The city of Miami, in partnership with Ohio-based Ike Smart City, has unveiled the first in a series of interactive, digital touchscreen kiosks.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Wynwood, city commissioner Jeffrey Watson was on hand for the unveiling. The event marked the launch of a city-wide initiative to install up to 150 kiosks in locations including Overtown, Downtown, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Little Havana and Allapattah.

“As the city of Miami continues to evolve into one of the country’s leading technology hubs, we are so excited to add Ike digital kiosks to our rights-of-way to build on our commitment to smart city initiatives and reinforce our role as innovators,” said Miami mayor Francis Suarez.

The double-sided ADA-compliant kiosks have two digital touchscreens and a suite of interactive applications that drive discovery and mobility. Each kiosk serves as a free wifi hotspot and is location-aware, displaying information specific to the surrounding area.

Multilingual content includes detailed wayfinding, listings of area businesses, cultural institutions, events, civic resources, job listings and social services such as homeless shelters, addiction recovery programmes and food support.

Wayfinding features are designed to turn information into action by helping users navigate to their destination, either walking or by providing multimodal transportation trip options.

“We are thrilled to partner with the city of Miami, one of the fastest-growing and most innovative cities in the country,” said Pete Scantland, CEO of Ike Smart City. “Ike will further activate the pedestrian experience while narrowing the digital divide through widespread connectivity and equal access to information. Our kiosk platform is designed to add value to the cities in which we do business and we’re excited to serve the residents and visitors of Miami.”

The programme is delivered, operated and maintained by Ike Smart City at no cost to the taxpayers. All aspects of the programme are funded by controlled advertising content that is displayed when Ike is not in use.

The city receives an ongoing stream of the revenue generated by media sales and allocates a percentage of those dollars to five key quasi-governmental organisations, proportionate to the number of kiosks installed within their boundaries. The kiosks will also regularly exhibit projects by local and international artists in collaboration with some of Miami’s most recognised cultural organisations.