First Annual W2i Digital Communities Best Practices Awards

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First Annual W2i Digital Communities Best
Practices Awards
Nominee Project Title Project Lead John
Richo Date 09/09/05 Organization Culver City
Redevelopment Agency Country USA Email
john.richo_at_culvercity.org Web
sitewww.culvercity.org
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Background

• Population
• 39,119 (2002 estimate)
• Geographic
• Strategically located at the intersection of the
  405 (San Diego) and 10 (Santa Monica) freeways,
  the City of Culver City is located 15 minutes
  north of Los Angeles International Airport, 15
  minutes east of the Marina del Rey/Pacific Ocean,
  20 minutes southeast of Santa Monica, 15 minutes
  south of Beverly Hills and 20 minutes west of
  Downtown Los Angeles.
• Economic
• Culver City ranks seventh of all California
  cities in total payroll and vendor expenditures
  in the entertainment industry. The industrys per
  capita expenditure is 5,700 per person in Culver
  City, a number exceeded by only three other
  cities nationwide. Culver Citys average
  household retail sales of 45,000 is 2.5 times
  greater than the Los Angeles County average of
  17,734, indicating that many non-residents are
  traveling to Culver City to shop.
• Regulatory
• Community
• Culver City is unique among cities of its size.
  The citizens are proud to have their own Fire and
  Police departments, as well as their own public
  Transportation department, which operates
  regionally. The Citys motto, The Heart of
  Screenland, reflects its historical past as the
  cradle of the movie industry. Today it is the
  home of Sony Pictures, NFL Network, and many
  other media companies.
• IT Readiness
• Culver Citys Information Technology Department
  has won the MISAC, (Municipal Information Systems
  Association of California), for Excellence in
  three of the last four years. The department
  itself is the result of heavy spending, and staff
  upgrading that the city invested in as its
  response to Y2K. As part of a redevelopment
  effort that began in the early nineties, the city
  connected all of its buildings with fiber. As a
  result, the IT Department has a solid wired
  network infrastructure.

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Project History

• Project History
• The project was initiated by an idea proposed by
  an IT staff to provide free internet access in
  our downtown area that is undergoing extensive
  redevelopment. Running five blocks along Culver
  City Boulevard, Town Plaza is the hub of a
  vibrant new downtown that attracts tourists, film
  industry workers, shoppers, and business people
  for theater, shopping, dining, and
  people-watching. In seeking to differentiate the
  city from neighboring areas and attract new
  business, the Culver City Redevelopment Agency
  and city IT department teamed to investigate the
  feasibility of bringing Wi-Fi Internet access to
  Town Plaza. The project was fast tracked, and
  did not encounter any process roadblocks as the
  Redevelopment Agency was/is interested in any
  means for revitalization of this important area
  of the city. WiFi has been operational in Town
  Plaza since September, 2004. The project is also
  considered as a pilot for possible deployment
  city-wide.

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Mission Objectives

• Mission statement
• To provide free wireless internet access in the
  Town Plaza area of downtown Culver City.

• Project Objectives
• Deploy a free wireless hotspot downtown to
  encourage foot traffic, dwell time, and provide
  convenient Internet access for citizens,
  shoppers, business workers, and visitors.

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Possible Solutions

• Available alternatives
• Our choice was between point to point
  technology, and mesh to offer the public free
  Internet access in Town Plaza.
• Chosen alternative
• We choose mesh technology primarily due to its
  self healing feature which reduces our
  maintenance, and provides greater reliability.

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Business Model

• The primary stakeholders of this project were/are
  the Redevelopment Agency, (funding and
  marketing), Information Technology Department,
  (technological expertise), and the Downtown
  Business Association, (marketing).
• Targeted users
• Current Our target audience is citizens,
  shoppers, diners, business workers and visitors
  to the Town Plaza downtown area.
• Future As redevelopment of the downtown area
  continues our coverage area will double.
  Redevelopment will also more than double our
  users. We also consider this project to be a
  pilot for possible roll-out of free WiFi access
  across the entire city.
• Partnerships
• In order to provide wireless coverage for the
  area it was necessary to install antennas on
  several commercial privately owned buildings. In
  this sense there is a partnership between city
  government, and private business.

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Project Economics

• Cost structure
• Our initial investment was 20K for WiFi
  equipment, and an additional 1.5K for site
  preparation. Annual maintenance is 6K, with an
  additional 1.5K set aside for contingencies.
• Investment Sources/ Funding Sources
• The Culver City Redevelopment Agency
  provides the funding for this project.
• Revenue Source/ Return on Investment
• The project is not designed to generate
  revenue for the Agency. It is a value added
  proposition for Town Plaza, to make it more
  attractive to visitors, and current and future
  businesses.

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Applications

• Current applications
• A the present time our networks intended use is
  for Internet access, and e-mail.
• Future/ Potential applications
• We are considering expanding the network for
  Public safety, and Emergency Operations.

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Network Schematic
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Network

• When we first saw the Firetide solution, we
  set up a mesh network in our conference room in
  about five minutes. It worked flawlessly. What
  sold us on Firetide was its mesh architecture and
  self-healing capabilities, Other alternatives
  that offered the reach we needed were
  line-of-sight solutions. If one went down, it
  couldn't automatically re-route. The other
  solutions required extra equipment and were
  difficult to manage. The system integrator we
  chose, Wireless Hotspot, was also great to work
  with. Together with Firetide, they provided an
  easy-to-use solution that exactly matched our
  needs.

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Network

• The new Town Plaza Wi-Fi network covers a
  perimeter that includes Trader Joe's, located at
  Culver Boulevard and Ince Street, and the border
  of the Sony Pictures campus at Washington
  Boulevard and Hughes Avenue, five blocks west.
  Shoppers, workers, and visitors have wireless
  coverage in the outdoor areas of the downtown
  business district, including the Town Plaza for
  outdoor performances and gatherings, the Ivy
  Substation Media Park, Culver Hotel, and
  outdoor dining areas along Culver and Washington
  Boulevard.

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PROJECT RESULTS

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Deployment

• Timeline past, current future
• Concept explored with IT and Redevelopment (July
  2003)
• Staff researched other City WIFI projects
  (September 2003)
• Department approval for project concept (April
  2004)
• Concept presented to Agency (May 2004)
• Additional research requested by Agency regarding
  marketing and expansion of coverage area
• Project approved by Agency (June 2004)
• Project launch (September 2004)
• Equipment location changed due to uncooperative
  business owner (October 2004)
• New location chosen and equipment moved (October
  2004)
• Additional project funds authorized by Agency for
  extending maintenance and warranty contract
  (January 2005)
• Sustainability and Scalability of the project
• The components of our network require minimal
  maintenance, and funding is in place for
  maintenance. The network is easily scalable to
  increase range, and will be scaled to fit the
  Town Plaza downtown area as redevelopment moves
  forward.

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Impact Analysis

• Actual impact
• Usage
• Currently 2000 user accounts
• On average 9.5 users on the WIFI network per hour
  during business hours
• Media Recognition of Culver City Published in
  over 20 websites
• Commendation by California Assembly
• Info World 100 Award for Smart Use of Technology
• City Council has expressed interest in expanding
  to other sites in city
• Positive community and business response.
  Businesses report an increase in dwell time, and
  seem pleased with results.
• Definitely a plus for Downtown. I use the WIFI
  as a conversation piece when bragging about
  Downtown Culver City. Downtown Business Owner
• Impact compared to original goals
• The goal of the project was to add value to our
  Town Plaza area by providing free Internet
  access. Usage of the network, and comments by
  both businesses, and users indicate that we have
  met our goal.

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Lessons Learned Next Steps

• Expect additional costs.
• Marketing is key.
• Location of project implementation is critical.
• Be careful which businesses you ask to house
  equipment.
• Working with the local media is essential.
• Working with technology vendors can provide
  positive marketing for the city.
• Interdepartmental cooperation and buy in to the
  project and its goals are critical.