Dallas City Profile: uncovering connectivity and data initiatives

The latest City Profile from SmartCitiesWorld focuses on Dallas, Texas – the ninth largest city in the U.S. and one of two core cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. Fuelled by the Texas oil boom in the early 20th century, Dallas experienced rapid growth and evolved into a modern hub of commerce, transportation, technology, sports and entertainment.

Today, the city is home to Fortune 500 companies, a high concentration of corporate headquarters, and a vibrant small business, start-up and cultural scene. As a leading convention and travel destination, Dallas welcomes more than 22 million business travellers and tourists each year – generating an economic impact of $7.2 billion and supporting 40,000 jobs.

The City of Dallas is creating smart city solutions by improving government transparency, building trust with open data and closing the digital divide. These solutions are based on management of data assets, data analytics for improved decision making, artificial intelligence, and engagement with residents to take advantage of the national Affordable Connectivity Programme (ACP).

To enhance government transparency and civic engagement, the Dallas Open Data Portal provides online access to records and information about city government services, operations, public safety and economics.

When the COVID-19 crisis highlighted disparities in broadband connectivity in underserved communities, the City of Dallas published a Broadband and Digital Equity Strategic Plan. The plan identifies broadband and digital inclusion opportunities in the city and conveys a bold vision for achieving digital equity. It includes initiatives to help Dallas households and students with access to affordable, high-speed broadband services.

In 2022, Dallas launched pilot projects to connect Ubicquia artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to urban infrastructure. A UbiHub smart city platform from Ubicquia enhances municipal services through traffic and mobility metrics, curb management, public safety monitoring, Wi-Fi access, lighting controls, video streaming, cameras with AI processing, air quality monitoring and edge analytics.

Nowadays, a smart city needs a talented team of data analysts with capabilities to manage data and interpret digital information. In Dallas, this team is known as the Office of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence (DBI). The stated mission of DBI is “to use data to improve the lives of the people of Dallas.” This means managing the city’s data assets in a transparent and accessible way and providing data analytics for policymakers, city departments and smart city initiatives.