If you write a book on the evolution of world cinema, Hollywood deserves a whole chapter for its high-end technical aspects and standards. Los Angeles, a Californian city that has been the address for global cinema, is now entering into the realm of digital technology and slowly emerging as the next Silicon Valley. Don’t believe? Just take a look at the LA-born billion-dollar-startups like Dollar Shave Club and you will find it pretty obvious. And that really sounds awesome, doesn’t it? And the land of sun-kissed beaches now owns the tag #1 Digital City of America; not on the account of tech startups it has, but for the technology initiatives it has taken. And the point you cannot miss here is, pushing out all its competitors, the city achieved this feat for the second consecutive year. So, there is something really big about the journey of Los Angeles in digital transformation, isn’t it? And that is what this article leaves you with at the end. Come, let’s jump on it.

America’s Top Digital City – LA

The name is not something given by a random person. It’s the Center for Digital Government, a national institution, that conducts an annual survey on active digital initiatives by a city council and confers the title on the top-rated city. The organization considers ten characteristics of an initiative that includes Open, Engaged, Mobile, Secure, Collaborative, Connected, Staffed/Supported, Resilient, Efficient, and Use of Innovation and Best Practices. “We integrate technology into everything we do to serve our communities better and create new opportunities in the lives of Angelenos” – says Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles. And here is how his words are brought into action:

OurCycle LA

A city means not the roads and buildings, but its people. And without transforming their lives, it cannot step ahead in the process. Well aware of this truth, the city council of Los Angeles laid a strong foundation for its digital transformation with a digital inclusion program called, OurCycle LA. Working hand-in-hand with several non-profit organizations, local schools, and various government agencies, the city council provides the needy in the city with free devices and internet services. There is tons of electronic waste in the city and the council wants to cut it down. Taking an advantage of the e-waste, the council refurbishes thousands of scrapped computers and distributes them to youth to maximize the use of computers. And in the process, the city councils have also succeeded in creating jobs to its youth through the refurbishing tasks and system configuration works.

LA CyberLab

Technology is the best thing that you can ever have when used diligently. But there are some smart brains betting on weak cyber security. This is a common problem appears everywhere in the world. Fortunately, the government of Los Angeles is taking on the cyber attacks through the LA Cyber Lab which educates the business in LA, develops digital tools and protects them from cyber threats. Thus, LA Cyber Lab gives good health to the digital transformation in the city.

Earthquake Early Warning System

We cannot prevent natural calamities but can protect ourselves with prior knowledge of it. And it is possible in this data-driven world, all thanks to technology. The government of LA collaborates with the US Geological Survey to establish the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system which sends alerts to our smartphones on the hint of an earthquake. This robust network is expected to be available by the end of 2018.

These are a few accomplishments by the government that directly influence the lives of Angelenos while making the city of Los Angeles smart. But indeed, the city is getting smarter with its public bodies like Police and Healthcare departments too adopting technology in serving the public better. From social media presence to virtual reality application, these departments are leaving no stone unturned to get the best out of technology.

Virtual Wonders

VR for Skillful Healthcare Professionals

Public health is the prime concern for any government and so for Los Angeles. The city allocates a good deal of budget for healthcare. However, there was a scarcity of skillful healthcare professionals that plagued the emergency services. Because, the training of healthcare professionals is expensive with time-consuming. But now, the tables turned in the city of Los Angeles, all thanks to the partnership of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with Facebook and some other major VR tech companies. The consortium is providing VR based solutions to provide a reliable and cost-effective training to the medicos and other professionals in a virtual world where they experience the real-life scenarios. This path-breaking initiative was brought in 2016 and in a short span, it is proven successful in terms of efficiency and expenditure.

Virtual Simulators to Train Police

When a policeman comes across a criminal who holds a gun, no one can guess what would happen in the next moment. To deal with such uncertain situations, police have to undergo a meticulous training for which, interactive technology has got an apt solution. Virtual reality takes us into an imaginary world that appears real and this is how we enjoy the immersive technology. Then, why can’t we use it for training our police? Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) thought the same and partnered with Milo Range that offers interactive simulation training products. Now, the entire LAPD is using the simulators that create a scenario on interactive screens placed all around the trainee police officer. Each scenarios is made with different possible outcomes based on the reaction of a criminal at that time. And the trainee officer can speak to the criminal and use a dummy lethal weapon or handgun too. Thus, the virtual simulators are delivering the best training solutions for police officers, making them well-trained. In another case of leveraging interactive technology, the Los Angeles Police Department is using the Hydra simulation system to train the officers in command-level on how to make decisions during a critical situation. The system is named after a seven-headed beast from Greek lore. This simulation training system uses video feeds for real-time decision making during an emergency.

VR & AR to Enter Olympics

Yes, the interactive technologies are going to show off in Olympics too, but not as an event. It is confirmed that Los Angeles will be hosting the 2028 summer Olympics. The city doesn’t need to invest in infrastructure as it has enough. So now, Los Angeles is thinking of making the 17-day event more exciting with virtual reality and augmented reality. When LA has a decade’s time to the Olympics, research is in full swing on how to bring a personalized experience for the viewers of the summer Olympics.

Smart Policing with Mobile Apps

Mobile apps bring people together and connect any business, organization, or government body with the public. It is quite obvious that emergency services like Police have to be available to the public at any time and anywhere. This objective is met with a simple mobile application which keeps you just one click away from the service. And in Los Angeles, you have the police help right in your pocket. The mobile applications of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are very efficient in serving the public and keeping them aware of Law and Order enforcements. When the entire world is facing the heat of terrorism, LAPD wants to make the public a part of its anti-terrorism strategies and developed a special app called iWatchLA. Through the app, LAPD collaborates with your community to spread awareness on terror activities and protect your neighbourhood from terrorism.

A city that rejoices the glamour of film industry, is now making moves to attain ornaments of digital technology to beautify the lives of its citizens. The revolution is already started to transform the whole of Los Angeles, right from individuals to public bodies. The top American digital city is propelling to become the top digital city in the world and it’s pretty obvious that the day is not so far.