Columbus Smart City: The Tech Transforming Ohio's Capital

The Columbus Smart City Challenge: A Retrospective

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation initiated a Smart City Challenge. This competition invited medium-sized cities nationwide to submit innovative concepts for intelligent transportation systems. The goal was to leverage data and technology to enhance urban mobility.

From a pool of 78 applications, Columbus, Ohio, was ultimately selected as the victor.

Grant Funding and Program Launch

Following its win in 2016, the city, with a population nearing one million, received a substantial $50 million grant. The Department of Transportation contributed $40 million, while the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation provided the remaining $10 million.

This funding was earmarked to transform Columbus’s winning proposal into a tangible reality.

Program Completion and Future Direction

The Smart City program officially concluded in mid-June. However, Columbus has declared its intention to maintain a role as a “collaborative innovation lab.” The city plans to utilize its own funding to continue integrating technology for the resolution of pressing societal issues.

This ongoing effort signifies a commitment to sustained technological advancement.

Distinction from Other Smart City Projects

Columbus’s approach to creating a ‘Smart City’ differs significantly from projects like Toyota’s Woven City. Woven City is a rapidly evolving prototype located at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan.

However, this divergence is intentional.

Focus on Practical Solutions

“Our primary focus is not simply demonstrating technology for its own sake,” explained Mandy Bishop, Smart Columbus program manager, in an interview with TechCrunch. “Instead, we aim to address the specific mobility and transportation challenges facing our city, and utilize the grant to concentrate on these issues.”

This strategy emphasizes a pragmatic, problem-solving approach.

Key Challenges Addressed

The challenges identified by Columbus include limited access to diverse mobility options, inadequate public transit coverage in certain areas, parking difficulties, and a concerning rate of traffic collisions attributed to driver error.

Numerous startups are actively engaged in developing solutions to these complex problems.

Startup Involvement

A variety of startups are contributing their expertise and technologies to address the identified challenges. Their involvement is crucial to the program’s success and the development of innovative solutions.

Pivot: A Geospatial Solution from Etch

Etch, a geospatial solutions startup headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, developed the Pivot app. Established in 2018, the company initially gained experience through its collaboration with Smart Columbus.

Their initial project involved the creation of a multimodal transportation application designed to assist users in planning journeys across central Ohio.

Addressing Mobility Challenges in Columbus

According to Darlene Magold, CEO and co-founder of Etch, a key issue in Columbus is limited access to transportation and a lack of awareness regarding available options. She shared this insight with TechCrunch.

Etch’s core objective is to inform the community about existing transportation services and empower users to select options based on factors like cost and convenience.

Leveraging Open-Source Technology

The Pivot app utilizes open-source tools, including OpenStreetMap and OpenTripPlanner. Etch employs OpenStreetMap to gather current, community-sourced data about conditions in specific areas, functioning similarly to the Waze navigation app.

OpenTripPlanner is then used to generate travel plans incorporating various modes of transportation.

Integrated Mobility Options

The open-source nature of the app facilitates integration with services like Uber and Lyft. This provides users with a comprehensive view of available mobility choices beyond personal vehicle ownership.

This integration aims to reduce travel-related stress by offering real-time information on bus locations, scooter availability, and options for ride-sharing, bike rentals, or scooter rentals.

Funding and Adoption

A total of $1.25 million in federal funding was allocated to the Pivot app. To date, the app has been downloaded 3,849 times.

The city of Columbus remains committed to supporting the ongoing development and implementation of Pivot.

• Pivot is a multimodal transport app.
• It helps users plan trips using various options.
• Etch is the developer, based in Columbus, Ohio.

The Smart Columbus Operating System and Pillar Technology

The city of Columbus engaged the services of Pillar Technology, a local firm specializing in smart embedded software, to enhance the existing Smart Columbus operating system. Pillar Technology was subsequently acquired by Accenture in 2018.

This initiative involved the development of a $15.9 million open source platform. The platform serves as a central repository for the city’s mobility data.

Launched in April 2019, the system currently contains more than 2,000 datasets and 209 data visualizations.

Platform Longevity and Future Development

According to Bishop, the Smart Columbus program is slated to continue operating through at least January 2022. This timeframe will allow Columbus to refine mobility and transportation applications.

Further efforts will focus on establishing the platform’s overall value and defining its practical applications.

Open Data and Collaborative Problem Solving

The Smart Columbus OS is designed to be inclusive, encouraging external contributions of data to expand its scope.

Furthermore, the platform actively solicits crowdsourced solutions to address critical urban challenges.

These challenges include reducing traffic accident rates and optimizing the efficiency of city parking resources.

The goal is to leverage collective intelligence for improved urban mobility.

Park Columbus: A Smart Parking Solution Powered by ParkMobile

ParkMobile, a company specializing in innovative smart parking solutions and headquartered in Atlanta, developed Park Columbus. This application was created for the Smart Columbus initiative with the primary goal of reducing traffic congestion and associated pollution.

The core function of Park Columbus is to streamline the parking process for event attendees. Users are empowered to locate available parking spaces, make reservations in advance, and complete payments directly through the application.

Development and Implementation

According to city representatives, the Park Columbus program leverages and expands upon ParkMobile’s pre-existing technological infrastructure. This approach allowed for efficient development and integration.

The project, which received $1.3 million in funding, demonstrated significant early adoption. Over 30,000 downloads were recorded between October 2020 and March 2021, indicating a strong user base.

Future Enhancements

The city of Columbus has committed to continued financial support for the Park Columbus app. Future development will incorporate predictive analytics to display real-time availability of on-street parking.

This enhancement aims to provide users with even more comprehensive parking information, further optimizing traffic flow and reducing the time spent searching for parking.

Smart Mobility Hubs Developed by IKE Smart City

IKE Smart City designs and constructs interactive digital kiosks known as Smart Mobility Hubs. This company specializes in creating media displays that seamlessly integrate into urban environments.

These hubs consolidate a city’s various transportation choices into one accessible point. They function as a tangible representation of the Pivot app, which is also directly available through the kiosk interfaces.

An additional $1.3 million from the federal grant fund was allocated to the development of these kiosks. They also provide complimentary Wi-Fi access and listings for local restaurants, shops, and recreational activities.

Hub Locations and Features

IKE Smart City’s kiosks are currently deployed in cities including Denver, San Antonio, and St. Louis. They present comprehensive, geographically precise information regarding restaurants, shops, activities, services, and resources, updated in real-time.

Data from Smart Columbus indicates that the six strategically placed kiosks experienced over 65,000 user interactions between July 2020 and March 2021. The city anticipates a significant rise in usage as the post-pandemic period progresses.

The hubs integrate several transportation options. These include the city’s CoGo bike share program, offering both traditional and electric bikes, along with bike racks and designated parking for dockless scooters and bike-sharing services.

Integrated Transportation Services

Furthermore, the hubs feature designated zones for rideshare pickup and drop-off, parking for car-sharing vehicles, and EV charging stations.

This comprehensive approach aims to provide residents and visitors with a centralized resource for all their transportation and information needs.

Connected Vehicle Initiatives in Collaboration with Siemens

Ohio consistently ranks among states with the highest incidence of problematic driving behaviors. Recent data released by the state highway patrol highlights the severity of distracted driving, revealing approximately 70,000 crashes linked to it since 2016. Tragically, over 2,000 of these incidents resulted in serious injuries or fatalities.

Furthermore, a 2019 assessment by an insurance provider identified Columbus as the fourth-worst city in the nation for driving conditions.

Columbus's Connected Vehicle Pilot Program

These statistics likely contributed to the city’s decision to explore the potential of connected vehicle technology. Between October 2020 and March 2021, the city of Columbus collaborated with Siemens to establish a Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication network.

Siemens supplied both the onboard units within vehicles and the roadside units strategically positioned throughout the city. Additional roadside units were provided by Kapsch and Danlaw.

The system enabled vehicles to exchange data with each other and with 85 key intersections, with a particular focus on seven intersections experiencing the highest crash frequencies in central Ohio. The total project investment amounted to approximately $11.3 million.

Applications and Objectives

“Our investigation encompassed 11 distinct applications,” explained Bishop. “These included warnings for red light signals, alerts for school zones, intersection collision warnings, priority signaling for freight transport, and priority signaling for public transit, all leveraging the capabilities of connected vehicle technology.”

Positive Outcomes and Behavioral Changes

Given the scale of the deployment – approximately 1,100 vehicles within a metropolitan area of one million people – a short-term reduction in overall crash rates wasn't the primary expectation.

However, the project demonstrated a positive impact on driver behavior. Evidence suggests that drivers responded to the signals provided by the connected vehicle environment by exhibiting a reduced tendency to disregard traffic signals.

“We are observing improvements in driver conduct,” Bishop stated. “This ultimately leads us to believe that, over the long term, safety will be demonstrably enhanced.”

Linden LEAP: An Autonomous Shuttle Service by Easy Mile

The Linden LEAP, a self-governing shuttle initiative within the Smart Columbus project, incurred approximately $2.3 million in costs. It operated from February 2020 to March 2021, experiencing intermittent pauses in service. Initially, the program deployed two shuttles serving four designated stops within the Linden neighborhood.

This was designed to enhance transportation access for communities with limited options. However, the initial phase was short-lived, lasting only a couple of weeks.

An incident occurred where a passenger was unexpectedly ejected from their seat during a brief stop, even though the vehicle’s speed did not exceed 25 miles per hour. Subsequently, the onset of the pandemic necessitated a shift in the service’s focus.

From July onward, until the program’s conclusion, Linden LEAP was repurposed to distribute 3,598 food pantry boxes, equating to nearly 130,000 meals.

Funding and Future Operations

With the cessation of federal funding, the city has decided not to continue financing the autonomous shuttle service. Bishop explained the city’s position regarding transit operations.

“Given that the city doesn’t traditionally operate public transit, we are closely monitoring CoTa’s approach to integrating connected, autonomous, and electric technologies into their vehicle fleets,” Bishop stated. “We anticipate that future demonstrations will be spearheaded by the private sector or, ultimately, by our transit authority.”

Technology and Previous Initiatives

The Level 3 autonomous technology powering the shuttle was developed by French startup Easy Mile, as confirmed by a company representative. According to the Society of Automobile Engineers, Level 3 autonomy still necessitates the presence of a human operator in the driver’s seat.

Columbus’s initial exploration of autonomous vehicle technology began in late 2018. Smart Columbus collaborated with DriveOhio and May Mobility to launch the Smart Circuit, the city’s first self-driving shuttle.

This shuttle covered a 1.5-mile route around the Scioto Mile downtown, providing over 16,000 complimentary rides to various cultural attractions until September 2019.

The Smart Circuit had a lower initial cost of around $500,000. However, the city invested an additional $400,000 in broader development efforts for the overall autonomous shuttle program.

Correction

A previous iteration of this article incorrectly identified Orange Barrel media as the technology partner for the Smart Mobility Hubs. It has been clarified that Orange Barrel is a sister company to IKE Smart City.

Prenatal Trip Assistance Developed by Kaizen Health

Kaizen Health, a technology company with women in leadership, initially developed its application in response to inadequate transportation solutions for individuals receiving healthcare. Headquartered in Chicago, the company adapted its approach to simplify the process of arranging non-emergency, multimodal medical transport specifically for expectant mothers and their families.

Program Funding and Participation

From June 2019 to January 2021, the initiative received $1.3 million in funding through the Smart Columbus program. However, participation was limited to approximately 143 individuals due to the impact of the pandemic.

Despite the reduced participation, the program facilitated over 800 trips for medical care and more than 300 trips for essential services like pharmacy, grocery shopping, and other needs.

Impact on Maternal Health

Considering that the state experienced an average of 6.9 deaths for every 1,000 babies during the program’s launch year, the modernization of non-emergency transportation services by participating Medicaid managed care organizations is particularly significant. This includes providing access to a dedicated mobile application.

The availability of streamlined transportation options is crucial for ensuring access to necessary healthcare throughout pregnancy. Kaizen Health’s application aims to address this critical need.

Mobility Support for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments, Developed with Wayfinder

AbleLink Technology’s Wayfinder, based in Denver, served as the technology partner for this significant initiative. The Mobility Assistance for People with Cognitive Disabilities (MAPCD) research project collaborated with Wayfinder to develop a specialized navigation application.

This app provides precise, step-by-step directions, designed specifically to enhance the safety and independence of individuals living with cognitive disabilities.

Project Details and Timeline

The pilot program, spanning from April 2019 to April 2020, required an investment of approximately $500,000. A total of thirty-one participants engaged with the application to build confidence in utilizing public transportation systems.

The city of Columbus is currently exploring collaborations with various stakeholders to ensure the long-term viability and continuation of this valuable program, as stated by a city representative.

Public transport accessibility was the primary focus, and the app aimed to empower users.

A Vision for the Years Ahead

A key component of the Smart Columbus initiative centered on the increased use of electric vehicles and the development of a robust charging infrastructure. Funding received from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and AEP Ohio, the region’s primary utility company, was instrumental in promoting the installation of charging stations at various locations.

These locations included multi-unit residential buildings, workplaces, and publicly accessible sites. The Smart Columbus project successfully surpassed its target of installing 900 EV charging stations.

Furthermore, the initiative exceeded its objective for electric vehicle sales, aiming for 1.8% of all new car purchases. By November 2019, the actual figure reached 2.34%.

“Looking ahead, a lasting principle will be addressing the needs of residents in a manner that aligns with the unique characteristics of our community,” stated Bishop.

Note: Kapsch and Danlaw were also contributors to the connected vehicle project, providing roadside units.

An update has been made regarding the technology partner for MAPCD.