RALEIGH, NC. – Downtown Raleigh Alliance, IKE Smart City, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and members of Raleigh City Council unveiled new interactive kiosks called IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the intersection of Fayetteville Street and Martin Street yesterday. Designed to help residents and visitors explore Raleigh, the initiative brings innovative technology to the city. Six kiosk sites are currently live with an anticipated 15 sites total to be completed over the next few months as part of this initial deployment. The network will be installed throughout Downtown Raleigh.

The multilingual ADA-compliant kiosks offer an engaging experience through a suite of applications that support local area business, improve mobility, and provide valuable resources and services to Raleigh communities. Each IKE is programmed with geographic coordinates that automatically populate detailed directory listings with businesses including places to eat, shops, and activities situated within a customizable radius of the kiosk’s location. A multimodal trip planning application will help users navigate to destinations around downtown with mapping and real-time transit information.

When visiting other cities, IKE proved invaluable in helping us identify restaurants, museums and fun places to visit–not to mention information on transit. After my experience, I worked to bring them to Raleigh, and I’m excited they are finally here. These kiosks will provide valuable information to residents, conference goers, and tourists about our downtown businesses and events, improving their experience,” said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.

In addition to functioning as an interactive tour guide, IKE’s free Wi-Fi and easily accessible information on social services narrow the digital divide, and ambient lighting with an emergency call system improve public safety. IKE can disseminate critical public safety information as well as important community messages in a highly visible way.

“The IKE kiosks will significantly improve wayfinding for our businesses and destinations in downtown Raleigh,” said Bill King, President & CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance, “The capacity to update information digitally, in real time, provides much more functionality than static signage. It will connect storefront businesses and destinations across districts, provide real-time transit information, and direct those in need to support services.”

When not in use, IKE will display a dynamic mix of community, art, and commercial messaging. The double-sided kiosks will regularly exhibit new projects by local and international artists in collaboration with some of Raleigh’s most recognized cultural and arts organizations.

“We are excited to bring IKE to Raleigh, a city well-known for its creativity and innovative technology,” said Pete Scantland, CEO of IKE Smart City. “We look forward to the opportunity to activate the pedestrian experience and provide a public platform for local artists and programs.”

IKE Smart City is proud to support the production and presentation of public art through IKE’s ongoing programming mix. Recognized for empowering artists and making meaningful art more accessible, Curator/Artist Brittany Santiago, owner of YUM productions, is leading a launch project on IKE that features the commissioned works of Raleigh-based artists William Paul Thomas, Marriott Sheldon, Kyndall Owens, and Clarence Heyward.

IKE Smart City has also partnered with North Carolina Museum of History to promote its community event, Tar Heel Troubadours, which is part of the museum’s October to June Concert Series.

This digital kiosk initiative was approved by a unanimous vote at City Council at their April 19, 2022 meeting. Agreements were executed between the City, DRA, and IKE in November 2022 and per these agreements, a network of 15 to 20 kiosks will be located within City right-of-way. The kiosks are to be placed across Downtown Raleigh with IKE installing and maintaining the kiosks and DRA managing informational content. The kiosks do not require any money from the City of Raleigh or taxpayers for installation nor operation. IKE Smart City delivers and operates all aspects of the program with revenue generated by strictly controlled advertising content.

ABOUT DOWNTOWN RALEIGH ALLIANCE

DRA’s mission is advancing the vitality of Downtown Raleigh for everyone. DRA facilitates this mission through five goals: 1.) Improve downtown economy through recruitment, pop-ups, financial support, research, marketing & promotions. 2.) Advocate to make downtown a place for everyone that reflects evolving needs and interests of the community and lessons learned from the recent past. 3.) Make downtown an engaging place to live, work, and visit through safe activations that appeal to a wide variety of stakeholders. 4.) Improve and maintain the sense of safety and security in downtown through our Ambassador program, Social Services and work with RPD. 5.) Elevate and improve DRA’s internal organization and processes through improved database, project management, communication, financial stewardship, and planning.

ABOUT IKE SMART CITY

IKE Smart City pioneers smart city technology to improve lives in cities. The company was formed to develop and operate the premier interactive kiosk platform with the goal of building a wayfinding and city communication system for the digital age and delivering it in a self-sustaining business model at no cost to city partners. IKE kiosks help cities, business improvement districts, and destination marketing organizations connect with the public, encourage a pedestrian-oriented environment, and tell the story of their city. IKE is currently live in 17 cities: Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Berkeley, CA; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; Coral Gables, FL; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Houston, TX; Miami, FL; Phoenix, AZ: Raleigh, NC; San Antonio, TX; St. Louis, MO; Tampa, FL; and Tempe, AZ. Additional networks are in various stages of deployment in other cities nationwide. For more information, visit ikesmartcity.com.