth programs within the public sector. The CCCI -- part of Cisco's global Smart+Connected Communities effort -- will consist of a series of scalable pilot programs powered by network-driven Cisco technologies in the areas of health care, energy and education, designed to foster economic development and sustainable practices throughout the state.

The CCCI creates an actionable framework for renewal and sustainability throughout the state, with the goal of generating accessible education opportunities, advancing the delivery and quality of health care, and improving statewide energy consumption. Cisco will work closely with the State of Colorado and other members of the CCCI group to demonstrate how advanced modeling and simulation tools can support pilot project deployments. Web-based mapping and Cisco's Collaborative Infrastructure Modeling, for example, will help present visual explanations of the solutions being delivered to the project stakeholders.

As one of the pilot projects within the initiative, the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs will implement distance-learning, based on Cisco TelePresence and WebEx technology, to accommodate the need for education that is accessible anywhere and at any time, regardless of location. A second pilot project will focus on energy management in the city of Grand Junction, utilizing Cisco Smart Connected Building solutions to manage energy consumption across multiple buildings on the state, local and private levels.

Additional Smart+Connected Communities initiatives for the CCCI include the use of Cisco HealthPresence™, an advanced, care-at-a-distance technology platform that provides patients with a live, face-to-face visit with physicians and specialists -- regardless of distance or location.

The healthcare and education pilots are expected help accelerate the impact of collaborative initiatives the State is working on such as the K-12 statewide education network, EAGLE-net, as well as the implementation of a highly secure smart grid. The initial partnership pilots are also expected to help extend the benefits of potential stimulus funding that the State is seeking to apply to these initiatives.

Facts/Highlights

  • The CCCI partnership will develop a business model that increases network capacity and reduces expenses and emissions, while empowering local organizations to focus resources on their core missions.
  • At the heart of the CCCI are networking and other well-established technologies. These technologies will use the speed, storage capacity and pervasive nature of the Internet, and will take advantage of interconnectivity as a platform for delivering healthcare and education services to the community.
  • The technological framework not only promotes the free and highly secure exchange of content among educational, research and healthcare communities, but also enhances and broadens that dialogue by bringing together disparate communities and municipal departments in a manner that is not well facilitated in traditional settings.
  • A Program Management Office (PMO) that is jointly supported by Cisco and the State of Colorado will implement 21st-century best practices in project planning, implementation and ongoing technical support.
  • The Cisco Smart+Connected Communities initiative is designed to provide cities and communities with smart and connected solutions for utilities, safety and security, connected real estate, transportation, healthcare, learning, sports venues, and government services. 
  • By providing a network-enabled blueprint for successful "smart" cities of the future, Cisco Smart+Connected Communities solutions help transform physical communities into connected communities that can help realize sustainable economic growth and GDP, enable environmental sustainability through resource management and operational efficiencies, and enhance the residents' quality of life.

Supporting Quotes
Mike Locatis, chief information officer, State of Colorado
"Sustainability, health care, and education are all top of mind for the State of Colorado and its citizens. I am thrilled to be teaming with Cisco to assist our communities in the revitalization and sustainability of these sectors applying the global leadership and learnings from the Smart+Connected Communities initiative. Colorado has a leading role in sustainability innovation and we believe that our Colorado Connected Communities Initiative and collaborative relationship with Cisco will help us to accelerate the benefit for our citizens."

Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and executive vice president, Cisco Services
"Cisco envisions a future where successful communities and cities will run on networked information, and where information technology will help the world better manage its energy and environmental challenges. We are honored to collaborate with the state of Colorado to drive social, economic and environmental sustainability. Cities of the future, and many innovative cities now, are thinking about network technology as the platform for economic development, better city management and an improved quality of life for citizens. Everything connected to the network in these Smart+Connected Communities can be greener, more intelligent and more secure."

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