Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Supporting smart communities across Georgia

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A new program will help local governments across Georgia plan and implement smart development.

Georgia Tech is leading the effort that brings together industry and public agencies to support communities in their efforts to implement cutting-edge technologies.

The Georgia Smart Communities Challenge is open to large cities and smaller towns, which have not been as prominent in smart development because of a lack of access to resources.

The program, also called “Georgia Smart,” will provide seed funding and access to technical assistance, expert advice and a network of peers. A Georgia Tech researcher will advise each team and conduct research in support of their needs and goals.

“We’ve spent the past year in workshops and dialogue with local governments across Georgia to better understand their challenges and priorities,” said Debra Lam, managing director, Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation at Georgia Tech. “From these communications, we developed a program that is sensitive to the local context while fast-tracking smart communities. We aim to create more models for smart development that can be shared and applied across the state and beyond.”

Georgia Smart is seeking proposals in the areas of smart mobility and smart resilience. Applications are due May 1.

Local Georgia governments of any size — cities, counties or consolidated city-county governments — will lead selected teams. Each of the four winning teams will receive direct grant funding of up to $50,000, in addition to a required local match.

Georgia Power is the lead sponsor of the program, with additional financial support from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Additional partners include: Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Centers for Innovation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Municipal Association, Metro Atlanta Chamber and Technology Association of Georgia.

“Creating a better-connected Georgia requires research and collaboration from many stakeholders across every layer of the public and private sector,” said Christine Primmer, strategic manager of the Georgia Power Smart Cities initiative. “We are proud to be a leading partner in the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge as one component of our larger commitment to improving every community we serve while also building the future of energy with a more reliable and adaptive power grid.”

Smart community opportunities can help local governments and the entire region address multiple issues including mobility and economic development, said Doug Hooker, executive director, Atlanta Regional Commission.

“Community initiatives can be more successful through collaborative, people-focused approaches, and those qualities are what make the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge an important effort for the region,” Hooker said.

A series of workshops and webinars will take place in March and April, including an April 9 event on campus, to assist communities with the application process. Each team is required to send at least one representative to at least one of these events.

For more information about the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, click here.

Automotive and aerospace supplier conference to be held March 6-8 in Macon

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For the 3rd year, the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech is partnering with other organizations across the state to host the annual Supplier Opportunities for Aerospace & Automotive Resources (SOAR) Conference.

The conference provides opportunities for Aerospace, Automotive, and Defense Suppliers to meet with large Aerospace and Automotive OEMs to pitch your products and services.

By attending this conference and having one-on-one meetings with these large OEMs, you will have the chance to:

  • Meet with multiple companies within your industry
  • Pitch your product/service to large OEMs
  • Grow your business through new customers through these 15-minute Fast Pitch sessions
  • Hear from large OEMs on what they are looking for in suppliers
  • Attend development sessions to gain tips and tools to improve your business
Conference Details
  • Date: March 6 & 7 (Automotive Portion) / March 7 & 8 (Aerospace Portion)
  • Cost: Early Bird Registration is through Jan. 24. Cost is $125 to attend one portion (either Auto or Aero) or $225 to attend all 3 days
  • Location: Middle Georgia State University in Macon, GA
  • Register: http://bit.ly/2CSivSl   (If you would like to attend the one-on-one Fast Pitch sessions, on your registration form, mark “Yes” for that question.)

Don’t forget to register for this unique opportunity to meet with multiple OEMs in one day.

Focus of Feb. 20th Georgia Innovation Summit is emerging technology

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How will emerging technologies affect small businesses and what that sector will be like in the future?

That core question is the theme of the 2018 Georgia Innovation Summit, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta. (Register at this link: http://workforce.georgia.org/event/3rd-annual-innovation-summit/)

Now in its third year, the Georgia Innovation Summit is an annual gathering of the state’s top business, education, and government leaders who meet in a series of panel discussions to discuss emerging trends and innovations that will affect businesses of all sizes across Georgia.

The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection — in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Centers of Innovation, and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) — is presenting this year’s summit.

Keynote speakers include Jen Bonnett, general manager of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), and David Justice, the Georgia Centers of Innovation’s executive director.

“Emerging technologies are rapidly shaping and changing not only the types of businesses that are being created, but also how business itself is being done,” said EI2 vice president Chris Downing.

“The topics and themes we’ll be exploring this year reflect that understanding and will help attendees better understand how they can incorporate and use emerging technologies to drive business forward.”

Among the topics is financial technology (FinTech), an important sector in Georgia’s economy. Jeff Gapusan, ATDC’s FinTech catalyst, will moderate a panel discussion titled “FinTech’s Impact on Your Business.”

The industry is big in Georgia with 70 percent of the $5.3 trillion in annual U.S. card spending being processed through companies in Georgia. “FinTech isn’t static,” Downing said. “There’s constant disruption in this sector which is affecting everything from traditional banking to retail. This panel features the thought leaders in this space who are driving that innovation.”

Other panel topics include the Internet of Things (IoT), dealing with cybersecurity, and connecting businesses with the resources they need to navigate the ever-changing business climate.

Georgia Tech researchers awarded $7.5 million from ONR for secure stack

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A team of Georgia Tech researchers from the School of Computer Science (SCS) has been awarded $7.5 million from the Office of Naval Research to develop a customized attack-resistant software stack.

SCS Assistant Professor Bill Harris is the principal investigator on the project and is collaborating with Professors Wenke Lee and Alessandro Orso, Associate Professor Santosh Pande, and Assistant Professor Taesoo Kim.

The researchers are working on a technique for reducing what’s known as the attack surface, the total number of ways in which a program can be vulnerable to exploit. Most general-purpose software includes code that not every user needs, and unused code can create an opportunity for exploit for an attacker. Through this research, users will be able to run software in which unneeded code is removed, thus decreasing the vulnerability of the programs they use.

Lee compares the project to a house. “When you build a house, you only really need one door, but the house may still have multiple doors. The number of doors increases the opportunity to break in,” Lee said. “If you only have one door, your house is more secure.”

In order to do this, the researchers are looking at the full stack of software systems, including applications, operating systems, and possibly Internet of Things devices. They are planning to use static and dynamic analysis techniques to determine which pathways through the system different users need. Each researcher has a specific area of expertise:

  • Pande’s focus on compilers will help determine what essential code must be loaded for each user during application execution.
  • Harris’s expertise with static analysis will provide guarantees that the software maintains its integrity despite removed code.
  • Orso will use dynamic analysis and testing techniques to confirm the modified system still functions as expected.
  • Kim will use his expertise in systems to determine which modules can be removed from the operating system without compromising its functionality.
  • Lee will focus on the aspects related to security and use his expertise to analyze and experiment with malware.

Overall, the five researchers have the set of complementary skills needed for the project to be successful. Over the five-year life of the grant, the researchers expect to develop a series of approaches for reducing attack surface that anyone can use on complex systems, as well on low-level code.

“Going back to the house metaphor, the problem is that different people want to use different doors,” Orso says. “Our research will allow users to customize the house for each person so that it contains only the door that person needs.”

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/01/12/georgia-tech-researchers-awarded-75-million-office-naval-research-secure-stack

ATDC taking applications for fall 2017 venture showcase road trip

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The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, is now accepting applications from high-growth technology startups for its upcoming Dec. 4, 2017 Venture Showcase Roadtrip to New York City.

The application period is open from Oct. 2 through 5 p.m. on Oct. 20, and any Georgia-headquartered technology company raising a Series A round or higher is eligible.  The 10 selected companies will be notified Oct. 27 after the selection committee has reviewed all applicants.

The Venture Showcase Roadtrip is co-hosted by Morris, Manning & Martin, Silicon Valley Bank, Venture Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Aprio.

Those interested in applying should send a one-page executive summary to ATDC Assistant Director Jane McCracken at jane@atdc.org.

The initiative is an offshoot of the ATDC’s Investor Connect program, and allows funders — from angels to venture capitalists and other later-stage investors — to network with the highly vetted, market disruptive companies in ATDC’s Signature and Accelerate portfolios.

David Thomas headshot
David Thomas, founder and CEO of Evident, an ATDC Signature portfolio company.

“The Venture Showcase Roadtrip introduces investors to a carefully curated group of companies to foster meaningful and targeted conversations and connections, as well as give the venture firms a sense of the caliber of technology startups in Georgia,” McCracken said. “Our inaugural roadtrip to the West Coast earlier this year is a perfect example of the kinds of connections we facilitate.”

In that trip to San Francisco, 11 Georgia companies met with a group of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Evident, an ATDC Signature portfolio company, met with New Enterprise Associates (NEA). That initial connection resulted in NEA becoming the lead investor in Evident’s recent $8.8 million Series A round.

“The San Francisco trip was an important milestone for our company. The ATDC name got us in front of an extremely selective and highly sought after group of venture capitalists eager to meet quality, disruptive companies,” said David Thomas, Evident’s founder and CEO. “It facilitated a critically important series of initial meetings that ultimately led to our successful Series A.”

ABOUT ATDC:

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

Integrating veterans into your workplace

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Are you looking to expand your workforce?  Or have you always wanted to hire veterans but didn’t know where to start?

Learn more about our VET² (Veterans Education Training and Transition) program and how you can help area soldiers find meaningful employment at our upcoming Learners & Leaders session.

Join Georgia Tech Professional Education in Savannah on Thursday, October 19, to hear from Col. Jason Wolter, Garrison Commander, Ft. Stewart; Mike Tucker, director, Coastal Workforce Board; Brad Patterson, HR manager, Comcast; a recently transitioned service member from Ft. Stewart/HAAF; and Dr. James Wilburn, Military Programs director, Georgia Tech Professional Education. Learn how the program has evolved over the last 5 years, what soldiers are learning, and why this is important to area employers.

Breakfast & networking at 7:30 a.m.; program runs 8:00-9:30 a.m.  The cost is only $15.

Click here for more details and to register: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/learning-series-integrating-veterans-your-workplace 

Over the next three years, as many as 60,000 military members are expected to return to Georgia. If we’re lucky, these veterans will continue to live and work in Georgia and contribute to the area’s economic viability!

Transit supply chain forum to be held Oct. 11th

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On Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, a Transit Industry Supply Chain Connectivity Forum is being held for the purpose of bringing large transit original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) together with smaller, qualified and interested U.S. manufacturers in an effort to facilitate the use of a higher percentage of domestic suppliers in transit products and systems.

The Forum offers a venue for smaller manufacturers to learn what products are needed and find out more about investments they need to consider when entering the transit industry.

As part of the Forum, time will be allocated for ten-minute introductory, private meetings between participating OEMs and prospective suppliers. Participating suppliers can include both current transit industry suppliers, and potential new suppliers.

OEMs currently confirmed to participate include: Alexander Dennis, Kiepe Electric Inc., Siemens, and United Rail, Inc.   Others may be added at a later date.

Some of the products the OEMs will be sourcing include:  Wiring Harnesses, Driver’s Display, Wiper System, Variable Frequency Drives, DC-DC Converter, Switches, Suspension Components, Steering Column, Brakes & Brake Valves, Brake Pedals, Stanchions, Overhead Lighting Panels, Flooring, Passenger and Drivers Seating, Destination Signs, ADA Ramp, HVAC Systems, Bike Rack, Fire Suppression, High and Low Voltage Cable, Connectors, Terminals, Plugs, Sensors, Lugs, Relays, Latches, Hinges, Springs Filters, Headlights, Paint, and Design Services.

This event is held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Annual Meeting and Expo, October 8-11, 2017 which will take place in the Georgia World Congress Center, Building C, Rooms C205 & C206, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Partners for this event include the National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST), Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The Forum will be held between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.  There is a $25 registration fee, and breakfast and lunch will be provided.  Register at: http://ow.ly/KIW730fpvpe

Questions?  Contact Tim Israel, GaMEP Associate Director, at Tim.Israel@innovate.gatech.edu or 770-354-3809.

New research may improve communications during natural disasters

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Storms like Hurricane Irma and other natural disasters bring with them lots of uncertainty – where will they go, how much damage will they cause. But, what is certain is that no matter where they strike, natural disasters knock out power.

And, no power means no internet for thousands of people in affected areas.

However, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are proposing a new way of gathering and sharing information during natural disasters that does not rely on the internet.

Using computing power built into mobile phones, routers, and other hardware to create a network, emergency managers and first responders will be able to share and act on information gathered from people impacted by hurricanes, tornados, floods, and other disasters.

“Increasingly, data gathered from passive and active sensors that people carry with them, such as their mobile phones, is being used to inform situational awareness in a variety of settings,” said Kishore Ramachandran, computer science professor at Georgia Tech.

“In this way, humans are providing beneficial social sensing services. However, current social sensing services depend on internet connectivity since the services are deployed on central cloud platforms.”

In a paper presented earlier this year at the 2nd International Workshop on Social Sensing, the Georgia Tech research team detailed how it may be possible to access these centralized services using a decentralized network that leverages the growing amount of computing power at the “edge” of the internet.

This ability will give a huge advantage to first responders.

In a flooded area, for example, search and rescue personnel using a geo-distributed network would be able to continuously ping enabled phones, sensors, and other devices in an area to determine their exact locations. The data is used to create density maps of people in that search region. These maps are then used to prioritize and guide emergency response teams.

The Georgia Tech proposal takes advantages of edge computing. Also known as fog computing, edge computing places more processing capabilities in sensing devices – like surveillance cameras, embedded pavement sensors, and others, as well as in consumer devices like cell phones, readers, and tablets – in order to improve network latency between sensors, apps, and users.

Rather than just being able to communicate through the internet with central cloud platforms, the Georgia Tech team has demonstrated that by harnessing edge computing resources, sensing devices can be enabled to identify and communicate with other sensors in an area.

“We believe fog computing can become a potent enabler of decentralized, local social sensing services that can operate when internet connectivity is constrained,” said Ramachandran.

“This capability will provide first responders and others with the level of situational awareness they need to make effective decisions in emergency situations.”

The team has proposed a generic software architecture for social sensing applications that is capable of exploiting the fog-enabled devices. The design has three components – a central management function that resides in the cloud, a data processing element placed in the fog infrastructure, and a sensing component on the user’s device.

The researchers say that it is not enough to simply run a centralized social sensing service on a number of parallel fog nodes.

“Rather, the social sensing service has to become a distributed service capable of discovering available fog nodes and building a network that aggregates and shares information between social sensors that are connected to different fog nodes,” said computer science Ph.D. student Harshit Gupta.

Beyond emergency response during natural disasters, the team believes its proposed fog architecture can also benefit communities with limited or no internet access. These include applications for public transportation management, job recruitment, and housing.

Another possible application of the new approach is monitoring sensing devices in remote areas.

To monitor far-flung devices in areas with no internet access, a bus could be outfitted with fog-enabled sensing capabilities. As it travels in remote areas it would collect data from sensing devices. Once in range of internet connectivity, the “data mule” bus would upload the information to the centralized cloud-based platforms.

“In places that did not benefit from the first wave of cloud-based social sensing services, our hope is that these communities can leapfrog having to rely solely on the internet and directly use fog-based services,” said Ramachandran.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/09/08/new-research-may-improve-communications-during-natural-disasters

Georgia Tech midtown Atlanta campus closed Sept. 11-12 in anticipation of tropical storm

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With sustained tropical force winds and heavy rainfall anticipated for metro Atlanta as a result of Hurricane Irma, Georgia Tech has cancelled classes and is closing the midtown Atlanta campus on Monday and Tuesday, September 11-12, 2017.  

This action is in accordance with the governor’s Sunday announcement that state government offices will be closed.

Accordingly, client appointments and seminars originally scheduled by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) to take place on the midtown Atlanta campus on Monday and Tuesday, September 11-12, 2017 have been cancelled.

Georgia Tech’s Office of Emergency Preparedness will continue to monitor the storm’s path. Complete updates regarding the storm’s impact on campus operations will be posted to gatech.edu/irma.

For more information regarding Georgia Tech’s hazardous weather protocols: http://www.gatech.edu/emergency/weather

 

 

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