Providence Technology Group

When software engineer Bejoy Narayana was developing Bob.ai, an application to help automate Dallas-Fort Worth’s Section 8 voucher program, he stopped and asked himself, ‘‘Could this system be used to help some people more than others?” Bob.ai uses artificial intelligence, known as AI, and automation to help voucher holders find rental units, property owners complete contracting and housing authorities conduct inspections. The software and mobile app were released in 2018 in partnership with the Dallas Housing Authority, which gave Narayana access to data from some 16,000 Section 8 voucher holders. keep reading this article at gcn.com

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Grapes are California’s third-largest crop, valued at nearly $6 billion a year. There’s growing concern this season that there may not be enough people to work in the fields, but those workers may not be needed much longer. New research at UC Davis is showing robots can help replace manual laborers and even change the way wine tastes. California’s wine industry is threatened by pests, drought, and wildfires, but now a lack of labor is creating another worry for farmers. Keep reading this article at gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com.

Zeus Electric Chassis, a Class 3-8 electric work truck manufacturer, has announced its agreement with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to create a variety of zero-emissions electric work trucks. Each of the five unique vehicles in the first shipment will be configured to fit SMUD’s specific needs. Keep reading this article at automotive-fleet.com.

Back in 2013, Honda worked with UC-Davis to launch a smart home project that would consume zero net energy. It was a bold experiment and a technical IoT marvel. Human dwellers occupied the home along with over 230 built-in sensors. Both provided a wealth of data and feedback that yielded several surprising results. Foremost was the importance of collecting data in a real-life environment, analyzing it and then acting on that analysis to try out new conditions and improved technologies. Six years later, the data and details of this project have been compiled into 5 key lessons learned, which will be reviewed shortly. First, a bit of background on the beginnings of this project are needed. Before the smart house could be built, all aspects of its design, operation and sustainability had to b...[Read More]

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday that residents applying for a REAL ID can now provide their Social Security Number without needing documented proof that they have one. In response to security concerns following the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks, the REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 and established a minimum set of standards for state driver’s licenses and ID cards. The law also prevents federal agencies from accepting identification cards that don’t meet those standards, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Beginning in 2023, the DHS will require a federally-approved document, like a valid passport or a REAL ID, to board flights within the U.S. and enter military bases or other secured federal buildings, according to the DMV’s relea...[Read More]

Among many other things, Covid-19 has illustrated just how fragmented the U.S. healthcare system is and the lack of meaningful health information exchange capabilities at-scale between and among different stakeholders. The pandemic has also exposed the egregious lack of investment in the country’s public health infrastructure to date, the challenge of private and public institutions having to innovate at breakneck speeds, and the way in which technology platforms are bridging the gap. While not all fragmentation in healthcare is ‘bad’ — more independent physicians practices are a good thing when it comes to improving healthcare access and bringing down costs, for example — healthcare’s disparate, siloed nature is incredibly problematic when trying to coordinate activities, information and ...[Read More]

About twice a week, the $9.99 per month internet connection falters. It’s often as Mario Ramírez finally wrangles his kids into their seats — the fourth-grader studies in the bedroom he shares with his 12 year-old sister, who studies in her parents’ bedroom —  in time for virtual class.  The screens freeze — sometimes during online tests. At times the little one bursts into frustrated tears as they wait for their connection to resume, precious class time slipping away. Though he hides it from his kids, Ramírez’ frustration spikes too, along with fear: What if this is the year that his kids lose interest in their education? In Ramírez’ view, it’s their ticket to a life unburdened by the monthly rent panic that Ramírez has often faced since immigrating from Mexico nearly 30 years ago. Keep r...[Read More]

With police training programs across the country under intense scrutiny after Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction, one department in California is using several high-profile police killings of Black Americans as it trains the next generation of officers to better anticipate and respond to high-risk encounters. The Sacramento Police Department’s training techniques have been largely shaped by the police killing of Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old Black man, in the city in 2018. And graphic videos of recent fatal police shootings, including 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, and 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, are serving as teachable moments in the agency’s hands-on training program. Keep reading this article at CNN.com.

Prime Data Centers, a wholesale data center developer and operator, announces that it has signed an 8MW build-to-suit lease with a publicly traded global enterprise at Prime’s new McClellan Park campus in Sacramento. The tenant, a technology leader based in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked with Prime to complete the turnkey design and development of the 8MW facility. The flexible design enabled an increase of more than 30% to the original 6MW design. Serving millions of users and leading brands worldwide, the customer selected Prime’s McClellan Park facility due to its location and unique tax and power advantages. As a registered California Qualified Opportunity Zone and economic development site, Prime’s Sacramento data center presented multiple benefits to the client, including state s...[Read More]

People across the country sought more online services for work, education and health care during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before, leading to an unprecedented demand for digital expertise within state and local government agencies over the past year. To keep up with the public’s desire for information and online tools, Angie Quirarte, California’s deputy director of digital innovation, said her team worked 20-hour days, forged heaps of new inter-governmental collaborations and advocated for massive shifts of state and local resources to offer online support for residents. And they kept their sanity while doing it, she told StateScoop, even as the pandemic ensured that the work was never truly done. Keep reading this article at statescoop.com

We’re starting to reach the point at which drones are no longer seen as a novelty, but a versatile tool. Industry leaders have seen how the technology has developed and are keen to explore the potential unmanned vehicles can have to improve operations, enhance safety, and contribute to their success. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) adoption across new sectors doesn’t just mean more varied uses but also opportunities for engineers to improve current tech and develop new protocols and tools that make them more effective in their applications. Keep reading this article at techaeris.com

Healthy Davis Together wastewater monitoring operations, led by UC Davis researchers with support from the city’s Department of Public Works, has deployed newly arrived wastewater sampling equipment to 15 additional sample collection locations (nodes), expanding monitoring to more neighborhoods served by the city wastewater collection system. The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can be shed in the stool of infected individuals, including individuals who do not yet have symptoms or who never have symptoms. Regular testing of wastewater can detect spikes and be used as an early warning detection system so that action can be directed to individual testing efforts that help prevent spread. Keep reading this article at ucdavis.edu.