Civic Launchpad

Join the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance for this virtual event SERIES showcasing civic innovation projects in Colorado that are about to take off!

This event series takes place every other month, beginning in August 2025, on the last Wednesday of the month. Upcoming dates include:

• October 29, 2025

• *No December convening

• February 25, 2026

• April 29, 2026

• June 24, 2026

The October Civic Launchpad event will highlight the innovative approach used by Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management to model wildfire evacuation planning in partnership with Ladris, as well as taking a look at global public infrastructure digital twins use cases with Mike Marsh, who leads the Smart World business unit across the Midwest, CO and AZ at L&T Technology Services.

Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management/Ladris Project Description: 

Wildfires in the western United States are rapidly evolving—becoming larger, more destructive, and increasingly urban in character. Traditional approaches to evacuation planning are often insufficient when fire behavior intersects with complex urban areas, limited infrastructure, and high population density. To address these challenges, the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management is developing an advanced evacuation plan that is locally informed, data-driven, and grounded in lessons learned from previous incidents.

At the core of this effort is the use of Ladris evacuation modeling, which allows planners to simulate a variety of evacuation scenarios under different conditions. These models help identify chokepoints, test assumptions, and design strategies that improve evacuation times and overall public safety. This presentation will highlight the evolving wildfire threat, outline the methodology behind advanced evacuation planning, and share how modeling tools can support more resilient, community-specific evacuation strategies for the future.

Bio: 
Andrew Notbohm is the Executive Director of Emergency Management and Recovery for the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management. With more than 20 years of public safety experience in Colorado, he has played key roles in responding to some of the state’s most significant disasters, including the Waldo Canyon Fire, the 2013 Colorado Floods, and the Marshall Fire. Andrew is committed to advancing emergency management through innovation and technology, with a particular focus on strengthening emergency operations center systems and enhancing public safety outcomes. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring western rivers on his whitewater rafts.

Each Civic Launchpad gathering offers a dynamic mix of learning and community conversation, and is designed to keep momentum going throughout the year without overwhelming your calendar.

Speakers and content will be announced prior to each event. Please note: registering for one event in the series will enroll you in all email and calendar invites related to this event.