International Case Studies of Smart Cities: Orlando, United States of America

This case study is one of ten international studies developed by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS), in association with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), for the cities of Anyang, Medellin, Namyangju, Orlando, Pangyo, Rio de Janeiro, Santander, Singapore, Songdo, and Tel Aviv. At the IDB, the Competitiveness and Innovation Division (CTI), the Fiscal and Municipal Management Division (FMM), and the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) coordinated the study. This project was part of technical cooperation ME-T1254, financed by the Knowledge Partnership Korean Fund for Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Korea. At KRIHS, the National Infrastructure Research Division coordinated the project and the Global Development Partnership Center provided the funding. As an international destination for theme parks, sporting events and conventions, Orlando approaches the smart city operation through Orlando Operations Center (OOC), an integrated facility established in 2001 by the Mayor after the 1997 hurricane. The major features of the integrated operation include the sharing of fiber optic networks and CCTV cameras, and close cooperation between transport, police and fire departments for road, criminal and disaster incident, and the emergency operation center within the OOC taking the lead in case of special event management and large-scale natural disasters. Along with the OOC, the city hall also utilizes smart city functions such as red light violation enforcement through detectors, bus management through AVL technology, GPS garbage truck tracking, and GIS water management. Orlando has experienced significant benefits in terms of shortened decision-making and response time, reduced operation cost, and improved environmental impacts, as well as enhanced service quality and communication with citizen.