Call for Proposals: Connected Triangle+ Challenge (US)

The Connected Triangle+ is a public and private sector initiative across the Triangle region (and beyond) to explore areas for regional collaboration in smart cities technologies and data sharing.

Objective

• The objective of Connected Triangle+ is to coordinate smart cities efforts where there are opportunities to strengthen shared outcomes, avoid duplication, and pursue regional excellence.

Challenge Areas

• Challenge 1: Stormwater
  • How might they improve emergency preparedness, emergency response, and public communication with solutions related to stormwater monitoring and management?
  • The proposed solution should complement Raleigh’s existing Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) and help build a larger regional model. The current system is made up of 202 cameras, 55 rain gauges, 18 stream gauges, and 11 flood warning sign and sensor systems.
• Challenge 2: Air Quality
  • What solutions can improve their capacity to capture and share air quality data so that they may improve public health, education, and/or engagement through better Air Quality monitoring and mitigation?
• Challenge 3: Climate Action
  • How might they progress climate action goals (environmental justice, building community resilience, mitigating climate-related public health issues, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, etc.) through solutions that create more localized robust data, activate and engage local residents and businesses, and/or align and coordinate public sector efforts?
  • The proposed solution may consider how to better complement the existing MITRE MicroWeather Model.
• Challenge 4: Energy Usage/Electrification
  • How might they progress the regional adoption of energy-saving solutions through monitoring energy usage, enhancing EV infrastructure, or incentivizing local resident/business participation?

Funding Information

• Funding may be secured to seed one challenge solution as a pilot project.

Outcome

• Finalist applicants are invited to pitch their solution via an onstage presentation at the Connected Triangle+ Summit II at the Raleigh Convention Center on Tuesday October 29th. After the event, Connected Triangle+ partners will conduct follow-up meetings with select finalists to explore pilot opportunities with one or more Connected Triangle+ communities.
• Finalists will be provided two free tickets to the entire All Things Open Conference and present at the Connected Triangle+ Summit II on Tuesday, October 29th.

Eligibility Criteria

• This challenge is open to any entity (established startups, corporations, or nonprofits) with a technology and human-centered solution, project, or aligned initiative that addresses one of the Challenge Areas via things like (but not limited to):
  • Improving or enhancing data collection
  • Providing advanced analytics and/or data visualizations
  • Driving public communication, notices, education, and engagement
  • Enabling data sharing
  • Activating local resident/business participation
  • Complementing or enhancing the noted existing efforts (FEWS, MITRE MicroWeather Model) or other existing local/regional activities
  • They encourage proposals from technology and advisory firms who can become long-term partners of the Connected Triangle+.

Evaluation Criteria 

• Applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to:
  • Readily operationalize a low-cost pilot with one or more regional communities
  • Drive data-driven, measurable outcomes that indicate strong potential for impact at scale
  • Integrate with established local government technologies and systems
  • Create community engagement, enable public education, or activate community participation
  • Complement existing regional efforts and initiatives in the above Challenge Areas.

For more information, visit RIoT.