Mayor Sharon Weston Broome has enlisted the help of LSU researchers to find technology-based and data-driven solutions to address issues like traffic, crime and blight.
The multi-disciplinary team of researchers, backed by a $99,932 grant from the National Science Foundation, will share data with city-parish departments, help identify tangible problems and inventory service-related challenges, and explore solutions to improve the efficiency of services in Baton Rouge.
Local government agencies across the nation are looking at ways to build smarter cities and identify innovative ways to deliver more effective services to citizens, Broome says in a statement. The Baton Rouge-LSU collaboration can serve as a model for other communities, she says.
The LSU project team is led by Seung-Jong Jay Park, associate director for the LSU Center for Computation & Technology. Additionally, the team will include the East Baton Rouge Parish Smart City Committee, which the Metro Council voted to establish in May 2016. Â
The committee—which includes representatives from the mayor’s office, Metro Council, local and state economic development organizations, transportation officials, and others—works to identify technology-based solutions to influence public policy.
