The City of Opelika, Alabama, has quickly become one of the smartest small cities in America. What caused this small town, with just over 30,000 people, to be transformed into a smart computing powerhouse?
In 2017, Opelika faced an expensive and recurring vandalism problem at the downtown fountain. The city needed a way to prevent prank damage, especially when students dumped bubble solution into the fountain, damaging pumps and costing tens of thousands in repairs. That challenge sparked a broader conversation about proactive city monitoring. After a tragic drowning incident and rising public liability concerns, CIO Dr. Stephen Dawe began building a platform that could detect early signs of risk—whether it’s bubbles, intruders, weather threats or pollution.
