The City of Austin, Texas has opened a new grant program aimed at promoting digital equity. The Grant for Technologies Opportunities Program (GTOPs) Mini grant pathway was created to support smaller nonprofits working on a short-term digital inclusion project.

State CIOs and technology industry leaders will gather in Austin next week for the NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. State CIOs and other government officials will be able to exchange best practices, network, and learn about the latest technology that improves state services and citizen satisfaction.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology First Responders Group is working with the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas to develop Internet of Things sensors and geo-targeting alerts that will enable faster reporting of flood conditions so that first responders can better respond to problem areas.

Coming out of a Smart Cities Council Grant win in February, the city of Austin recently hosted a full-day readiness workshop with city leaders, staff, and key community members to tackle issues of housing, mobility, and economic development for the city’s underserved communities.

The Smart Cities Council awarded the Readiness Challenge Grant on Feb. 8 to Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Austin, which gives the cities mentoring opportunities and a workshop in which to develop new IT projects that will best help their populations. 21st Century State & Local checked in with these cities to find out how they plan to use these resources.

The Smart Cities Council awarded the Readiness Challenge Grant to Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia.