GO TO GROUND
The California Department of Water Resources has undertaken a high-tech approach to understanding and sustainably managing groundwater in the drought-ravaged state. Helicopters pulling a loop of instruments will conduct airborne electromagnetic surveys, sending signals to the ground that bounce back and help identify aquifers. In the near term, the goal is to get the resulting data to local agencies to help inform their groundwater management decisions.
BIZ BEAT
Israel-based transit company Optibus closed a $100 million Series D funding round, increasing its total valuation to $1.3 billion and qualifying it for “unicorn” status, a label reserved for startups valued at $1 billion or more. Optibus said this makes it the first public transportation firm to achieve the moniker. It joins a growing list of gov tech unicorns like Tyler Technologies, Mark43 and Granicus.
PARKS AND REC
Michigan and the National Park Service have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore transportation options and access within and near the state’s national parks. The partnership will look at issues like parking congestion, electric vehicle charging and accessibility, including the lack of transit available to parks from low-income neighborhoods. Ideally, the solutions they find could scale to other major parks like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.TECH/BYTES
69%
The percentage by which six cities in Maine, New York and Massachusetts reduced power consumption by replacing streetlights with LEDs.
10M
The number of micromobility trips in the Denver area in recent years, replacing about 3 million taxi, ride-hailing and personal car trips.
The proportion of Chicago households without Internet, a number the city hopes to reduce with its new Digital Equity Council.
22K
The number of absentee and mail-in ballots hand counted in Lancaster County, Pa.’s May election after a barcode error made digital processing inaccurate.
WHO SAYS?
“Where do we realize that we’re in the same boat, and I should no longer be saying, ‘Hey, the hole’s in your side of the boat, good luck with that’?”
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