The Intelligent Community Forum announced that Gino P. Menchini, commissioner of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), will discuss the city's 311 network as part of the Intelligent Communities Conference and Awards (ICCA 2004), taking place June 10-11 at the Marriott Financial Center in lower Manhattan.
ICCA 2004 will bring together the public and private sectors to discuss policies, identify opportunities and understand how to work together to build stronger and more prosperous communities. The conference, which is produced annually by the Intelligent Community Forum, is being presented for the first time in New York, with the city's Economic Development Corp. serving as host sponsor. ICCA 2004 will occur next to the new World Trade Center site, and will also feature a case study of the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, one of the biggest urban development projects of our generation. The conference offers a power-packed lineup of speakers, workshops and special events, making it a must-attend event for those who are building the infrastructure, introducing the programs and preparing local communities to prosper in the digital age.
Menchini, who oversees $200 million in annual spending on technology and telecommunications, will discuss the impact that the city's 311 system is having on municipal government.311 is a universal non-emergency assistance number supported by a 500-person call center in lower Manhattan that receives over 25,000 calls each day. Depending on the nature of the call, the caller is routed immediately to the appropriate agency to report a problem, such as a traffic light outage, pothole or public nuisance. The database of the $25 million system has become a high-value, real-time source of information on the civic life of the city and is, according to the Intelligent Community Forum, an outstanding example of how government and its use of technology is enabling communities to become more intelligent.
During the conference, Commissioner Menchini will be joined by a range of public-sector, private-sector and nonprofit leaders including John Gilbert, COO of Rudin Management; Michael Binder, assistant deputy minister of Industry Canada; Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life project; Councilwoman Gail Brewer, who chairs the NYC Council's Technology Committee; Peter Rust, CEO of Con Edison Communications; and Sarah McCue, senior partner for ICT Partnerships at the World Bank
The theme for the ICCA 2004 event -- which will include the annual Intelligent Community Awards Ceremony and a Canadian government reception honoring the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2003 -- is The Positive Role that Government Plays to Enable Intelligent Communities.
According to John G. Jung, chairman of the Intelligent Community Forum, the theme reflects the fact that just being wired is not enough for communities to succeed. Turning broadband into prosperity takes policies and specific actions that train workers, bridge economic differences, establish financing sources, create innovative organizations and develop a "culture of use." According to Jung, when government plays a positive role, the results are more jobs, a closing of the digital divide, and perhaps most important, business attraction, retention and a new spirit of enthusiasm.
"Our Top Seven Intelligent Communities are just a few prominent examples of how governments, from the federal to the grassroots levels, have made a positive impact that will facilitate business growth and social cohesion for decades," Jung said.
Complete information on the conference is available online.
