City wins 2026 IDC Smart Cities North America Award

The City of Raleigh is again recognized for its innovation. Raleigh is one of the winners in the 2026 IDC Smart Cities North America competition. The award recognizes leading practices and innovation in state and local government projects. Winners and finalists demonstrate how technology innovation, partnership and community engagement can solve challenges.

Raleigh is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and residents consistently rank traffic as a top concern. To improve mobility and keep pace with growth, the City is transforming traffic management. It's converting live traffic camera video into data that supports smarter decisions. The goal for the project, called Raleigh in Motion, is to create smoother travel and safer streets for everyone.

The International Data Corporation awards celebrate the progress states, provinces, municipalities and educational institutions have made in executing Smart Cities projects. They also provide a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development. The 10 winners, one Overall winner, and 20+ finalists were honored during a reception at the Smart Cities Connect conference held in March in Raleigh, NC.

"We're honored to be recognized by IDC and Smart Cities Connect for 'Raleigh in Motion,'" said IT Assistant Department Director Beth Stagner. " By collaborating with companies such as NVIDIA, Esri, and Microsoft, we're pushing the boundaries of what computer vision and emerging technologies can do for cities. Together, we're using creativity and advanced technology to better understand urban activity and help solve real municipal challenges."

The Raleigh in Motion project uses AI-enabled video analytics. Thanks to AI, Raleigh can measure traffic patterns and detect disruptions without requiring staff to monitor camera feeds manually. Automated alerts enable transportation teams to quickly detect and address issues. They are also able to understand where congestion is forming, monitor lane use, and observe changes in conditions. These insights are integrated into the City's mapping environment, allowing staff to view traffic information alongside other mobility data to plan more effectively.

This initiative helps Raleigh improve safety, reduce delays, and make more informed transportation investments. Early results show video-derived traffic counts can be generated faster and with high accuracy. helping staff focus attention where it is most needed. By using existing traffic cameras in new ways, the City is delivering practical benefits to the community today while building a scalable foundation for smarter, more resilient transportation systems in the future.

Share