1st San Diego, Calif.
San Diego excelled at so much this year that it’s difficult to list it all. The city continued digitizing records, with its CIO partnering with the City Clerk to create a playbook that helped speed up the process, making sure participants were using best practices, meeting records retention requirements and logging metadata for searchability. The team also created a web-based cost calculator, so city departments could work digitization into their budget projections. Ultimately, this digitization improved record access for both city staffers and the public.
These are just some examples of the wins for San Diego, of course. The city also launched public dashboards with key departmental performance indicators, deployed automated license plate readers, implemented a new Security Operations Center to monitor cybersecurity after hours, enhanced its workforce planning, invested in digital equity and used tech to help ease an ongoing housing crisis. In this packed year, the housing work particularly stood out, with the city using digital transformation to reduce time needed to process building permits. As a result, San Diego issued more permits for new housing than any other year dating back to 2005. That’s just one tangible public good that came from an excellent year for the IT shop in San Diego.
2nd Los Angeles, Calif.
Los Angeles stays in the top tier of digital cities in the largest population category with a continued commitment to customer-centric, data-driven government. MyLA311 is the virtual front door to City Hall, which now connects residents to 84 different service request types across 11 city departments. It has facilitated more than 2.4 million contacts through the mobile app, call center and website, but it remains a work in progress: The service is still being updated and modernized with additional functionality.
To take advantage of the potential of artificial intelligence, Los Angeles has developed an AI Roadmap to train and equip employees. The city has developed five different AI training courses and published a new set of AI policies for employees and IT developers. L.A. is also developing a Vision AI tool with Amazon Web Services, as part of the MyLA311 app. The tool will allow residents to shoot a photo of a concern, and AI will populate the photo with vital information like category, location and more to help streamline the reporting process.
A new citywide data science platform and data lake offer analysts across L.A.’s many city departments an improved understanding of issues like homelessness, policing, demographics and more. The platform enables better collaboration among analysts and data scientists, who can now develop actionable insights more quickly.
The Cyber Risk Score and Cyber Risk Portal are helping educate the workforce on the latest threats and therefore reduce the city’s exposure to cyber vulnerabilities. These efforts have brought about a 40 percent decrease in clicks to a phishing exercise. On the infrastructure side, the city’s digital network is more resilient due to upgrades to the data firewalls at the Van Nuys Backup Data Center that position the city for future network growth.
2nd San Jose, Calif.
The city at the heart of Silicon Valley took second place in this year’s Digital Cities Survey, with one of its most notable efforts of late being its leadership in the artificial intelligence space. Indeed, San Jose set a policy that has served as a model for governments around the county, making it a driving force in how the rapidly evolving technology can be put to work for the public sector. The city-led GovAI Coalition, which is made up of more than 250 government agencies, serves as a guide for responsible public-sector AI adoption. Similarly, the city has been aggressive about finding use cases for the technology, including development of the Homeless Encampment Management System, real-time translation of city meetings in more than 40 languages, and the identification of potential road hazards.
Beyond AI, San Jose also displayed a firm grasp on its cybersecurity strategy, which includes a comprehensive road map, regional coordination and state-of-the-art emergency operations center, along with dedicated awareness and training campaigns for staff and the public. The city has also put significant resources toward closing the digital divide by expanding its community Wi-Fi program in underserved areas. The network includes more than 41,000 households that lacked critical access to the Internet.
3rd Seattle, Wash.
Seattle put an emphasis on equity and social supports, including with CiviForm, its award-winning hub where residents can search and apply for supportive services at affordable or discounted rates. Those include free or discounted preschool programs, low-cost Internet and other offerings. The hub smoothes and accelerates the application processes, letting residents reuse information for multiple program applications. The city IT department also supports an annual regional health clinic, offering free care for anyone struggling to afford it.
Additionally, Seattle has expanded the scope of its Technology Access and Adoption Study, which offers new findings every five years to guide digital equity programs. The latest version of the study considers for the first time the number of devices per household, whether residents’ devices have sufficiently large screens, residents’ use of telehealth, their experience of significant Internet disruptions and their awareness off the Affordable Connectivity Program. This was also the first time the study gathered information on digital equity among urban native groups. Seattle also created the wireless affairs coordinator role to address matters like equitable telecom service levels.
Seattle has also modernized legacy systems, swapping out a 30-year-old on-premise human capital management and payroll platform for a SaaS platform. It’s also embarking on a three-year effort to consider how the city collects, stores, uses and shares data. Cybersecurity initiatives include new processes to help teams quickly fix zero-day vulnerabilities, new monitoring tools and continued information-sharing collaborations with the state fusion center.
Keeping an eye on emerging tech, the city’s 2023 generative AI policy guides proper use and Seattle has embarked on several GenAI pilots this year.
4th Atlanta, Ga.
The city of Atlanta earned a fourth-place ranking in its population category for advances made in digital experience and cybersecurity, incorporating emerging technology into both areas.
On the digital experience front, the city implemented artificial intelligence this year by way of chatbots, resulting in a shorter wait time for citizens interacting with government. The city is also using two AI-powered kiosks in City Hall to support 311 and finance services, further enhancing accessibility. In addition, the city’s Interactive Kiosk Experiences serve as one-stop shops for information about local businesses, navigation and other city services.
AI is also playing a role in the city’s cybersecurity approach, as expanded AI monitoring capabilities help the city detect and respond to external threats. In addition to AI, the city has recently completed a migration of its unified computing environment for enhanced reliability and security.
The city has also improved its backup and recovery processes to support data recovery and offer real-time information about backups. Certain resources were replicated in the cloud to ensure uninterrupted operations in case of a system failure. And when it comes to data, a yearlong implementation of Peregrine has integrated multiple data sources for improved decision-making for public safety teams.
5th Denver, Colo.
A focus on digital engagement helped Denver secure fifth place in this year’s Digital Cities Survey. In 2022, Denver established a marketing-technology division to improve the digital experience for its residents, and major strides have been achieved since then. A few examples include ensuring all digital platforms are ADA compliant, unifying the web experience across all city agencies, upgrading the 311 contact center to cloud-based calling, launching an online services hub, livestreaming public meetings and more.
A new GenAI-powered chatbot was rolled out in February 2024 to support department sites and the 311 contact center. The chatbot can assist residents in 72 languages and is available to help around the clock via text message or the city website. The chatbot’s AI model runs on data from Denver’s .gov website and has built-in customer service case workflows, so it is well-equipped to provide residents with reliable information.
In the area of digital equity, the city is also working to connect its residents. Denver Technology Services enabled Wi-Fi connectivity at a handful of shelters that support vulnerable populations. Additionally, the city deployed satellite connectivity for remote locations, which can also be used to patch network interruptions in existing, connected areas.
On the cybersecurity front, Denver created a new digital scoreboard in collaboration with the Berkeley Data Science Society. Launched in May 2024, the digital scoreboard increases cyber awareness by organizing tasks to mitigate cyber risks. Some examples include installing agents on all networks and servers, streamlining phishing email reports and more. As of July 2024, 93 percent of compromised passwords were removed.
5th Mesa, Ariz.
Cutting-edge tech projects centered around constituent safety and digital equity have placed the city of Mesa, Ariz., in the fifth spot this year. While the city faces budget and tax-base funding reductions, it’s using artificial intelligence and machine learning to become laser-focused on technology that will improve citizen experiences and even save lives.
One example is a data-driven initiative to end preventable heat-related deaths. After the city experienced a 40 percent heat death increase in 2023, city staff and community stakeholders analyzed 911 heat-related calls and fire department geodata of heat incident locations. Mesa put the results of that analysis into action, identifying areas to focus heat-relief efforts while increasing the number of portable AC units available for vulnerable citizens. They also sent community and city staff door to door in at-risk areas to educate people about heat-related illness and offer services. The effort also centers around transparency, as a public subset of the data has been melded into dashboards anyone can access.
The city’s Real Time Crime Center was unveiled in 2022 and in the last year it’s grown extensively with new partnerships and capabilities. Mesa now has direct access to camera feeds from city transportation centers, traffic signal intersections, education campuses as well as private-sector cooperative video feeds from local stores, shopping malls, gas station chains and more. According to the city, the secret to their success is years of building trust while ensuring privacy to foster partnerships that avoid the typical bureaucracy issues that come with a multiagency, public and private collaboration.
Meanwhile, Mesa has been innovative in its mission to connect residents to the Internet, deploying streetlights embedded with mmWave Terragraph technology to improve middle-mile connectivity in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. The streetlights also provide multigigabit backhaul for public Wi-Fi, public safety cameras and other municipal transportation infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of fiber optic.
6th Boston, Mass.
Boston maintained its rank in the Digital Cities Survey for the second year in a row with a continued emphasis on improving city services for its population of more than 650,000 residents.
Working to promote the vision of Mayor Michelle Wu, the department of innovation and technology helped restructure the city’s housing and development operations to increase efficiency, accountability and transparency. IT staff also deployed surveys to measure resident opinions on a number of housing issues and shared those results with city leaders.
On the cybersecurity front, phishing simulations moved from biannual to monthly events, and a team was established to focus solely on endpoint administration. To support these and other tech-based initiatives, the department added 15 employees in the past year.
In a move to improve data governance, IT staff developed a new disability data standard, shifting the focus from the person’s identity or condition to their preferred accommodations. The data is being used to boost the accessibility of polling sites.
In other constituent-focused efforts, the department updated a system that tracks City Council voting records for greater ease of use, and tapped AI to summarize what council members were voting on. AI was also leveraged to retime traffic signals and in coastal areas for better flood prediction and response.
To provide oversight for this kind of innovation, the city created a new Office of Emerging Technology in April 2024 and partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to explore how generative AI can be used to boost civic engagement.
7th Phoenix, Ariz.
As one of the largest cities in the U.S. continues to grow, municipal leaders are using technology to help deal with homelessness and other problems.
The city’s Information Technology Services Department, or ITS, teamed with the Office of Homeless Solutions to track contacts with people experiencing homelessness and provide needed services to them — reflecting an approach taken by other teach leaders.
Amid that work, the city — who’s population increased by nearly 200,000 between 2020 and 2023 — has also operated pilots in busier parts of Phoenix of new traffic light monitoring technology. The tools analyze traffic to provide automated timing of those lights, which can improve safety and efficiency. Usually, the city’s traffic lights are manually timed, which can take hundreds of hours.
Phoenix is also calling on residents and other stakeholders to improve access to city services and information via digital means — another vital part of providing municipal cohesion as more people pour into the area. That access includes the city’s 311 application, myPhX311, and the phoenix.gov website.
The city expects to launch a new website in spring 2025, one that will better standardize the digital experience across all departments. Meanwhile, ITS has crafted a citywide generative AI policy that includes a committee charged with reviewing AI uses cases and offering AI guidance to departments as the technology becomes more widespread.
8th Charlotte, N.C.
Charlotte sees technology as a tool to empower citizens and services. Through the Access Charlotte pilot project, the Innovation and Technology Department partners with affordable housing providers and anchor institutions to bring Internet connectivity to unserved and underserved areas in the city. More than 5,000 households have been connected to the Internet, and the program also supports digital navigation resources like tech support and digital literacy training offered through CharMeck 311. Another pilot program, Learn2Earn, offers a digital inclusion program in partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Center for Digital Equity. Residents who complete the digital literacy and job skills trainings offered by the library receive a free computer to put those skills to use.
Additionally, the new My Charlotte Lookup tool gives everyone from current residents to prospective ones to real estate professionals a one-stop shop for details on properties in the city. Users can find a ream of information like ownership records, zoning regulations, trash pickup schedules and even voting precincts. All that data needs to be handled carefully on the back end, which is why Charlotte is leveraging its peer training academy, OpEx, to expand its extensive data literacy initiative for city employees. Along with a new collaborative analytics network, this initiative will provide training and user-friendly tools to promote inclusive data democratization for all employees and stakeholders.
Charlotte is also looking to improve its data work with the use of AI. The city hopes to proactively address challenges and improve public services by enhancing its data analytics capabilities with artificial intelligence tools. The city is also exploring a number of pilot projects with AI, including a chatbot for the IT service desk and another one for 311.
9th Sacramento, Calif.
California’s capital city may not be thought of as an IT powerhouse like some of its nearby San Francisco Bay Area counterparts, but that may change if the city holds its current course. In this year’s Digital Cities Survey, Sacramento claimed a ninth-place spot in a population category that saw it competing with the likes of San Jose, Seattle and Boston. The city achieved this by taking on several initiatives to improve its operations through technology. In addition to sweeping upgrades of the 311 system infrastructure, a virtual agent has helped to reduce the strain on live agents by nearly 10 percent. Similarly, the city worked to update its legacy cashiering technology with a more modern and secure solution. The enterprise cashiering system reduces the risk of fraud and cybersecurity risks, allows for online payment processing and bolsters accurate revenue tracking.
Data is also playing an increasingly key role in operations. The Data and Analytics Office was launched in December to harness data streams throughout city departments for data-driven decision-making and efficiency. That team is currently working to develop a citywide data strategy.
Finally, like many other cities its size, Sacramento has a laser focus on addressing connectivity challenges. In July 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission awarded the city a $38.7 million grant to connect more than 43,000 underserved residents to high-speed Internet.
10th Albuquerque, N.M.
Albuquerque made notable strides in digital innovation, landing in 10th place in the 500,000 or more population category. At the core of its digital plan, the city’s Department of Technology and Innovation focuses on constituent safety, digital equity and interagency collaboration, all with the goal of enhancing service delivery.
One notable accomplishment was establishing the Real Time Crime Center and a new computer-aided dispatch system, designed to boost public safety with data-driven response. Additionally, the 311 Community Contact Center became an important means of coordinating reports on homelessness, linking to a centralized Esri mapping system that helps assess patterns and prioritize resources for those in need.
A design refresh of the city’s website, completed in early 2024, improved the display of information for users, featuring new homepage and department landing templates, additional icons and images for continuity, along with an overall more modernized look and feel. Additionally, technology initiatives in departments such as public safety, planning and transit reflect Albuquerque’s focus on improved service delivery. Tools like the Peregrine Technologies platform — which supports police operations by providing real-time data — have improved the city’s crime response rates and increased arrest numbers. In transit, a new reservation system integrates Lyft as a fallback option to support riders when city buses are unavailable.
Finally, Albuquerque is also strengthening its data processes through open-source tools like Apache Airflow as well as improved interdepartmental communication with Jira/BitBucket, creating a comprehensive approach to data management across agencies.
