CINCINNATI – The Center for Digital Government (CDG) has once again awarded the City of Cincinnati a coveted space on its Digital Cities Survey for the City’s use of technology and data to enhance customer services and better the lives of residents.

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For the second straight year, Cincinnati earned a top-10 spot on the annual list, which recognizes cities using technology to improve citizen services, enhance transparency and encourage citizen engagement.

Cincinnati – which came in at No. 9 on the 2017 list in the “250,000 - 499,999 population” category – received high praise for its role as a “digital leader” and its “commitment to innovation.” The Queen City’s listed accomplishments range from technical upgrades (Smart Cincy initiatives and IoT projects) to robust data initiatives (CincyInsights) to innovative community engagement efforts (Engage Cincy Challenge Grant program).

"We are pleased and proud to be recognized for our efforts to use technology and data to improve the lives of those we serve – the people of Cincinnati,” said City Manager Harry Black. "Technology is an integral part of this and our overarching efforts to become the best managed big city in the country."

“Of course, none of these efforts would be possible without the steadfast support from our Mayor and City Council,” the City Manager continued. “We look forward to your leadership and guidance in helping us move the needle toward becoming a digital city.”

Below is the full writeup on the City of Cincinnati.

“Part of Cincinnati's success as a digital leader comes from strong administrative support, particularly from Mayor John Cranley, for the city's IT initiatives. Through the City Manager's 2017 EngageCincy Challenge Grant program, participants could win one of five $10,000 grants to develop and launch projects to better a specific neighborhood and the city at large. This reflects Cincinnati's commitment to innovation, which it is pursuing through a number of avenues, including releasing an RFQ for a public-private partnership to build a citywide 5G network. The high-speed broadband will provide not only better Internet access for residents and city staff, but also lays the groundwork for anticipated Internet of Things (IoT) projects. Cincinnati aims to be one of the smartest cities in the country in terms of municipal operations, including smart sewers and water meters, and emergency response development, among other innovations. To maximize citizen engagement, in December 2016 the Office of Performance and Data Analytics launched CincyInsights, a public-facing, real-time data portal with interactive dashboards that makes the city’s existing open data relevant, accessible and user-friendly so residents can track street paving, blight abatement, crime and social issues like drug overdoses.”

Now in its 17th year, the Digital City Survey asks questions focused on CDG’s top 10 characteristics of a Digital City: Open, Mobile, Engaged, Collaborative, Secure, Staffed/Supported, Connected, Efficient, Resilient, and use of Innovation and Best Practices. A key emphasis this year was how cities have leveraged technology to enhance inclusion and solve social challenges.

The survey, open to all U.S. cities, honored cities in five population classifications this year.

“This year’s leading digital cities are leveraging technology to connect disadvantaged citizens with critical information and services, promote citizen inclusion in important government processes and share government data with the public,” said Teri Takai, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “Thanks to the efforts of these innovative cities, citizens can now meaningfully interact with city government more easily than in any other time in history. Congratulations to the winners!”

Winners will be honored at a special awards ceremony during the National League of Cities’ annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on Nov. 16.

You can see a full list of winners and get more information on the CDG website.

About the Center for Digital Government

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a division of e.Republic, the nation’s only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.

The organization has hosted the Digital Cities Survey for the past 17 years.