Jacksonville tries better networks for better services

What does a really smart and connected city look like? If no one quite knows yet, officials in the Florida city of Jacksonville want to find out.

The city has launched into a pilot program with Cisco to try and connect its many different technology systems into a more unified system that makes it easier for residents to use government services without having to actually visit a government office and improves things like emergency response services. (The news release from Cisco actually said, “enhancing existing traffic engineering to increase emergency response time for the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department,” but we doubt the pilot aims to help firetrucks take longer to reach fires.)

If they’re happy with the results of the pilot, Jacksonville officials might consider rolling out the program citywide.

The pilot is part of Cisco’s ongoing Smart+Connected Communities initiative, which envisions using networks to help cities operate more efficiently and improve both their sustainability and livability.