City christened 'digital'
By Nick
Nelson Caller-Times
Corpus Christi
August 19, 2005
Computer
chip giant Intel formally announced Thursday what city
officials have known since December - Corpus Christi is a
"Digital Community," along with 12 other cities worldwide.
The Silicon
Valley giant bestowed the distinction upon the 13 cities for
their efforts in using wireless computing technology to
become safer, more efficient and more attractive to
businesses.
Corpus
Christi made the list because of its commitment to build a
147-square-mile wireless "cloud" over the city, Intel
representatives said in a telephone conference call with
city leaders from Cleveland, Ohio; Taipei, Taiwan, and
Corpus Christi.
"What we're
seeing is municipalities embracing wireless technology to
improve public safety, economic development and human
services," said Anand Chandrasekher, vice president of sales
and marketing for Intel. "Imagine never having to stand in
line again for a driver's license."
Since Intel
partnered with Corpus Christi in December, the company has
given about $110,000 in cash to the city, said Ogilvie
Gericke, director of the city's municipal information
system.
City
Manager Skip Noe said other companies have donated hardware,
software or labor.
For its
part, the city has spent just over $1 million building the
WiFi network, which now covers 18.5 square miles. Project
leaders are hoping the City Council will approve the nearly
$6 million in capital improvements they say will be required
to finish the network.
Similar
networks are being built in Taipei and Cleveland, where
Intel and partner companies have spent millions of dollars
assisting in their construction and use.
Nigel
Ballard, of Intel Americas, Inc., explained how Intel
benefits by helping cities build wireless networks.
"When a
city puts a wireless cloud up, the people need wireless
devices to sit under that cloud," he said. "And we hope they
choose devices that have Intel processors."
City
Manager Skip Noe said the city's original intent when it set
out to build a WiFi network was minor in comparison with the
possibilities - to save time and money reading water and gas
meters. "That's how we kind of stumbled onto wireless
technology," he said.
Noe said
that since then, the city has discovered a number of uses
for the network.
The WiFi
system now is being used for the city's Automated Vehicle
Locator, which can track and immediately locate police cars,
ambulances and other city vehicles.
In the next
two to three months, the network will be used to streamline
the building inspection process, sparing inspectors the
repeated trips to and from City Hall before they can issue a
permit.
City
officials are meeting today with representatives from 10
companies that responded to the city's "call for providers"
in June. Noe said the city intends to partner with the
private sector to offer Internet access to residents through
the WiFi network.
If the City
Council approves the $6 million to complete the WiFi
network, Gericke said, within a year residents throughout
the city could use the network to go online from their
homes.
He said
that even though Thursday's announcement changed little in
the relationship between Intel and the newly branded Digital
Communities, Intel's marketing of the cities as success
stories will give Corpus Christi valuable exposure.
"Through
the marketing, people will have more interest in our
wireless network," he said. "In that way, the city will
benefit."
Downtown
Corpus Christi is totally meshed and it was really
empowering to be able to open up my laptop anywhere and get
a fast Internet connection. Hot Spots are cool but Hot
City's take the guesswork out of broadband connectivity
opportunities as the whole city is now one giant hot spot.
