Chesapeake is latest to explore smart city options

The larger a city, the larger its infrastructure -- like roads and bridgeways and waterways -- and the harder it is to keep track of everything that's going on. Layer onto that a business climate that supports more than 80 companies based in 19 nations OTHER than the United States, and you have a recipe for municipal madness.

That's the challenge faced by Chesapeake, Virginia, which covers more than 353 square miles and manages more "deep water canals" than any other city in the nation. The city government decided it was time to get a better handle on these assets, and it has started by spending approximately $1.2 million across facilities, parks and recreation land, transportation systems, public utilities and works, and technology to do so.

IBM is one of its partners in this endeavor. Specifically, Chesapeake is installing IBM Maximo software, which will be used for asset and maintenance tasks in Public Utilities, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, the Police Department and Facilities Management.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com