Ways Las Vegas leverages smart tech to transform city living

To the over 40 million people who travel to Las Vegas every year, the city is all about entertainment that ranges from shopping and gambling, to sport, nightlife, and world-renowned dining. But for the 650,000 people who call Las Vegas home, the realities can be more routine than glamorous. For these people, this is where they live and work, where their children go to school, where they walk their dog, and grocery shop. And according to city’s CIO, Michael Sherwood, the challenge is to cater to the city’s visitors while servicing the locals, which is why he makes sure the city runs as efficiently as possible.

As part of these efforts, he and his team focus on putting data and the right digital technologies to work to improve things like traffic management. “While there are always new technologies coming out year after year, you can’t focus too much on the technology,” he explains, noting that CIOs need to look at their objectives, and problems, and then figure out how connectivity, data, and technology can help.

No wrong turns

When city officials received reports of wrong-way driving and accidents at an intersection near Las Vegas’ City Hall, for example, they knew they needed to improve the situation. On some days, as many as 40 incidents were being reported. Initially, the city sent people out to monitor the intersection during the day, but it was impossible to predict when an incident might occur.