Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City highlights award-winning IT lab, proposes sidewalk speed-sensor pilot on Miracle Mile
Summary
City IT staff presented a decade of work from the Smart City Research Laboratory, noting awards and internship outcomes and proposing a pilot sidewalk speed sensor for Miracle Mile to improve pedestrian safety and create workforce pathways.
The Coral Gables City Commission heard a presentation from the city's IT lab on its internship and innovation work and emerging pilot projects. An IT director described a program that trains 20—30 interns per year from local universities and high schools, awards microcredentials that help students find jobs, and has won recognition including a Smart20 award and an international geospatial education honor.
The director said the lab has built prototypes to address locally expressed needs, including a sidewalk speed-violation sensor conceived to distinguish walking speed from faster mobility devices. The office suggested testing the device on Miracle Mile after building a weatherproof enclosure and further development. "We have a prototype working already," the IT director said, describing a small electronic display and back-end software that could be piloted in a dense corridor to improve pedestrian safety.
Commissioners praised the lab's workforce-development focus and multi-institution partnerships. GIS manager Mark Hebert and the lab manager were introduced and credited for long-term coordination with area universities. Commissioners asked staff to return with a pilot plan describing safety metrics, privacy protections, permitting, and a budget for installation and ongoing maintenance.
The presentation also noted other lab work: kiosk-based voice agents, near-field electronic credentials to replace printed business cards, drone-enabled building-information models, and digital-twin and augmented-reality projects coordinated with cultural and emergency-response units. Commissioners said they support piloting projects that address public safety concerns and asked for cost and privacy impact details ahead of any public roll-out.
Next steps: staff was asked to produce a written pilot plan for the Miracle Mile sensor, including procurement options, privacy and data-retention policies, a testing timeline, and cost estimates. The commission did not take immediate legislative action but signaled support for a formally scoped trial.
