Amazon Web Services launches smart cities hub to connect communities with experts

Communities looking to build smart infrastructure and find innovative solutions have a new resource they can turn to. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced Thursday the launch of its Smart City Competency, an initiative that “will deliver world-class AWS Partner recommendations to customers searching to build and deploy innovative smart city solutions,” according to a statement.

It’s intended to connect cities searching for expertise with experienced companies, having been “designed to identify, validate, and promote AWS Partners with demonstrated AWS technical expertise and proven customer success,” according to the program’s website. “The AWS Competency Partner Program has validated that the partners … have demonstrated they can help customers migrate applications and legacy infrastructure to AWS.”

Partner companies are selected after undergoing a “rigorous review” of their technical skills and operations, and through demonstrated customer success via case studies.

The program is intended to assist communities during a time of unprecedented digital growth, which “places cities at the forefront of economic, social, and global challenges such as energy and water use, traffic management, sanitation, and sustainability,” the statement continues. “Cities, as well as state and local government agencies, are increasingly leveraging cloud solutions to improve urban infrastructure, spatial planning, and city governance.”

Already, the statement notes that nine partner organizations that collaborated with AWS to develop the program have helped cities around the world: identify and respond to 2,000 traffic incidents each month; deliver a 30 percent reduction in travel times in major intersections; and avoid 230,000 pounds of annual carbon dioxide emissions from solid waste management operations.

Parter companies operating in the smart cities space are categorized by citizen services, smart urban energy, solid waste and environment, urban spaces, transportation, water and waste water, data infrastructure, platforms and insights, and lighting and public safety. For more information and to view a complete list of approved partner organizations, visit Amazon Web Services’ Smart City Competency website.