Las Vegas launches website highlighting Innovation District

NAVYA and Keolis, in partnership with the city of Las Vegas, launched the first completely autonomous, fully electric shuttle ever to be deployed on a public roadway in the United States. The shuttle is being launched in the new Innovation District that was recently created by the city of Las Vegas in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

The city of Las Vegas has launched a website to promote the Innovation District in the downtown area.

The Innovation District is a designated area to test new technology, citizen participation measures and transportation and social infrastructure.

The website’s goal is to help inform vendors and the public about the district, projects and communitywide benefits, a city spokesman said.

“The site and the purpose of the Innovation District is to make our community stronger, drive efficiencies, increase public safety and provide unique user experiences,” said Michael Sherwood, the city’s director of information technologies. “We intend to update the site on a regular basis as we test new technologies and partner with outside agencies and private companies on projects.”

One such company is the Paris-based Navya, which earlier this year tested the first completely autonomous, fully electric shuttle to ever be deployed on a public roadway in the United States. With the success of the testing, the city continues to study this technology for future shuttle systems.

Audi also tested its vehicle-to-infrastructure technology that syncs with traffic signals to improve traffic-light patterns.

Sherwood says the website will pay dividends by promoting the city’s initiatives and fostering partnerships.

“Having a website dedicated to innovation helps attract technology partners who might be interested in testing their products in a real-world setting or having a product or idea they feel would benefit the city,” he said.

The city expects to add features to provide a better user experience.

“The city aims to make local entrepreneurs, businesses and other stakeholders feel like they are a part of this unique environment and will benefit from the momentum emanating from this central hub,” said Don Jacobson, information technologies business partner for the city.

“To accomplish that, the website will initially profile programs and projects — planned and underway — as well as news about activities and partnerships. Eventually the site will grow to include an events calendar, expanded number of links and in-depth features on development and job opportunities.”

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