The San Francisco 49ers were recognized today by the White House’s Smart Cities Initiative for their role in building a model public-private partnership concerning security and transportation needs for Levi’s® Stadium, home of Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. The 49ers were recognized along with a number of their key partners from throughout Silicon Valley for the innovative initiative designed to ensure smarter and safer cities.

On Monday, the White House announced the new “Smart Cities” Initiative that will leverage more than 25 new technology collaborations to help local communities tackle key challenges such as reducing traffic congestion, fighting crime, fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services. The new initiative is part of the Administration’s overall commitment to target federal resources to meet local needs and support community-led solutions. At the White House on Monday, representatives of the 49ers attended the Smart Cities Forum, a leadership forum on the initiative featuring members of government, the research community and cities to discuss using advances in science and technology to uncover innovative solutions to problems citizens care about.

The San Francisco 49ers, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), City of Santa Clara, Arini Geographics and Allied Telesis have teamed up to create a smarter, safer Levi’s® Stadium and a smarter, safer public transit system in advance of Super Bowl 50. This coalition for public safety innovation has deployed state of the art sensors to analyze patterns and display predictive outcomes. The first-of-its-kind technology has been deployed at strategic locations throughout Santa Clara and beyond. With the “Internet of Things” connecting people and devices, Levi’s® Stadium has become a model for how a public-private partnership can analyze, visualize, and communicate in real-time with stakeholders in the public safety community.

The US Department of Homeland Security has designated Super Bowl 50 as a highest security rating (Level One) event per their special events assessment rating system requiring tight security collaboration between law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local level. Levi’s® Stadium facilitates this collaboration by providing enhanced situational awareness and a common operating picture. Data from pre-mapped sensors is geospatially aggregated on this platform. Operators have access to information based on their specific levels of authorization and the system can send automatic alerts to designated parties when pre-designated sensor thresholds are breached. These efforts underway in Silicon Valley will be a blueprint for other cities trying to become smarter in the way they develop, deploy, and share their limited public safety resources.

“As the host venue for Super Bowl 50, Levi’s Stadium was designed to be at the forefront of the NFL in the deployment of cutting-edge technology to enhance venue security and the overall fan experience,” said 49ers COO Al Guido. “With that in mind, we are proud of our partnership with our Silicon Valley neighbors and are committed to deploying measures in order to ensure a safe, fun experience for fans and our community.”

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority General Manager Nuria Fernandez added, “We have talented, creative employees at VTA and we know that to become a world leader in transportation, we must be open and collaborative, reaching out to community partners, including Silicon Valley high tech corporations and distinguished universities, to leverage their expertise.”

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Chief Information and Technology Officer Gary Miskell added, “The collaboration with the City of Santa Clara, Levi’s Stadium, Allied Telesis and VTA is a successful example of Technology Innovation and proactive collaboration to solve a public need.”

“Opening Levi’s Stadium has been successful because of the strong public and private partnerships,” said Santa Clara Police Chief, Michael Sellers. “The use of technology in our public safety operations is making it a safer experience for all. At the end of the day, it is all about working together and using the right technology.”

Allied Telesis Chairman & CEO Mr. Taki Oshima added, “When we looked at some of the public safety challenges in preparation for Super Bowl 50, it was clear that the private sector could play a critical role in developing technology to solve a problem. Our Envigilant line of solutions is designed to improve situational awareness for law enforcement and first responders and, given that our North America headquarters are within a few miles of Levi’s Stadium, we are honored to partner with the 49ers, VTA and the City of Santa Clara in keeping the community safe.”

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