News Flash

Nov. 10, 2020 - The City of Hampton has been named a Top 10 Digital City in its size category. This is the 18th time out of 20 years that Hampton has been on the national Top 10 list for innovative strategies. 

"Digital transformation will be key to our success as a city. We are well on our way with network infrastructure expansion to support voice, video and data,” said Information Technology Director Wayne Davis. "We are beginning the process of becoming a smart city with the installation of smart poles at the walking trail at YH Thomas."

Hampton competes with other cities with populations between 125,000 and 249,999. The award is presented annually by the  Center for Digital Government. Center Co-Director Phil Bertolini highlighted the importance: “Innovative cities are utilizing technology and analyzing data to better serve their citizens, respond quickly to citizen needs around COVID-19, and support digital experience initiatives.”

"The consistency of being named 18 times as a city that has one of the best emerging practices in the nation is an honor," said Robin McCormick, marketing and outreach director. “It highlights that Hampton is continually improving and innovating for the benefit of our citizens.” 

In citing Hampton as a Top 10 city, the Center for Digital Government wrote:" Hampton, Va., has been making good progress with its core infrastructure, including an ongoing project to connect all city facilities with a fiber ring that will reduce its reliance on third-party services while providing more bandwidth for voice, video and data. Recently it  invested in machine virtualization, achieving 94 percent virtualization of its data center, as well as upgraded routers, switches, firewalls and email security. Plans for a new emergency operations center are underway as well.

"The city has leaned in on good communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, using many channels to reach and engage with citizens. with continued access for citizens to city council meetings, town hall meetings and candidate forums for local elections by setting up livestream capabilities.” They also praised cross-departmental reach, saying that the Marketing & Outreach team has "worked with other agencies such as economic development and health and human services to set up new websites where citizens can find services, resources and information they might have normally accessed in person."

Additionally, “the city also completed a smart technology project along a local walking trail near underused public spaces. To address safety concerns in the area, Hampton set up 15 solar-powered light poles equipped with Wi-Fi, sensors that brighten and dim lights when people approach, call buttons connected to the police department, and a 360-degree-view camera.