- Burnett School College of Medicine UCF
One day in Lake Nona, sensors connected to a network may be able to tell you if there are parking spaces at your favorite shop, send health information to your doctor, or turn street lights on and off depending on pedestrian traffic.
The UCF College of Medicine, its community partners and networking powerhouse Cisco Systems have embarked on a major technology-based project to transform Lake Nona into a smart city where people, services and information are connected.
Lake Nona is the first city in the United States that Cisco has named an Iconic Smart+Connected City, and joins eight other cities around the globe with the designation. The collaboration will bring the latest networking technology and digital infrastructure to the area’s building, transportation, utility and civic systems.
The announcement came during the opening reception at the Lake Nona Impact Forum on Oct. 23, which attracted about 150 delegates and luminaries such Cisco CEO John Chambers; former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; UCF President John Hitt; and Thad Seymour, president of the Lake Nona Institute.
“Lake Nona exemplifies how projects can improve health care, boost the local economy and boost education,” President Hitt said.
The two-day forum brought together executives, entrepreneurs, academic experts and policymakers to discuss innovative technologies and programs that can become global models for building healthy communities. The forum was sponsored by the Lake Nona Institute, the nonprofit arm that governs the city’s health, wellness and technological initiatives.
“We can accomplish anything as long as we do it together,” Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, said during a reception on the Lake Nona campus.
After delegates toured the medical education building, they gathered in Lewis Auditorium to hear Mr. Chambers talk about the Lake Nona-Cisco partnership. He praised the innovative vision that gave rise to the College of Medicine, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Nemours Children’s Hospital, VA Medical Center and the University of Florida Academic and Research Center.
“What you’re doing here will be a model for the world,” he said.