“This public-private partnership will keep Long Beach at the forefront of emerging transportation technologies,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This project will showcase our city’s skilled workforce, provide more STEM learning opportunities for students, and represents our city’s continued commitment to building a technology focused ecosystem.”
The public-private project will span a period of 10 months and will include:
- Testing an intelligent intersection control system to safely adapt traffic signal timing at select intersections
- Data analysis from connected test vehicle fleets and existing physical sensors around the city to provide information that may improve future transportation policy and traffic engineering decisions
- A community youth workshop for Long Beach residents and students
In alignment with the Long Beach Accelerator Program, the partnership supports the City’s efforts to work with local businesses on leading edge technology and civic impact while also cultivating science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities for Long Beach students. Health and safety permitting, a community-based workshop will provide STEM education to local students, with an emphasis on under-resourced communities.
The project is also part of Long Beach’s Smart City Initiative to leverage data and technology as strategic tools to solve challenges and improve the lives of Long Beach residents.
The public-private partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Xtelligent reflects Long Beach’s vision to advance environmental sustainability and digital inclusion to ensure that everyone has equitable access and use of digital literacy training, the internet, technology devices and other digital inclusion resources. Solving transportation challenges is also a focus of Mercedes-Benz, and this unique partnership offers the ability to potentially solve very real issues — congestion and its associated emissions — in urban areas.
“We are excited to partner with Xtelligent and the City of Long Beach to research solutions to urban transportation challenges. With our test vehicle fleet, we hope to provide key data to optimize traffic signal timing and reduce congestion,” said Philipp Skogstad, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America.
Data protection is a top priority for Mercedes-Benz, Xtelligent and the City, and the parties are committed to using data responsibly. Mercedes-Benz and Xtelligent will only share test vehicle data with appropriate notices and consents, and any data that must be shared with third parties will be anonymized and aggregated. This project is a joint effort between the City’s Technology and Innovation Department, Public Works Department and Economic Development Department.
“This partnership represents the best of what a forward-thinking city, leading automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and innovative venture can uniquely enable when collaborating towards a common, worthwhile goal,” said Michael Lim, cofounder of Xtelligent. “We’re excited to use our collective resources to develop and demonstrate how technology can improve the liveability, vitality, and sustainability of Long Beach.”
Upon the pilot’s conclusion, the team will evaluate results and explore opportunities to scale the effort.
About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full- service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health and Human Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Development Services; Public Works and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, 12 libraries, five golf courses, 169 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths and a Bike Share program.