mr. eischeid: thank you very much, and first of all thank you for moderating this panel. panelists, it is a pleasure to join you. to the atlantic council, think you for hosting us today, and especially our partners at the department of state for all of their leadership in this space. we are very proud to help implement the data for cities initiative that was launched today. u.s. tda has long partnered with governments in the region, and this initiative will deepen and expand our partnerships to advance large city infrastructure and projects in the regions. specifically our role within this initiative, as i mentioned, is actually in part of your handouts as well. we are grateful to receive funding from the state department to an interagency agreement for nearly $3 million for project preparation. particularly focused on this space. what u.s. tda is, is the project preparation agency of the u.s. government. we can provide even more grants for feasibility studies, technical assistance, and pilot products that can help advance smart cities projects in the region while opening