The objective of this Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) project is to support research on prototyping, deploying, and testing data-driven analytics to improve efficiency, availability, and affordability of carshare services. The Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota launched the EV Spot Network in collaboration with HOURCAR, the largest nonprofit carshare provider in the US. The EV Spot Network provides publicly owned electric vehicle carshare and chargers. The service is projected to grow significantly over the next three years.

This research will advance community priorities in the areas of safety, security, and human health and wellness pertaining to existing and future neural implant devices. The team includes computer scientists, electrical engineers, MDs, neuroscientists, neural implant community groups, and manufacturers. The partner community groups include patients and their supporting families and caregivers from whom the team will understand the personal impact of neural implant technologies.

This multi-disciplinary project aims to promote better data governance practices and bolster trust through the development of a Data Management Platform in Long Beach, Calif. The Platform is designed to support community access to information generated by smart city technologies.

Urban trees play a critical role in shaping healthy, resilient communities—providing shade, improving air quality, reducing flood risk, and enhancing public well-being. Yet, during extreme weather events such as windstorms, hurricanes, and ice storms, trees can become significant hazards, causing power outages, infrastructure damage, and safety risks. Currently, there is no reliable, proactive system for identifying high-risk trees and integrating that information into local planning.

The objective of this Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) project is to support research on developing and piloting 3D digital models of homes for simulating how extreme heat behaves indoors and outdoors. Built out of collaboration with local households, these models look to help identify areas most affected by heat and allow testing of different solutions, such as shading, ventilation, or material upgrades. Extreme heat is one of the deadliest natural hazards in the United States, and its impacts are intensifying due to urban expansion.

The objective of this project is to support research on creating, implementing, and testing a novel online serious game on emergency response. Iowa State University (ISU) and Polk County Emergency Management (PCEM) in Iowa collaboratively develop the Disaster Multiplayer Online Game (DMOG). Emergency response is a complex process, involving multiple organizations and decision makers with different roles and responsibilities, objectives, and resources.

This Smart and Connected Communities Integrative Research Grant (SCC-IRG) project supports research that aims to develop systems that help robots navigate public areas in a safe and socially acceptable manner. While robots have great potential to improve communities by providing services such as delivery, safety patrol, and sanitation, they are still limited in their ability to autonomously manage the complexities of real-world public walkways, which often feature sprawling obstacles, unmaintained sidewalks, and varying weather conditions.

Public sector peer-run behavioral health organizations (PROs) are essential providers supporting Americans facing tough times. These organizations offer holistic care that extends beyond mental and behavioral health to include services such as housing, employment support, and income assistance. However, many PROs operate with limited staffing and outdated infrastructure, making it difficult to meet rising service demands.

Many rural US residents live in aging, substandard housing with limited access to insurance, infrastructure, and services, leaving them at risk of displacement and financial loss from extreme weather events. This Smart & Connected Communities Integrative Research Grant (SCC-IRG) project addresses a critical national challenge: how to help rural communities better forecast and plan for housing resilience in the face of natural hazards.

Evacuation and public sheltering move people from harm’s way and are common life-saving strategies in response to severe weather such as flooding and hurricanes. However, some citizens may exhibit lower propensities to evacuate and seek public shelter due to transportation challenges, past experiences, risk perceptions, and concerns about the availability of critical services at shelters.