Windsor-Essex is now all-in with a challenge to use technology to solve local issues.
The SMART Windsor-Essex Smart Cities Challenge was officially launched Friday at the EpiCentre on the University of Windsor campus.
The challenge is the region's response to a nationwide effort by Infrastructure Canada to encourage municipalities to tackle local problems by using data and innovation. Any municipality, local or regional government or Indigenous community is encouraged to participate.
For the purpose of the challenge, a smart city is defined as one using the latest technology and innovation to address local issues.
Bob Campbell, CEO of Connecting Windsor-Essex, says with the local challenge launch, they will now focus on finding an issue.
"We need to come up with a challenge in our region, whether it be employment, whether it be health care, and we need to come up with a way to improve that with connected data and measurable results," says Campbell.
Connecting Windsor-Essex is teaming up in the challenge with the city of Windsor, Essex County, the University of Windsor, St. Clair College and other stakeholders.
"We might find ways to improve transportation throughout our region," says Campbell. "There's challenges in our region with poverty. We can maybe reduce poverty or improve health care. Those are some examples of what some SMART cities might be doing."
Campbell says the team has been working toward their statement since last summer with the official announcement in November of 2017. If Windsor-Essex's statement is chosen as a finalist, the team will receive $250,000 to fine-tune their proposal. Windsor-Essex's goal is a $10-million grant, one of two being presented nationwide to regions with a population of under half a million people.
The team has launched a website designed to answer questions about the proposal and to allow residents to provide their input.
Campbell says their next step is to identify the problem they want to solve with one simple statement, which will be revealed by April 26.