Biz Talk

Biz Talk: HQ2 Helps Virginia Claim Top State for Business

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

Virginia has been announced as CNBC’s choice for “Top State for Business” in 2019.

It’s the fourth time the Commonwealth has taken the top honors, which studies all 50 states based on 10 different categories of business competitiveness. And of course, Arlington’s nationally-watched deal for Amazon HQ2 was cited as a big reason for the win.

“When Amazon announced late last year that it had chosen Arlington, Virginia, as the home for part of its new, $5 billion second headquarters, it did not reach the decision haphazardly,” explains the ranking.

“The state has the nation’s best workforce, including the fourth-highest concentration of science, technology, education and math (STEM) workers. Strong school test scores, small class sizes and a wealth of colleges and universities make Virginia’s education system the best in the nation. And with Virginia Tech University announcing plans to build a new campus adjacent to Amazon’s HQ2 focused on innovation, things could get even better.”

But taking a deeper dive, it’s that critical formula of workforce and education along with a healthy dose of collaboration that’s led Virginia back to the number one spot. After all, Virginia has the number two tech workforce in the nation — much of it centered right here in Arlington and around the DMV.

Not only that, it’s one of the highest educated workforces in the nation — nearly three-quarters of our working population in Arlington has at least a bachelor’s degree; about 40% reach even higher on the educational charts. We’re leading the way in fields like cybersecurity, big data, ed tech and clean tech — all industries that are really coming to the forefront as we move into this innovation economy.

It’s also not surprising that CNBC called out Virginia’s impressive education system, and nowhere is that more prevalent than here in Arlington and around Northern Virginia.

The Amazon deal brought with it plans to build a $1B Virginia Tech Innovation campus, which will be located just next door in Alexandria. Its goal? Produce a continuing tech talent pipeline of well-educated individuals who are primed (no pun intended) to lead the way in the STEM workforce of the future.

And what’s the secret sauce to this winning business formula? Collaboration. After all, the partnership for the Amazon HQ2 deal was one that would’ve been unheard of in this region just a few short years ago. Now — we’ve shown that collaboration with partners, not just between local jurisdictions but also between the state and private partners, and a sense of regionalism simply works.

We’re stronger together — and nowhere has that been more evident than our success in landing the largest economic development deal in history and leading the way to ensuring Virginia takes the number one business spot again.

Biz Talk: Augmented Reality Brings Amazon HQ2 to Life

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was written by CvikerAR and sponsored by Arlington Economic Development’s Business Investment Group.

With the groundbreaking for Amazon HQ2 fast approaching, local startup Cviker Corporation (pronounced /sveye-ker/) partnered with developer JBG Smith to create an augmented reality (AR) visualization of National Landing (an area encompassing Crystal City and Pentagon City in Arlington) to envision the new development projects.

These projects, such as new buildings and infrastructure enhancements, are viewable using an app-based platform on a smartphone or tablet and allow the user to feel as if they are seeing the completed projects with their own eyes.

Cviker’s innovative vision and partnership with JBG Smith sprung out of a unique opportunity to work with Arlington Economic Development (AED) staff to create a visualization highlighting buildings and landmarks significant to Arlington’s technology ecosystem and innovation history for the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Cviker first showcased the AR visualization of Crystal City and Pentagon City in AED’s booth at CES in January. This visualization highlighted prominent buildings, including the newly released Amazon HQ2 renderings. Beyond a visual aid, Cviker’s AR platform focuses on community engagement, showing the community how Amazon HQ2 will look and feel in Arlington.

To create this AR model of Crystal City and Pentagon City, Cviker combined 3D modeling with GIS and LIDAR data, along with additional animations and historical information to enhance the model. Realizing that the AR model developed for CES showed the future of Amazon in Arlington, Cviker leveraged its initial model for the opportunity to work closely with JBG Smith to make quality improvements.

By transforming the visualization from a functional, 3D model into a high-end, photorealistic and interactive experience, Cviker created an AR walkthrough of National Landing that can be seen in JBG Smith’s new marketing center in Crystal City. The viewer can perceive the relationship between the different types of infrastructure on an elevated level, providing new insights and use cases to better improve design and prepare for the future.

Cviker is a newcomer not only to the D.C. metro area, but also to the United States. A few years ago, a venue called VRBA opened in Bratislava, Slovakia. VRBA combined the simple, yet complex flavors of a gin and tonic with the exciting experience of virtual reality.

Creating virtual reality experiences during the day and gin and tonics at night, VRBA experienced immediate success, including gaining the attention of local politicians. Specifically, one local mayor with a particular interest in innovation proposed the idea of focusing on AR visualization of buildings and infrastructure renderings, and with that idea in mind, Cviker was born.

Going on to win an international smart cities competition, the Cviker team flew to the U.S. for an opportunity to work with the Smart City Works Actuator, a business accelerator based in Northern Virginia focused on growing startups in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. This is where AED learned of Cviker’s work and realized the potential it could have in helping to visualize the future of the County.

As the development for Amazon’s HQ2 draws closer, Cviker hopes to work closely with other groups, organizations and the Arlington community to ensure that equitable, safe, livable and desirable spaces are being created.

For more information about Cviker, and to see some of its AR visualizations, visit its website or download the company’s free app on the App Store called CvikerAR.