Civil Municipal View Feb2023

76 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 can happen through fiber,” Tawfik explains. “We also just finished upgrading the infrastructure at the San Jose Airport to improve their wifi. They’re now providing the fastest wifi in the nation.” Equity Through Data also hopes to expand its program for job growth, by reaching out to communities where they can invite kids to learn and get excited about technology. “We’re looking to mentor kids through technology, to get degrees and maybe even municipal jobs in technology,” Tawfik says. “We’d also love to see high schoolers be eligible to earn credits for these programs. The demand in this sector is growing rapidly, so we’re trying to secure resources to make this program more viable.” Being the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area (and the third largest in California), San Jose is also funding a number of safety improvements to decrease its emergency response time and reduce the impact of criminal activity. Their 911 Dispatch Center on Mission Street is combined with both the police and fire departments, so they have an incredible opportunity to leverage technology to provide access and bring simplicity to their day-to-day operations. “We’re currently using an interface that turns stop lights green for fire and police, so that if they need to get somewhere, we have a configuration that tracks their movements through GPS, and updates the light switchboard in real-time as part of an algorithm,” shares Judi Torrico, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Technical Services, San Jose Police Department. They’re working with the city in very innovative ways to growworkforce development,” she explains.“They have a $155M fund that will be governed by a 13-member board supporting growth.