Digital Kiosks for Smart City – Analysis

Digital Kiosks for Smart City

We see these digital kiosks for smart city projects at least once a month. Today Dallas issued one and it bears analysis to understand.  We run a separate Smart City website and LinkedIn group for Smart Cities. We post RFPs and RFIs there.

Quick notes

• 150 kiosks in play
• potential $770K payoff to cancel CBS Group (in place since 2006)
• All costs are borne by deployer + 12% cut of advertising revenue to city
• Resembles 2018 RFP (see link below). Apparently no takers?
• Accessibility – a cursory nod to “should be in compliance and your problem if not”  — Accessibility, usability and inclusion – creating a welcoming and inclusive technology for our community at large. Kiosks must be accessible to persons with disabilities and adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) and other relevant legal requirements; including, but not limited to, serving individuals with visual and/or hearing impairments.
• Texas has some odd “blacklists”

Who Are The Usual Suspects?

• OBM (Orange Barrel Media) with its IKE kiosks, 19 cities and 500 kiosks. Double-sided 65″ at 3000 NITS. 100 employees
• CityBridge (LinkNYC) — Intersection and Boldyn are partners. Started in 2014 and supposed to have 7500 kiosks in NYC by 2023.  Currently there are 2,000.  NYC expected $500M in revenue but in 2021 CityBridge defaulted $70M payment. They restructured the franchise agreement and haven’t disclosed the revised agreement. LinkNYC revenue is estimated between $5M and $1M a year.  See recent news on LinkNYC facelift
  • 78% of New Yorkers see LinkNYC content and ads every week5.
  • The network generates more than two billion ad impressions every month5.

• CIVIQ Smartscapes: Offers smart kiosk solutions designed to address urban needs such as improving city mobility, wayfinding, public Wi-Fi, emergency alert systems, smart lighting, and environmental monitoring13.

• Smart City Media: Provides a platform for Internet and mobile applications, IoT sensors, and location-based media to engage local residents, empower small businesses, and help tourists13.

• SmartLINK: Offers kiosks that provide event monitoring, security alerting, Wi-Fi, wayfinding, communications, environmental monitoring, and traffic study solutions13.

• Soofa: Uses a web-based platform allowing locals to share information and cities to communicate directly with residents about local events and emergencies1

Premise:

The City of Dallas is seeking proposals from qualified firms with extensive experience in designing, implementing, fabricating, installing, operating, maintaining, replacing, upgrading, and removing interactive digital kiosks. These kiosks will be primarily located on City of Dallas sidewalks and other rights-of-way and public areas in locations as approved by the City. The kiosks will provide information of interest to both residents and visitors.

The city is seeking a ten-year contract agreement with up to two (2) five-year renewal options subject to vendor contractual compliance. The City reserves the right to negotiate a term other than referenced above if it adds value to the City. The City and the selected vendor will mutually agree upon the final contract term.

An interactive digital kiosk terminals featuring specialized components that provide access to information and applications for emergency notification, communications, commerce, entertainment, navigation, event promotion, activities, education, and services for residents and visitors that are available to the public to be used at locations throughout the City of Dallas

IV. Scope of Work

The City of Dallas is seeking proposals from qualified firms with extensive experience in designing, implementing, fabricating, installing, operating, maintaining, replacing, upgrading, and removing interactive digital kiosks. These kiosks should provide information, including (but not limited to) services for residents and visitors, activities, and upcoming events. The kiosks will primarily be located on City of Dallas sidewalks and other public right-of-way areas in business districts and other locations approved by the City including but not limited to parks, trail entry points, convention center district locations, etc. The determination of the suitability of any location for placement of a digital kiosk shall be made solely by the City. Approval of each kiosk location is subject to the sole approval of the City, which approval may be withheld or delayed for any reason at City’s sole discretion.

All services and responsibilities of the digital kiosk vendor as described herein will be provided at no cost to the City of Dallas. The awarded firm(s) will be responsible for the design, implementation, fabrication, installation, operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of all kiosks and kiosk components. City reserves the right to annually audit the selected vendor’s compliance with the agreement, including a third-party audit of the selected vendor. The selected vendor shall agree to allow City or its agent access to any materials necessary to conduct such an audit.
The kiosks shall serve the following public purposes, at a minimum:
1. Wayfinding – providing information regarding civic and cultural institutions, transit amenities, restaurants, retail, and other business
2. Public information and emergency messaging – serving as a central dissemination point for public information to enable real-time posting of City communications
3. Increased vibrancy and visual interest of City streets – promoting placemaking in Dallas through City events and programming

Creating a supportive environment for retail and entertainment commerce – furthering economic development within our community

Enhanced visitor experience and brand perception of Dallas

Accessibility, usability and inclusion – creating a welcoming and inclusive technology for our community at large

Kiosk Requirements

• Kiosks must support English and Spanish at a minimum, and additional language selections shall be included if requested by City to address community needs.

• Kiosks must be accessible to persons with disabilities and adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) and other relevant legal requirements; including, but not limited to, serving individuals with visual and/or hearing impairments.

• Kiosks shall accept content in various formats, including Adobe PDF, documents created using Microsoft Office Suite, web links, maps, images, and other content and formats from the City for presentation on the kiosks.

• Kiosks must include interactive, easy-to-use features that appeal to a broad population with ease of navigation.

• Kiosks will provide Wi-Fi internet service free of charge to the public for a minimum radius of 150 feet around each kiosk, with bandwidth and IP connections sufficient to support a minimum of 100 users at each kiosk, scalable at up to 200 users in high-traffic areas. Kiosk providing free Wi-Fi internet service must include a City of Dallas Terms of Service “Splash Page” prior to access. Kiosks must provide capability for: (a) wired connectivity with a minimum 1 gigabyte connection speed; (b) cellular provider sim network card via integrated hardware of the proposed solution; or (c) standard 4G/5G cellular via hotspot or cradle point (or similar) device. Proposed solutions must be capable of supporting streaming video based on the standards associated with each connectivity type. Proposers shall include detailed network connectivity specifications including: (a) any minimum upload/download requirements; (b) device connection types for each of the capability methods described above; (c) provide list of cellular provider exclusions, if any exist; (d) LAN port specifications.

• The selected vendor will be responsible for all actions and expenses required to secure site approvals, permits, electrical access, installation, repair, and any other cost required to install, maintain, or operate the kiosks. Likewise, the selected vendor will be responsible for all actions and costs required to restore damage created or caused by the vendor or its agents or employees, or damage created or caused by the kiosks. Vendor shall be responsible for restoration of all city right of way or other property to a condition acceptable to City upon removal of any kiosk, either during the term of the agreement or at the end of the term of the agreement.

Kiosk Number and Location. The selected vendor may install up to one hundred and fifty (150) kiosks at locations approved by the City in its sole discretion. No more than fifty (50) kiosks may be installed in any one calendar year.

1. Special Requirements

As a condition to awarding this agreement, and upon execution of the agreement with the City, the selected proposer may be required to pay the City an amount equal to the termination fee payable by the City under the City’s existing static kiosk agreement with CBS Outdoor Group, Inc., dated January 3, 2006. If the City chooses to terminate the existing static kiosk agreement, the termination fee as of the date of this solicitation is estimated at $770,833.33, and the successful proposer will pay no more than this amount. The final payment amount will be determined by City prior to contract execution. If payment of this fee changes the terms of your proposal, please indicate what those changes would be. The early termination fee is reduced by $20,833.33 per month until the termination by expiration is reached on June 30, 2028.

Here is the actual RFP for review — 01 – Digital Kiosks Specifications

Related Digital Kiosk Smart City Links

• Smart City Kiosks Project Dallas – Example RFP
• Top Innovators 2018
• Smart City ADA – Kiosk Manufacturer Association
• Smart City Kiosk News – New Peerless-AV double-sided Outdoor

Addendum

ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design have several key differences:

Scope and Definition

The 2010 Standards expanded the definition of “disability” to include major bodily functions, not just limitations in major life activities9.

The 2010 Standards broadened the scope of the ADA, increasing the number and types of persons protected under the law6.

Technical Requirements

Reach ranges: The 2010 Standards changed the maximum reach range to 48 inches for both front and side approaches, compared to the 1991 Standards which allowed 54 inches for side approaches11.

Toilet centerline: The 2010 Standards allow a range of 16-18 inches from the side wall to the center of the toilet, whereas the 1991 Standards required an absolute 18 inches11.

Clear floor space: The 2010 Standards increased the clear-floor-space requirements for water closets in toilet rooms11.

Additional Provisions

The 2010 Standards include new requirements for elements not covered in the 1991 Standards, such as recreation facilities, play areas, and swimming pools8.

The 2010 Standards introduced a “safe harbor” provision for elements that complied with the 1991 Standards before March 15, 20128.

The 2010 Standards added provisions addressing ticketing, service animals, communications, and mobility devices like Segways11.

Implementation

The 2010 Standards provided an 18-month grace period for implementation, similar to the original ADA, allowing facilities to choose between the 1991 and 2010 Standards during this time11.

The 2010 Standards became mandatory on March 15, 2012, setting new minimum requirements for newly designed, constructed, or altered facilities4.

These changes reflect an effort to broaden the ADA’s protections, clarify technical requirements, and address new accessibility concerns that have emerged since the original act was passed in 1990.

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Addendum Texas Laws

Texas has implemented measures that allow for the cancellation or avoidance of contracts with entities that boycott energy companies, specifically those in the oil and gas industry.

In August 2022, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced a list of financial companies that boycott energy companies3. Under Texas Government Code Chapter 809, these listed companies are subject to divestment provisions. This means that state entities may be required to divest from or avoid contracts with companies on this list.

The law defines a financial company as a publicly traded financial services, banking, or investment company. After extensive research, the Comptroller’s office identified 10 financial companies and nearly 350 individual investment funds that are subject to these provisions3.

Texas has implemented a similar policy regarding gun rights, alongside its measures protecting oil and gas interests. The state has enacted laws that restrict government entities from doing business with companies that discriminate against the firearms industry13.

In 2021, Texas passed SB 19, which prohibits state agencies and political subdivisions from contracting with companies that endorse discriminatory practices and policies aimed at firearm industries, including the ammunition industry, or firearm trade associations5.

This law has had significant impacts:

1. Major lenders have left the Texas municipal bond market because they wouldn’t support the manufacturing of AR-15 style weapons1.

2. The reduced competition in the bond market has reportedly cost Texas taxpayers an estimated $300 to 500 million in extra interest1.

3. Companies contracting with Texas governmental entities must verify in writing that they do not and will not discriminate against firearm entities or firearm trade associations during the term of the contract4.

These measures apply to contracts valued at $100,000 or more4. The policy aims to protect the firearms industry from what Texas lawmakers perceive as discrimination by financial institutions and other companies adopting ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies13.

It’s worth noting that as of February 2025, these laws continue to be in effect and have influenced business practices in Texas, despite the additional costs to taxpayers.