A collaborative project between the University of Notre Dame and the City of South Bend was recently awarded $1 million to support improvements to the city鈥檚 311 Call Center through the .
Partnering with the University鈥檚 , the City of South Bend will use the award to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to identify emerging service needs and develop innovative human鈥慶entered technologies to proactively deliver essential services.
By developing and testing a predictive model 鈥� a tool that uses past data to identify patterns and forecast future needs 鈥� the city hopes to be able to reach out to residents with targeted support, transforming the 311 service center from a reactive system into a data-driven proactive service that anticipates and addresses community needs before a request is made.
鈥淭he University of Notre Dame is committed to advancing data and AI for the social good,鈥� said , the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Notre Dame and Lucy Family Director for Data & AI Academic Strategy, who leads the University鈥檚聽. 鈥淭hrough Notre Dame鈥檚 Lucy Family Institute, and in partnership with the City of South Bend, we are developing responsible, human-centered technologies that help anticipate community needs, strengthen how essential services are delivered, and empower communities, organizations and individuals.鈥�
South Bend was among 24 city halls from 20 countries to receive the award. More than 600 ideas were聽 to the Mayor鈥檚 Challenge to address public service challenges, including housing, waste management, clean water, infrastructure and social inclusion.
In the city鈥檚 press release to announce the award, Mayor James Mueller emphasized how partnerships are transforming the local community. 鈥淚n partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and community partners, we are changing the way we deliver city services in South Bend,鈥� he said. 鈥淏y integrating new technologies with our frontline teams, we can spot problems earlier, act sooner and achieve better outcomes that will build greater trust with our residents.鈥�
In 2018, South Bend received its first Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge聽 to support the creation of Commuters Trust, a transportation-as-a-benefit program designed to expand access to reliable commuting options.
To learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, visit聽.
Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu