Great Plains Development Authority Agrees to Deploy Cognitive City Twin and Digital Alpha Urban OS with Smart City Labs

Establishes Great Plains as a Global Model for Next-Generation Infrastructure, Industry, and Investment as a new Intelligent Innovation Hub 

LOS ANGELES and SAN DIEGO and GREAT PLAINS, Kan., Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Smart City Labs (SCL), an emerging global leader in intelligent infrastructure and AI-enabled urban operating systems, and partner Resilience Studios (RS), a pioneer in the development of Cognitive City Twins, today announced the signing of an agreement to deploy its Cognitive City Twin and Digital Alpha Urban OS at Great Plains Industrial Park (GPIP) and Kansas Proving Grounds (KPG).

This landmark deployment will position Great Plains to be one of the most advanced intelligent industrial and innovation campuses in the United States- purpose-built to attract global enterprises, advanced manufacturing, logistics, energy, defense, autonomy, and next-generation data and AI-driven industries.

A New Standard for Intelligent Industrial Campuses

The Smart City Labs platform will transform Great Plains from a traditional industrial park into a fully instrumented, AI-enabled innovation ecosystem. By integrating physical infrastructure, real-time operational data, edge and cloud intelligence, and immersive visualization, Great Plains will become a living, learning environment- one that continuously optimizes performance while also creating new economic and strategic value.

At the core of the deployment:

• COGNITIVE CITY TWIN: A high-fidelity, real-time digital twin of the entire campus and proving grounds, enabling operators, tenants, partners, and investors to visualize, simulate, and manage infrastructure, logistics, utilities, safety, and expansion in a single immersive environment.
• DIGITAL ALPHA URBAN OS: Smart City Labs’ operating system for intelligent places, unifying connectivity, data analytics, cognitive infrastructure, and engagement into a secure, scalable platform designed to compound value over time.

Together, these capabilities will establish Great Plains as a differentiated, future-ready innovation hub with room to scale space users drawn from national and global markets looking for strategic locations.

A Clear Differentiator for Global Customers and Capital

Unlike conventional industrial parks, the Smart City Labs deployment embeds intelligence directly into the land, infrastructure, and operations of Great Plains- creating long-term competitive advantages for enterprise tenants and all stakeholders.

Key differentiators include:

• AI AS INFRASTRUCTURE
  Intelligence is not layered on- it is built into the campus. Bespoke, place-specific AI models learn from operational, environmental, mobility, and energy data, continuously improving efficiency, resilience, and decision-making.
• EDGE-NATIVE, DATA-SOVEREIGN ARCHITECTURE
  Critical workloads operate at the edge, reducing latency, improving security, and ensuring data sovereignty for sensitive industrial, defense, and enterprise use cases.
• INVESTMENT-GRADE TRANSPARENCY
  The Cognitive City Twin provides decision-grade visibility into performance, risk, capacity, and expansion scenarios- supporting underwriting, insurance optimization, ESG reporting, and long-term capital planning.
• LAND-AND-EXPAND SCALABILITY
  The platform is designed to scale seamlessly- from individual facilities to campus-wide deployments to regional and multi-state innovation corridors.

Demonstrating the Full Smart City Labs Capability Stack

Great Plains serves as a flagship demonstration of Smart City Labs’ core platform capabilities across industrial, logistics, testing, and innovation environments:

• CONNECTIVITY: Fiber, wireless, IoT, and sensor networks engineered for mission-critical operations
• INTELLIGENCE: Edge and cloud analytics, digital twins, and bespoke AI/LLMs trained on real-world operational data
• ENGAGEMENT: Immersive visualization, stakeholder dashboards, and collaborative planning environments for operators, tenants, and investors

This end-to-end deployment will showcase Smart City Labs’ ability to transform large-scale physical assets into intelligent, revenue-generating ecosystems.

A Platform for the Next Era of American Innovation

With its strategic geography, expansive footprint, and proving-ground capabilities, Great Plains is uniquely positioned to support emerging industries- from autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing to clean energy, logistics, and national resilience initiatives.

The Smart City Labs platform will ensure the campus can evolve dynamically alongside these industries, adapting to new technologies, regulatory frameworks, and market demands without requiring costly reinvention.

Executive Perspective

“Great Plains represents the future of intelligent industrial development,” said Jack Illes, Managing Partner of Smart City Labs. “By deploying our Cognitive City Twin and Digital Alpha Urban OS, we are not just digitizing infrastructure- we are creating a learning system that compounds value over time. This positions Great Plains as a globally competitive innovation hub with the transparency, resilience, and scalability that today’s enterprises and investors demand.”

About Great Plains Industrial Park and Kansas Proving Grounds

Great Plains Industrial Park and the Kansas Proving Grounds provide large-scale, flexible environments located directly on the Union Pacific main line designed to support advanced industry, testing, and innovation. With significant room for expansion and a focus on next-generation infrastructure, Great Plains is emerging as a premier destination for enterprises shaping the future of industry and technology.

About Smart City Labs

Smart City Labs is a global platform company delivering AI-enabled operating systems and cognitive digital twins for cities, campuses, districts, and large-scale real estate assets. By integrating connectivity, intelligence, and immersive engagement, Smart City Labs transforms physical places into intelligent, adaptive ecosystems that lower costs, unlock new revenue, and support long-term economic growth

Media & Investor Inquiries

Great Plains Brad Reams, Director, breams@parsonsks.com, 620 421 1228

Smart City Labs Jack Illes, Managing Partner, jack@smart-citylabs.com, 619 540 3286

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/great-plains-development-authority-agrees-to-deploy-cognitive-city-twin-and-digital-alpha-urban-os-with-smart-city-labs-302654037.html

SOURCE Great Plains Development Authority