Government Technology

Corpus Christi to Celebrate Completion of First Large-Scale Citywide Wireless Network


October 5, 2006 By

This December, Corpus Christi, Texas, will put the finishing touches on the first large-scale citywide wireless network to be implemented in the United States. The $7 million network will provide Internet broadband coverage throughout 147 square miles within the city.

To celebrate the completion of this network, Corpus Christi and the Public Technology Institute (PTI) are hosting the seminar "Wi-Fi Done Right," December 4-5, 2006 at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi.

"Local government leaders from across the country have been watching carefully the development of the Corpus Christi network" said Alan Shark, Executive Director of PTI. "They want to hear about the lessons learned from the network's implementation, and hope to adopt many of the applications that Corpus Christi is using for their own municipal networks."

What began in 2003 as part of an automated meter-reading capital-improvement project has grown into a network that:
  • Gives first responders access to video and location information
  • Allows transfer of mug shots to patrol cars
  • Will allow officers in the field access to criminal history and to do field crime analysis
  • Lets building inspectors file reports from the field from tablet personal computers
  • Will allow seniors to file information about their health and prescriptions so emergency personnel have it on hand
  • Will allow telecommuters to work on their laptops anywhere in the city
  • Will allow wireless access through competitive vendors all over the city
  • Enables police to do cost-effective video surveillance
  • Can allow 24-hour schooling
  • Will provide an Internet marketplace for local businesses.
Seminar attendees will hear from the city officials who made the network possible. The seminar agenda will examine the different services that are being offered over the network, the applications that city agencies are using, how the network will impact the city's economic development initiatives, as well as improve the quality of life of the community through its "digital inclusion" possibilities. The seminar will include a tour of a "demonstration pavilion" where city staff will demonstrate the network in action.

In addition to examining the Corpus Christi initiative, the seminar will also explore the different financing and business models local officials can take advantage of before developing their own networks.

Registration information can be found on the PTI Web site.

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http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Corpus-Christi-to-Celebrate-Completion-of.html


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