Lazarillo is thrilled to announce that we have been selected as one of eight companies billed to install new technological solutions aimed at improving quality of life issues across Colorado as a part of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance (Alliance)’s 2023 Connected Colorado (C²) Challenge. For our part in the challenge, Lazarillo will be creating accessible digital maps of the Denver International Airport so that people can navigate indoors accessibly with interactive maps, turn by turn way finding with audio messages, and accessible routes.
Other winning solutions include using AI to repair our roads, improve traffic, and increase bicycle safety and robots to improve snowplowing for pedestrians.
This year’s C² Challenge, which launched in June, sought innovative smart cities solutions that address three specific problems faced by Colorado communities: accessibility, safe streets and public safety. 11 jurisdictions across Colorado participated in a rigorous evaluation process of 75 proposals, which resulted in 35 solutions being selected as finalists. Eight of the final solutions were selected as winning solutions for scoping and demonstration in Colorado communities.
Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Executive Director Tyler Svitak believes Colorado needs to be exploring how technology can improve issues impacting people across our state, “We all use technology to improve our daily lives – our local governments should, too. By defining a problem instead of the solution, we allow the world’s best innovators to help improve our local governments and the infrastructure we all use.”
The C2 Challenge is the nation’s only statewide program bringing together multiple governments to procure smart cities technologies. The following solutions are the winners of this year’s challenge and will be demonstrated in partnership with the jurisdiction that selected them:
Accessibility
Lazarillo | City and County of Denver at Denver International Airport
A game-changing mapping platform and mobile app that revolutionizes navigation with a focus on accessibility for people with disabilities.
Snowbotix | Arapahoe Libraries
Self-driving snow removal and maintenance robots that can help improve the clearance of sidewalks, bike paths, and other hard-to-service areas.
Kaizen Labs | City of Lone Tree
An accessible, central hub for community members to actively engage with their local government by communicating questions and concerns to local leaders, donating to community charities and signing up for community updates.
Qwally | Commerce City
Business engagement software that automates the process of matching new businesses with the right government resources and guidance to save time, create connections, and deliver better customer service to the business community.
Safe Streets
CityROVER | Arapahoe County & Commerce City
Using in-vehicle AI cameras, CityROVER revolutionizes road and infrastructure inspections by identifying deficiencies, streamlining operations, and prioritizing maintenance tasks.
Clovity | City of Greeley
An AI and IoT solution that can identify and help cities plan for safer streets in the cases of bike and vehicle collisions, wildlife and vehicle collisions, accidents due to weather conditions and other factors.
ITC – Intelligent Traffic Control | City of Greeley
5G-based traffic management with state-of-the-art computer vision and machine learning algorithms that predict traffic patterns and prevent jams before they start to accumulate.
Numina | City of Aspen
A privacy-by-design approach to measuring how things move in streets, Numina uses a proprietary c computer-vision based sensor to detect the presence and paths of pedestrians, bicyclists, different types of vehicles, and other objects in streets and public spaces.
Stay tuned for more updates on our work with the Denver Airport in the weeks and months to come!
About Lazarillo:
Lazarillo is an assistive technology startup founded by CEO René Espinoza with the goal of breaking barriers for inclusion with smart technology solutions. Lazarillo has worked with businesses and organizations across the globe to increase accessibility by providing a mapping platform to enhance visitor experience. Our partners include hospitals, universities, museums, city governments, smart mobility operators, shopping centers, and more. Lazarillo also offers a mobile app that provides accessible indoor and outdoor wayfinding for people that are blind or visually impaired. The app is free and can be downloaded today on Google Play and the App Store.
About The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance:
The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance is the first statewide non-profit organization of its kind, bringing together government, businesses and allied organizations to improve life for all Coloradans. The organization accelerates civic innovation in Colorado through partnership building, research, education and consulting. The Alliance has over 70 public and private sector members, all of which are interested in collaborating to test new solutions to pressing challenges in our communities.
