Loudoun County, VA (PRWEB) July 15, 2014 -- The Innovative Solutions Consortium (ISC) — a non-profit, national science and technology public-private association — will lead a distinguished consortium of organizations to present a “first of its kind” innovation and collaboration event on August 27th, aimed at providing real solutions to address specific Public Safety challenges faced by Loudoun County government and its citizens.
The ISC has joined forces with Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), Loudoun County’s Department of Economic Development and the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce to drive a cooperative approach to solving real problems confronting one of America’s fastest growing counties.
Loudoun’s Dept. of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management, Dept. of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office are working with ISC and its partners to identify two “hard to solve” challenges. Using a global, open innovation construct, companies and individuals from across the world will be invited to present their innovative approaches, technologies, processes, and solutions to these challenges.
The ISC will be applying its unique Virtually - Innovate - Vet - Incubate – Deliver (VIVID) Framework that was created to accelerate science and technology solutions to address real-world challenges to develop demonstrable solution options for problems facing Loudoun County.
The VIVID process will culminate in solution presentations on August 27, 2014. Interested companies should visit the web site to get more details regarding the challenge areas and how to apply.
"The Sheriff's Office is eager to be part of this public - private endeavor. We are always looking for ways to apply technology in order to work more closely with others in public safety and to attack, reduce and solve crime," said Sheriff Mike Chapman.
“It is a privilege and an honor for the ISC to lead an amazing team of organizations in a collaborative partnership with Loudoun County Government officials in an effort to address areas of need that can improve the quality of life for County residents, and perhaps serve as a beacon and blueprint for other communities,” says Ken Spedden, founder of the ISC.
“This is a unique opportunity and another example of the innovation that our business community brings to the table," said Buddy Rizer, Director of the Loudoun Department of Economic Development. "We have a very engaged business community, and it’s exciting to see Loudoun's own Innovative Solutions Consortium and Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce getting involved in helping our public safety and transportation organizations address some difficult challenges.”
“Adding to the complexity of the challenge, the ISC knows that any solutions for county government must be affordable, so we’ll be including criteria around total cost of ownership”, said Brian Giblin, ISC President and Program Chair. “We expect to see innovations in technology, but the clear winners will be those that bring innovations in approaches and ways to leverage existing infrastructure and resources.”
Loudoun County is ranked as the third fastest growing county in the nation and is home to one of the nation’s highest concentrations of data centers. Seventy percent of the world’s internet traffic passes through Loudoun. Another reason Loudoun was selected for this project is best described by Moody’s Economy.com’s 2009 finding that, “The Dulles Technology Corridor, centered in Loudoun County, hosts the largest number of internet, satellite, and defense companies in the nation.”
“As the “Center of the Internet,” Loudoun County has earned global recognition as the home of many of the world’s top technology businesses and talent. It is appropriate that Loudoun’s government should be able to access the world’s top technology talent to identify solutions that will keep our citizens safe and make our communities more secure. That is why the Loudoun County Chamber is proud to work with the talented businesses that comprise the ISC and our local County government partners to present this groundbreaking event,” said Chamber President & CEO Tony Howard.
About the ISC: With national reach, intensive collaboration and a virtual presence, the ISC provides thought-leadership and delivers innovative solutions to the toughest problems facing government and commercial industry. The ISC is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit organization and was founded in Loudoun County, VA.
Brian Giblin, Innovative Solutions Consortium, http://www.isc-connect.org/, +1 540-454-0303, [email protected]
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