Revere Installs Soofa Digital Signs to Push Out Urgent City PSAs to Residents
Soofa has partnered with the City of Revere to facilitate a swift deployment of Soofa Signs to Revere’s downtown and beachside area.
The Soofa Digital Signs will be used to push out important PSAs, health guidelines, and resources for community members and businesses alike, as well as real-time transportation information.
This installation will extend the City’s COVID-19 communications outside of digital channels to the outdoors—which is particularly important for distributing information on available resources to homeless and other digitally unbanked communities. It comes as the first phase in a larger installation of 18 Signs, with plans to bring a Soofa Sign to every ward in Revere, ensuring all neighborhoods have equitable access to city information.
During this time, when cities need a way to reach the public with PSAs and updates in real time, Soofa has reformatted the layout of its screens to show a permanent block for city announcements and a live feed of the city’s and CDC’s Twitter accounts for up-to-the-minute information. The back of the Soofa Sign will also be dedicated to a custom infographic designed by the City of Revere, which provides guidelines on how to practice social distancing effectively and highlights the city resources available for assistance.
"Sharing credible, up-to-date information has been a critical part of our city's response to this public health crisis," Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo said.
"Soofa Signs give us another opportunity to reach people right in their own neighborhoods, provide them with what they need to know in real-time, and allow them to interact with their city and each other in a new, innovative way. We're excited about the value this technology brings to our community - during this pandemic and into the future."
In addition to boosting the city’s communication reach in Revere, the Signs will also provide the city with real-time data on pedestrian traffic through its pedestrian sensor.
This data enables valuable insights for city partners on how people’s movements have changed during the public health crisis, as well as whether social distancing measures have been effective. In its neighboring Greater Boston cities, Soofa has observed a significant decrease in foot traffic in the commercial and office districts of the city, and a lesser decrease in residential areas.
Soofa plans to partner with Revere’s local businesses to provide free advertising on the screens highlighting updated opening hours and takeout options. Revere residents will be able to use the Sign’s online platform to post messages of support and positivity for their neighbors.
“We have made it our priority during the past few weeks to work closely with local cities so that all residents have access to important PSAs and city updates,” said Sandra Richter, Soofa’s co-founder and CEO. “Our product has always been community-first, and we have found this to be more important now than ever.”