Infrastructure

Disconnected systems slow down plan review and leave staff without the spatial context they need for accurate decisions. Integrating GIS directly into electronic plan review creates faster, smarter and more reliable workflows that improve outcomes for both applicants and communities.

States frequently compete heavily to land major data-center projects, but less than a dozen of them disclose which companies receive incentives, according to a report by the nonprofit watchdog group Good Jobs First.

When it was installed in 2006, Napa Valley College's photovoltaic array was the fifth largest in the U.S. Now it sits motionless among grass and weeds, a casualty of false promises, bankruptcies and a capricious industry.

With new data centers expected to drastically increase power consumption in the coming years, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission proposed a tariff model for electricity providers to impose on large-load customers.

City Council members have approved spending $821,000 from grants to install 10 electric vehicle chargers. The city, its interim city manager said, lags behind peers in offering such infrastructure.

Transform fragmented data into integrated intelligence that connects asset performance, predictive maintenance and strategic capital planning to drive proactive, data-driven decision-making.

A county in northern Colorado has placed a moratorium on projects involving data centers, battery storage, wind or solar energy until it can update its regulations.

State and local governments are learning to do more with less by treating resource allocation as a strategic tool for sustainability. By investing in resilient infrastructure, data-driven planning and cross-sector collaboration, leaders can stretch limited budgets while building more efficient, equitable and resilient communities.

Cities and states need to make bold moves and embrace tech to improve infrastructure, such as roadway components that reduce costly cement needs or sensors that test surface strength.

A new purchasing portal serving state and local public-sector agencies is designed to make complicated and highly technical purchases easier, by offering connections to vetted vendors and expert knowledge.

Officials in local government are turning to technology to improve the physical accessibility of their city sidewalks. GIS tools can help staff monitor thousands of curbs more efficiently.

A project to analyze flooding in south Chicago will eventually consist of about 50 sensors transmitting data in real time for analysts and emergency responders.

A new cyber grant program and new cybersecurity regulations for water and wastewater systems, announced Tuesday, aim to support water system resilience and protect public health in the state of New York.

The devices, which are finding their way onto local roads, could come to state highways too, with passage of a new law. The first step would be a plan for that expansion, from the state Department of Transportation.

If signed by the governor, the bill would require utilities to use so-called grid-enhancing tech to make transmission lines more efficient and boost their capacity, and offer real-time data.

Across the country, local governments are embracing electronic plan review as a transformative tool for community development and public service. What was once a convenient upgrade has now become a strategic necessity — streamlining permitting, accelerating approvals and driving economic growth. As cities face mounting pressure to deliver efficient, transparent services with limited resources, electronic plan review is proving to be a cornerstone of modern governance.

Studies show the United States is not keeping up with electric demand, as electric vehicles and data centers continue to ramp up their burden on the grid. A slowdown in federal funding has not seemed to impact this.

The company plans to reactivate a battery energy storage system at the Moss Landing power complex. A second facility there, a portion of which caught fire in January, remains shuttered and an investigation continues.