Challenge Statement

Yellowknife will experience a rise in our community’s social and environmental well-being by transforming the simple lamppost into a beacon for sustainability.

Summary

Our proposed concept is to make the lamppost a beacon for sustainability. The sustainability referenced in this challenge statement ranges from ecological to financial to social sustainability, which we will realize by incorporating a variety of technological innovations into the lampposts around our city to improve quality of life for our residents and visitors in several ways.

The first step will be creating a mesh network among our lampposts that allow them to communicate with each other and with a central location. From there, much like apps on a smart phone, a variety of innovative ideas could be incorporated into the lamppost to help us achieve our desired outcomes and to improve the sustainability of Yellowknife. These innovations will include smart lighting that can be motion activated or dimmed and brightened as needed, electric vehicle charging stations, data monitoring and collection, interactive tourism information, and Wi-Fi hotspots. This mesh network and technological innovations will help Yellowknife to become an innovative and adaptable Smart City with the ability to adapt with the times as technology advances.