Urbanova featured as one of "13 Emerging Tech Leaders You Should Know"

(As reported in StateScoop and see this page for more comprehensive Q&A)

Urbanova is a living laboratory to design cities for the future. Located in the University District of Spokane, Washington. We harness data to gain insights, empower people and solve urban challenges in new ways. Our goals are healthier citizens, safer neighborhoods, smarter infrastructure, a more sustainable environment and a stronger economy.

We are bringing together leaders from local government, corporations, universities, and nonprofits to share data and identify solutions that are replicable, scalable and sustainable in other cities and communities. Our partners include the City of Spokane, Avista, Itron, McKinstry, Washington State University and The University District Development Association.

Urbanova’s initial projects include:

Smart and connected streetlights — addressing local concerns about the impact of air pollution on human health, Urbanova partners installed sensor packages on and are collecting data from 10 streetlights. These sensors are equipped with IoT technology that measures energy efficiency, movement, noise and hyper-local air quality data. Soon 29 more streetlights will be added to the connected network, and traffic data will be integrated to inform more public health/safety solutions.

Shared energy economy model pilot — Avista Utilities is working with several partners to demonstrate how various energy assets (generation and storage) can be shared and used for multiple purposes. The pilot aims to improve efficiency and grid resiliency while providing both private and public sector building owners better information for saving energy, operating buildings and reducing costs.

Gallup people-centered analysis project — Urbanova is committed to addressing urban challenges that matter to citizens. We are partnering with Gallup to apply quantitative and qualitative analysis informed by local, regional and national data sources (including sensors) to help prioritize projects, engage citizens and effectively report outcomes. The next phase is to co-develop a system of citizen predictive analytics designed to be a transformative tool for government to understand citizen priorities and make more informed decisions.