Baltimore, MD "Smart City" Documentation (Baltimore City Information & Technology)
| Multi Request | Baltimore, MD "Smart City" Documentation |
| Submitted | Dec. 17, 2020 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Rebecca Williams
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
This request for contract documents related to all smart city technology purchased or in operation by this agency for the period from 1/1/2015 - present.
These smart city technologies include any contract document that contains:
- The terms “smart city.”
- Internet of Things (IoT) technologies (such as connected sensors, lights, and meters that collect data).
- Mobility data collection (such as “intelligent transportation system" or rideshare or cell-phone location data agreements).
- Video technologies (such as “closed-circuit television,” traffic, security, or streetlight cameras).
Specifically, I am requesting contract documents to which this agency and any smart city technology vendor are parties. These materials include:
- Any lists of related contracts.
- Any contracts, including any pilot, proof-of-concept, and public-private partnership agreements.
- Any data purchase, licensing, or exchange agreements.
- Any privacy policies or terms of use/service.
- Any vendor distribution lists for related requests for proposals.
If another office would be a more appropriate destination for this request, I would be happy to forward this request according to your direction. If additional agencies or jurisdictions would also have responsive or associated materials, the provision of the names of those entities would also be appreciated.
These records will be used to inform research on “smart city system” best practices as part of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project that culminates in May 2020. To accommodate this deadline and inclusion in analysis please expedite this request so that it is filled by February 2020. Because of our not-for-profit status and the fact that this request is about a matter in the public interest, I request a fee waiver. If you have any questions or would like to discuss narrowing the request, please contact me directly at rebeccawilliams@hks.harvard.edu or (857) 400-0323.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Williams
From: Rebecca Williams
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maryland Public Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 17, 2020. I am analyzing records from other cities and would like to include Austin in this research. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
Rebecca Williams
From: Baltimore City Information & Technology
Rebecca Williams,
The Baltimore City Department of Information Technology ("BCIT") is in receipt of your attached records request. The Maryland Public Information Act ("PIA"), codified in Sections 4-101 et seq. of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code governs your request. A request for public information under the PIA must be submitted to the custodian of public records. Md. Code, Gen. Prov., § 4-202(a). Each governmental entity is the custodian of its own records. See Baltimore City Code, Art. 1 § 10-1. This response is on behalf of BCIT.
The search for the documents you have requested and their review will take more than 10-days due to the volume of documentation you requested and the fact that many City personnel are teleworking due to the pandemic. Once the documents are gathered, I will then know the volume of the responsive documentation. The PIA allows the government to charge for any time past two hours that it takes to gather, review and redact, if necessary, any documents requested at the rate of the employee performing the work after giving the first two hours labor for free. Md. Code, Gen. Prov., § 4-206; accord Md. Public Information Act Compliance Board Opinion 16-05. A conservative estimate of my hourly rate without benefits is $37.24. I estimate that I could review and redact about a hundred documents an hour. If there are a substantial number of documents to review that will take me more than two hours, I will let you know of the cost and where to send payment, which is required before any documents will be reviewed. See, e.g., Ireland v. Shearin, 417 Md. 401, n. 412, n.8 (2010).
I will let you know as soon as the documents are gathered if there will be any charges associated with your request.
Nothing in this response is intended to indicate that any records sought from City agencies exist or to waive any privileges held by the Mayor and City Council. You may contest this response by filing a complaint in Circuit Court pursuant to PIA Section § 4-362.
Sincerely,
[cid:image001.png@01D726FA.371BFEA0]<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimorecity.gov%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C30cdb7bb0c884a02753f08d850e6da31%7C312cb126c6ae4fc2800d318e679ce6c7%7C0%7C0%7C637348299709101716&sdata=sW1M42iVg4NQG2bFFjuvtdyi%2Fz6FRx8FpMNLVVaSk18%3D&reserved=0>
Department of Law
D'ereka Bolden
Assistant City Solicitor
Advice & Opinions Practice Group
Baltimore City Department of Law
100 N. Holliday Street, Suite 101
Baltimore, MD 21202
dereka.bolden@baltimorecity.gov<mailto:dereka.bolden@baltimorecity.gov>
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From:
Hi Dereka,
Given the large breadth of my request and this rate, would be possible to refine my "smart city" contract documentation request to just documents that mention these vendors/names and get a final invoice:
* Persistent Surveillance Systems
* Open Mobility Foundation or Lacuna
* Under Armor or Kevin Plank
* Citiwatch
* ABB
* Cisco
* Itron
Thank you in advance for your help.
—
Rebecca Williams
Fellow, Technology & Public Purpose Project
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Harvard Kennedy School
+1-413-387-8268
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From: Baltimore City Information & Technology
Rebecca Williams,
As you know, the Baltimore City Department of Information Technology ("BCIT") is in receipt of your attached records request. The Maryland Public Information Act ("PIA"), codified in Sections 4-101 et seq. of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code governs your request.
This response is on behalf of BCIT, which is not the custodian for the records you requested regarding "smart city technology", and has no records that are responsive to your request. Please direct your request to the custodian of records in the Department of Finance, as well as the Baltimore City Board of Estimates, which may have records responsive of your request. A list of all record custodians in the State of Maryland, including Baltimore City agencies, can be found at the following link: http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/OpenGov%20Documents/Appendix_J.pdf
Nothing in this response is intended to indicate that any records sought from City agencies exist or to waive any privileges held by the Mayor and City Council. You may contest this response by filing a complaint in Circuit Court pursuant to PIA Section § 4-362.
Sincerely,
D'ereka Bolden
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From:
Thanks I have reached out the bureau of procurement.
—
Rebecca Williams
Fellow, Technology & Public Purpose Project
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Harvard Kennedy School
+1-413-387-8268
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