Smart Cities: the Data to Decisions Imperative

Abstract

Smart cities provide citizen services with higher operational efficiency and lower environmental impacts through the use of data and data driven insights. While the concept of smart cities is well-researched, current research tends to overlook the main principle underlying the operation of smart cities: the flow of information from device data to operations and planning. This study examines how this flow of information enables smartness across five major infrastructure sectors: transportation, energy, health, municipal utilities, and public governance. Each sector is reviewed through four layers: devices, data communication and handling, operations, and planning and economics. The Review shows the disparities in city smartness across different regions and sectors. Regions like Europe and Asia exhibit higher levels of smartness compared to Africa and the US. Further, smartness varies significantly within one region, as smarter cities in the US or the Middle East collect and use more information. Sectors such as transportation and municipal utilities, characterized by extensive data and strong analytics, tend to be smarter than healthcare and energy. The study further highlights the risks associated with data collection and AI deployment at each layer. The Review underscores the importance of seamless data transformation in achieving cost-effective and sustainable urban improvements and identifies both supportive and impeding factors in the journey toward smarter cities.