IBM debuts CityOne simulation game for urban planning

IBM Corp. has launched CityOne, an online interactive simulation game designed to enable local government officials find innovative solutions for energy, water, traffic, banking and retail problems in their communities.

Players can explore more than 100 simulated crisis scenarios in CityOne. The solutions must balance various financial, environmental, social and budgetary goals. The solutions include technologies such as business process management, service reuse, cloud computing and collaborative technologies.

More than 8,000 people have pre-registered to play CityOne, which went live on Oct. 4, according to a news release.

IBM collaborated with several organizations to bring content and resources to CityOne, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

“By cooperating with IBM CityOne developers, EPA is helping users by allowing them to more thoroughly investigate environmental issues and better understand complex energy and water interactions presented in the game,” Andy Miller, chief of the atmospheric protection branch, EPA research and development, said in the news release.

CityOne also allows for real-time communication with other players and with IBM industry experts about how the solutions relate to real-world implementations.

In recent years, IBM also has released serious games that include Innov8, which the company makes available free to more than 1,000 universities and schools. Farmer’s Insurance Group uses Innov8 in its training programs.

Among the most popular online and computer console simulation games are the Sim City series in which millions of players interact in virtual urban environments.