Innovation

An exciting project is underway in Oakland to create a uniquely integrated community through state-of-the-art digital connectivity.

If successful, the Innovation Oakland project will be the fourth global location where a community exists as a digital public realm--an idea that mirrors the Digital Mile in the ancient village of Zaragoza, Spain and sustainable, urban digital projects in Helsinki, Finland and Seoul, Korea.

The goal is to weave together the latest technologies to provide a pedestrian way-finding information system, using both analog and digital formats, to assist the more than 100,000 people who live and work in Oakland.

The project celebrates Oakland as a center of innovation and emerging technologies, explains Georgia Petropoulos Muir, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID). "We started this a year ago and we're only beginning to touch on the ideas. This will include everything from handhelds to the Internet, touchscreens and technologies we don't even know about. Carnegie Mellon is a critical player."

The next step involves a public survey. A meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, at Pitt at 5 p.m. on the first floor of Alumni Hall, inviting people who live, work, play or study in Oakland to participate. "We want people's thoughts. What information is important to you, what do you need to know more about?" asks Petropoulos Muir.

The Innovation Oakland project is sponsored by the OBID, Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon, The Richard King Mellon Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. More info here.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Georgia Petropoulos Muir

Image courtesy of OBID
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