Orlando, FL – October 24, 2012 – Cisco and Lake Nona today announced a strategic engagement through which Cisco has been appointed as the lead partner for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) planning for Lake Nona - a 7,000-acre master planned community within the city limits of Orlando, being developed by private investment organization, Tavistock Group.  This development makes Lake Nona one of nine global Iconic Cisco Smart+Connected cities in the world and the first in the U.S.  Cisco will work with Lake Nona over the next 15 years to build out Smart+Connected Communities solutions, including Smart Work Centers, and Innovation and Incubation Centers. 

Cisco is collaborating with Lake Nona on a number of key initiatives aimed at advancing the community’s vision of becoming a global model and standard for sustainable urban development. Conceived to be an integrated city for working, living, learning and playing, Lake Nona will be home to world-class education, recreational facilities, a medical city, diverse workspaces, retail centers, entertainment choices and residential options.  Situated adjacent to the Orlando International Airport, Lake Nona will have the characteristics of an “Aerotropolis” with the ability to more easily connect workers, suppliers, executives and goods to the global marketplace.

Working with Cisco and Cisco registered partner Dais, Lake Nona plans to integrate the latest networking technologies and digital infrastructure design to enrich the experience for more than 25,000 planned residents, tens of thousands of on-site employees and countless visitors.  Pursuant to the proposals, Lake Nona will significantly expand its current IP-enabled smart services to deliver hundreds of additional services such as Smart Work Centers, intelligent buildings, a virtual safe community, and unified lifelong health care delivery, learning and education. 

As competition between cities for talent, business, investment and tourism increases, city leaders see a growing role for technology to enable the development of communities that champion social, environmental and economic sustainability. A Smart+Connected Community is designed with technology at the center to improve the efficient management of city operations and the development and delivery of new services to citizens.

Key Highlights

• Cisco will help transform all Lake Nona projects into connected sustainable communities using the intelligent network as the platform. Residents, workers and visitors will experience urban services that provide enhanced living standards and Lake Nona can drive additional revenue by monetizing technology-led service offerings.

• Technology solutions, such as integrated data and voice and wireless services, fiber to the home, digital signage, common area IP video surveillance, energy management systems, unified communications, video and collaboration will deliver more than 20 smart services across the entire Lake Nona community. An integrated urban plan will enable information exchange between services, fulfilling the need for increased security, energy conservation, enhanced productivity and digital lifestyle.

• Situated next to the Orlando airport, the Lake Nona “Aerotropolis” will have the ability to more easily connect workers, suppliers, executives and goods to the global marketplace.

 Lake Nona Community Features

City leaders and urban planners around the world are increasingly identifying IT and the network as integral to their urban development efforts. The Lake Nona community will be designed with Cisco technology at the heart of its ecosystem to enable community dwellers and visitors to work, live, learn and play in new and more sustainable ways. Lake Nona community features will include:

•  Unified Lake Nona Medical City: Cisco will work with Lake Nona to increase integration, coordination and collaboration between the numerous medical care and life sciences stakeholders within the Lake Nona Medical City by defining, designing and implementing a unified lifelong medical care delivery system model. This type of platform will help reduce technological barriers and increase information sharing to improve quality of care and reduce costs, with a focus toward increasing the overall quality of human life experience across the full cycle of wellness.

• Virtual Safe Community: Through integration, coordination and collaboration between local law enforcement, emergency management and justice ecosystem partners and organizations, Lake Nona will have the ability to more effectively and efficiently identify and detect risks, issues or other activities that require action by law enforcement, safety and security, emergency management or justice resources through machine-to-machine or machine-to-man field sensors, cameras, video, tracking devices and other technology-enabled capabilities.

• Unified Life Long Learning and Education: Designing and implementing a unified lifelong education delivery model at Lake Nona will reinvent the way education is delivered. Utilizing the network as the platform and integrating voice, video, data, advanced collaboration tools and high-speed broadband access across the education system will empower students, faculty, staff and administrators to access information anywhere, on any device, and will help enable inclusion of outside experts and content to create media-rich learning environments.

• Smart Work Centers: Lake Nona will offer multiple public spaces across the community where people can work, meet and use shared services such as highly secure wireless Internet access, TelePresence, collaboration tools, and business services, including reception, catering and daycare. Employers can use these open workspaces to offer flexible work options, while creating opportunities for new social and business connections. Giving people a place to work and meet near home can also reduce commute time, greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion.

• Transportation, Sports and Entertainment, Retail: In addition, Cisco and Lake Nona will facilitate the delivery of other vital community services, including multiple intelligent transportation platforms to help reduce traffic congestion and pollution within the community and provide a more seamless commuting experience; a connected retail infrastructure that enhances the shopper experience and enables better collaboration among retail employees and suppliers to drive revenues and reduce operating costs; and sports and entertainment options that connect fans with their favorite teams and with each other through interactive and personalized experiences.

 Supporting Quotes:

Anil Menon, president, globalization and Smart+Connected Communities, Cisco: "Lake Nona is using ICT as a strategic differentiator putting technology at the foundation of its expansive community.  Utilizing the network as the platform, Lake Nona will be much more sustainable, allowing for a smarter, better designed and better managed community that will bring about new and improved citizen experiences, today and in the future. Cisco is proud to partner with Lake Nona on this important first iconic city initiative in the U.S. that will help transform how cities are built, managed and experienced."

Chuck Robbins, SVP, Worldwide Sales, Cisco: “Cisco’s collaboration with Tavistock Group’s Lake Nona is truly ground breaking. The iconic development will showcase what’s possible when visionary city leaders and urban planners design and build 21st century cities connected by a digital infrastructure. With Cisco’s intelligent network at its center, Lake Nona will deliver exciting new smart services to its residents, businesses and visitors, creating a model for Smart+Connected cities around the world.”

Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing director, Tavistock Group: “We set out from the beginning to create a city at Lake Nona that would be a stage for the best thinking in terms of design, construction and livability. Technology touches every aspect of our efforts today and will continue to as the community matures. We could not think of a better technology partner than Cisco.  They get it, and they will help push us to make Lake Nona even better.”

Thad Seymour, senior vice president, Lake Nona: "We are excited to work with Cisco to deliver a vibrant, high-quality community that will offer an unmatchable experience to every person that sets foot on its grounds. The work we are doing today will contribute to sustainable economic growth and improved management of local living and working conditions and will facilitate a higher quality of life for Lake Nona and beyond for many, many years to come.”

Additional resources:

• Information on Cisco's Smart+Connected Communities initiative: http://www.cisco.com/go/smartconnectedcommunities

• Replay of Lake Nona Impact Forum press conference: http://www.ustream.tv/ciscotv

• Video series on Cities of the Future: http://newsroom.cisco.com/songdo

• Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CiscoSCC

• Follow Cisco Smart+Connected Communities on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CiscoSCC

• Information about Lake Nona, news blog: http://learnlakenona.com/

• Videos about Lake Nona: http://vimeo.com/lakenona

• Photos of Lake Nona: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68492588@N07

• Join Lake Nona on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/learnlakenona

• Follow Lake Nona on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LearnLakeNona

Tags/Keywords: Cisco, Smart+Connected Communities, Lake Nona, Urban Development, Healthcare, Heath care, Connected Health, Connected Education, Tavistock Group, Lake Nona Medical City, Green Building, Sustainability, Orlando, Florida  

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