Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 10-15-21

Local
East Tampa IKE Smart City Kiosks Launch
Participating in the ribbon cutting were: City Councilman Orlando Gudes; Rep- resentative Dianne Hart; Mayor Jane Castor; Randall Sistrunk (IKE Smart City) and Jibran Shermohammed (IKE Smart City).
Also attending the event were: Cedric McCray, Manager, East Tampa Community Re- development Department, City of Tampa; Jibran Shermohammed (IKE Smart City), Ros- alie Jones, Clovis Alford, Betty Bell, Natasha Goodley, J. D., Cynthia Few, Councilman Orlando Gudes, and Rep. Dianne Hart, (D-61). Back row: Randall Sistrunk (IKE Smart City), Fran Tate, Wessie Brown, Mayor Jane Castor and Corey Favor (IKE Smart City).
The launch of the IKE Smart City kiosks in East Tampa was held on Wednes-
day, September 8th at 3 PM. Welcome and remarks from Mayor Jane Castor; City
Council Chairman Or- lando Gudes; and closing
Sistrunk with IKE Smart City.
IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) is a communica- tion platform created to help cities and business improve- ment districts connect with its citizens and visitors with information and resources in dynamic new ways. Through a system of vivid, durable touch-screen displays con- taining an ever-expanding and seemingly limitless se- ries of applications, IKE of- fers three essential features that will benefit any city: Communication, Services, and Recurring Revenue. There are kiosks in various other cities in the United States. Councilman Gudes thought it was very important for one of the kiosks to be placed in East Tampa, located at 22nd St. and 26th St.
Several kiosks were in- stalled throughout Tampa on Sept. 8th.
IKE Smart City interac-
tive kiosks help provide di- rections and information to visitors and residents. 30 kiosks are planned for the Tampa community.
The kiosks will not re- quire any funding from the city or from local taxpayers. Instead, the program is funded entirely by IKE Smart City of Columbus, Ohio, which uses a self-sustaining business model. The kiosks have been installed in cities such as Baltimore, Denver, Cleveland and San Antonio.
The kiosks use touch- screens, and can serve as free Wi-Fi hot spots. They also provide information about social services and job op- portunities, as well as an emergency call system and ambient lighting to improve public safety.
When not in use, the kiosks display general an- nouncements and promo- tions. (Photographs by BRUNSON)
remarks by
Randall
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