The City of Colorado Springs Office of Innovation, in partnership with the City’s Fleet Division and Public Works Department, are launching a 6 month pilot with Rubicon Global, LLC, a technology company specializing in SaaS products for waste, recycling, and smart citySmart Cities utilize technology and the Internet of Things to address challenges facing our community and improve the quality of life for our citizens, particularly in the areas of connectivity, energy, and resilience. Colorado Springs identified four organizational pillars to implement a vision for Smart Cities: Energy and utilities, transportation and mobility, City services, and buildings and sustainability. solutions. The pilot will consist of installing high-definition cameras and advanced telematics devices in 8 City street sweepers and telematics in 44 of the City’s snowplows. The pilot project will allow the City to test new technologies and utilize data to enhance operations.
Technology that will be deployed
Throughout the pilot, Rubicon will provide the following devices for the eight (8) City street sweepers:
- A high-definition camera
- A small on-board computer
- A pod device
- A GPS Antenna
- A GSM Antenna
- All associated installation cables and wires
Rubicon will also provide the following hardware devices for each of the forty-four (44) snowplows:
- Advanced telematics devices
Goals
The City will utilize data generated throughout the Pilot to identify opportunities for enhanced operational efficiencies, better service delivery, asset management, and potential reduced operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. Data generated throughout the Pilot will be used to assess the future need and viability of incorporating vehicle telematics and camera technology within City fleet, to include City light fleet and tandem trucks.
FAQs
How many street sweepers does the City have?
16
How many snowplows does the City have?
There are 131 plows in the City, including plows for trail and airport use.
Have other cities conducted similar pilots?
Yes, Fort Collins, Colorado conducted a similar pilot in February of 2019.
What is the cost to the City to conduct the pilot project?
There is no cost to the City for the pilot. All devices will be returned to Rubicon at the end of the pilot.
How many curb miles are there in the City?
There are 3,618 curb miles in the City.
How many miles do the street sweepers clear each year?
The street sweepers cover 30,754 miles each year.
How many lane miles do the snow plows clear each year?
The snow plows clear close to 278,405 miles each year, or 6,960 lane miles per truck.
How many days a year are the street sweepers and snowplows used?
The street sweepers and snowplows are used 296 days on average.
What brand of telematics will be included in the pilot?
The pilot will include Geotab telematics, a global leader in IoT and connected transportation.
What other government agencies utilize Geotab?
The State of Colorado, the State of California, Colorado Department of Transportation, the DoD, New York City, and the Pentagon.
What functions do the telematics have?
The telematics have numerous functions that can be limited or expanded through the integration of additional hardware connected to a small expansion port on the side of the device, per the request of the user. Some of the functions available with the telematics are tracking of fleet vehicles, integrated mapping, engine diagnostics, fuel consumption tracker, risk and safety reports, accident notifications, seat belt use, to name a few. There are over 38 data sets that can be derived from the devices, in addition to excel dashboards and customer reporting.
What measures are put in place to secure the data created by the telematics and the cameras?
All communications are encrypted with an end-to-end AES256 encryption. Data is managed through a secure OS and regular security scans are conducted to identify cyber security threats.
What type of data will be collected?
Data collected during the pilot will be related to route details, on curb/off curb duration, and hard driving metrics, including braking, turning, and acceleration.
Who will have access to the data?
The Office of Innovation, City’s Fleet Division, and Public Works Department will have access to the third-party platform. Rubicon will provide the City with access to its proprietary app-based software to allow the City to monitor and collect data regarding activity of the Street Sweepers and Snowplows. Any data shared or distributed by the City or Rubicon must be in an anonymized aggregated format.
What would the cost be to scale this project for all City fleet?
Data obtained from the pilot will assist the City in determining the costs associated with scaling the project. If the City determines it is a viable option to scale the project, the City will release a request for proposal (RFP) and obtain competitive bids.
How will the footage from the cameras be managed?
Only authorized city staff can view the images in the Rubicon portal. Authorized Rubicon staff may review images as we improve the technology. The images are retained in the Rubicon portal for three months, after which they are archived in the cloud in case city staff need to reference them. Data obtained from the cameras will only be used to enhance current services and improve the technology.