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The Global Community Technology Challenge (GCTC) is a U.S. smart cities and communities program led by the Smart Connected Systems Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The GCTC was formed in 2014 as a partnership of cities and communities, local and state government agencies, business enterprises, non-governmental organizations, universities, and research institutes dedicated to improving the urban environment through the integration of digital technologies.
The GCTC program has recently published its first Strategic Plan (2024-2026), which describes a 3-year program of research and development and reaffirms a continuing collaboration between the federal smart cities program led by NIST and communities, cities, and regions across the country. The GCTC Strategic Plan is built on three key goals:
- Establish a research-based, scientific foundation for the NIST Smart Cities Infrastructure program, the GCTC, and the broader smart cities community.
- Broaden the scope and agenda for smart cities to address current challenges and achieve the equitable distribution of outcomes for community residents, businesses, and organizations.
- Enhance the national public-private partnership of smart city programs, research institutions, private sector enterprises, and the next generation of community leaders, scientists, and researchers.
The GCTC is organized into twelve Technology Sectors, corresponding with city infrastructure systems, services, and programs that can benefit from the integration of advanced digital technologies to improve overall quality of life for community residents.
NIST is seeking public comment on the new strategy and will review all stakeholder comments, with a final version of this document to be published this Spring after modifications are made to address the received feedback. The GCTC Strategic Plan is available as a free download from the NIST Special Publication library as an Initial Public Draft and available for public comment until 29 February 2024. Your input is requested! Instructions for submitting comments to GCTCinfo [at] nist.gov (GCTCinfo[at]nist[dot]gov) on the Strategic Plan appear on page i of the document, which may be accessed directly at: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1900-207.ipd