Focus Area One

Focus Area One delivers innovative and effective technology services to connect residents to their city government, promote transparency, encourage resilience and improve public safety

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Open Data Portal

This portal offers a variety of data that is available anytime, free of charge, with easy, centralized access. The portal provides access to city datasets such as the Norfolk Cares Call Center, permits and streetlights. Visit Data Norfolk website.

Google Waze Connected Citizen Program

Norfolk has entered into a data-sharing partnership with Waze, an application that provides free, real-time, crowdsourced traffic and wayfinding information.

  • It is a two-way data share of publicly available traffic information to provide critical travel data such as delays due to traffic or flooding for residents and visitors to Norfolk.
  • Norfolk provides real-time government-reported construction, crash and road closure data to Waze to provide one of the most thorough overviews of current road conditions today.

Protecting the Public by Providing Advanced Technology to First Responders

IT's Radio and Electronics Division launched two initiatives to improve the technology provided to Norfolk's first responders.

Initiatives

  • Replace obsolete radios for the Fire-Rescue Department.
    • Nearly 400 hand-held radios that had reached the end of their useful life (7 to 10 years ) were replaced in the first phase of the project.
    • The next phase of the project will replace radios in Fire-Rescue vehicles.
    • State of the art technology including enhanced audio features such as the ability to adjust for a high noise environment that occurs when public safety vehicles are deployed.
    • Have Bluetooth capabilities, allowing them to wirelessly connect to self-contained breathing apparatus when needed.
    • Improved ergonomic design, including larger buttons and knobs that can be handled by public safety personnel wearing specialized firefighting equipment.
  • Upgrade of the public safety radio system infrastructure comprised of new hardware and software.
    • Add additional capabilities to improve radio network management
    • Help protect the system from cyber attack.

These Improvements Have Two Goals

Enhance the safety and response time for first responders and to better align Norfolk's technology with that of our Hampton Roads partner cities to improve intercity communications.

PulsePoint Respond

Norfolk is now a PulsePoint-enabled community. PulsePoint Respond is a mobile application that alerts registered users if someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency and may require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Installation of Data & Telephone Infrastructure in New City Buildings

  • Completion: IT staff tests the installation and then, brings the building online
  • Construction: IT staff monitors installation in partnership with selected vendors
  • This year, staff installed the data and telephone infrastructure for the following new buildings:
    • Fire Station 12 (including radio installation)
    • Horace G. Downing Branch Library (renovation)
    • Jordan Newby Anchor Branch Library at Broad Creek
    • Norfolk Circuit Court Phase II
    • Slover Maker Studio
  • Planning: IT is involved from the beginning to design the data and telephone infrastructure, such as wiring, switches, routers, wireless access points and security cameras
  • Staff supported relocation and building renovations for city-owned buildings