The city of Chesapeake, Va., has contracted with IBM to modernize the city's public works and utilities infrastructure, touching everything from its water system to its fire department. The deal is part of IBM's "smarter city" campaign of wooing municipalities that are investing in their infrastructure.

Rather than simply rewire power lines or rebuild broken bridges, cities should invest in technologies to improve efficiency and safety, said Bill Sawyer, IBM's vice president of IBM Maximo Operations.

The use of IBM technology will enhance services delivered to the public ranging from maintenance and operations of traffic signals and water systems to the management of the City’s Fire and Police departments.

The City of Chesapeake is one of the larger cities in Virginia at 353 square miles.  It is a diverse community with suburban, urban and rural areas.   The business community is equally diverse, including more than 80 foreign-based companies from 19 different countries. In addition, the city has more miles of deep water canals, including the Intracoastal Waterway, than any other city in the United States. The size and location of the city makes it a complex infrastructure to manage. These unique challenges can be addressed in part by using technology to collect and analyze data that can be used to improve how transportation, utility management and public safety systems react to constantly changing conditions.

IBM software manages the maintenance of equipment and facilities for the Chesapeake Public Works Department, including the people and trucks using brine for snow removal at the Chesapeake Expressway Toll Plaza

In accordance with its comprehensive plan, the City of Chesapeake, is currently investing more than $1.2 billion in capital improvement projects affecting community facilities, Economic Development, technology, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, transportation, Public Utilities, Public Works, and education.

"Technology is the power tool of today," according to Peter R. Wallace, Chief Information Officer, City of Chesapeake.  "We're using IBM software to give staff the data and tools to continually improve processes, which is essential in this economy.  The City of Chesapeake is less than 50 years old, but those founders inherited hundreds of years of infrastructure.  Until now, we haven't had a quick or convenient way to look at the City's assets and make smart decisions.  To succeed, we must be efficient in the way we work and transparent to our citizens.  IBM is helping us accomplish those goals."    

The City of Chesapeake is using IBM Maximo software for asset management of its infrastructure, facilities and equipment for several key municipal services including:

• Public Utilities – asset, work and inventory management; maintenance and operations of infrastructure including sewer collections mains and pump stations, water distribution mains, water treatment plants and water revenue meters at both residential and commercial sites;
• Public Works –  asset, work and inventory management; maintenance and operations of traffic signals, signs, intersections and driveways, fixed and movable bridges, retention and detention ponds, handicap ramps, storm water catch basins and manholes;
• Parks and Recreation –  asset, work and inventory management; maintenance and operations of facilities including playgrounds, athletic fields and buildings;
• The Fire Department –  management of assets including fire houses, tools and equipment, fire apparatus tracking and hoses;
• Police Department –  asset and inventory management; maintenance and operations of firearms, ammunition, asset assignments to personnel and K-9 officers, and police vehicle tracking;
• Facilities Management – asset, work and inventory management; maintenance and operations of city buildings.

IBM’s software also connects city systems, providing the various departments with a transparent view of what’s going on across the city at any given time.  By analyzing data and sharing the findings across departments, the city is able to detect and react to potential problems more quickly.

A recent IBM Institute for Business Value report titled “A Vision of Smarter Cities” asserts that the digitization of data within a city’s core systems will enable city managers to collect data on the efficiency of processes that could not be previously measured, like wastewater treatment. This, in turn, will lead to more informed decision-making and planning from city leaders.

“The City of Chesapeake serves as a great example of how cities can take advantage of technology to provide citizens and businesses with a better, smarter place to live,” said Bill Sawyer, vice president of operations, IBM Maximo software.  "By using these IBM technologies to better manage critical systems like water management and public safety, the city is both improving the quality of life for it citizens today and building a more sustainable future.”

For more information on IBM go to: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/smartplanet/topics/cities/20090309/index.shtml

About the City of Chesapeake
For more information go to: http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/

Comments (1)

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written by Fran Tracy, December 08, 2009

$1.2 billion sounds like an awful lot for a city to be spending when so many people are out of work. It seems like the city chould be cutting expenses so it can cut taxes on the people with so many out of work.
Fran

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