Joint Statement by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Dan Saltzman on Bringing Valuable Services to Residents and Visitors with CIVIQ Smartscapes Interconnected Smart City Ecosystem

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Dan Saltzman today announced that the City is actively exploring the opportunity to deploy CIVIQ's smart city solution in the City. The announcement was made at the NIST Global City Teams Challenge Super Action Cluster Summit on Transportation.

Representatives of the City are working with CIVIQ to develop plans to deploy CIVIQ Waypoints in and around Portland to bring interactive wayfinding, multi-modal transit info, free Wi-Fi and other valuable services to citizens and visitors to Portland.

The City of Portland has long been hailed as a nationwide model for mass transit and public transportation innovation and leadership. This year, the city is hosting the GCTC transportation summit where over 200 representatives from cities around the US and a number of other countries are gathering in Portland to share ideas and initiatives to make public transportation more accessible, more efficient and "smarter".

Besides offering interactive wayfinding and transportation information and free high-speed wi-fi service, the network of outdoor communications structures will also be capable of displaying emergency alerts and service outages, and will encourage citizen engagement with city officials through access to a City311 application.

Two dual high-brightness outdoor displays will be used for advertising, which will subsidize the cost of the network to the city with the goal of making it completely financially self-sufficient.

"We think Portland is the ideal location to expand our Smartscaping concept, especially given the broad number of smart city initiatives already underway here," Brad Gleeson, Chief Commercial Officer, CIVIQ Smartscapes. "We are excited to be working with Portland officials to incorporate transit objectives, digital equity goals and urban data collection capabilities into the solution for Portland."

"We are excited to explore a new, innovative way to engage residents with the city. By meeting people where they are with an easily accessible hub of services, the city can enhance its communication and response with the public," said Mayor Ted Wheeler.

"I'm very happy with the partnership with CIVIQ," said Commissioner Dan Saltzman, "It will make it easier for residents, especially those in East Portland, to get vital information about all their transportation options. By helping all Portlanders get from place to place quickly and safely, this is smart city innovation at its best."

About CIVIQ Smartscapes
CIVIQ Smartscapes is the leading developer of street-level citizen engagement networks, deploying customized solutions that offer Wi-Fi connectivity, enhanced public information and services and sensor technology to cities. Our products and services create "smartscapes" – through innovative communications structures that provide cities with intelligent urban infrastructure. Through our development of innovative technology and strategic relationships with industry leaders, CIVIQ Smartscapes delivers turnkey networked solutions to cities with a range of beneficial services that generate city revenue, enhance communication and public services, and support urban efficiency.

SOURCE CIVIQ Smartscapes