Design Guidelines for Cooperative UAV-supported Services and Applications

Internet of Things (IoT) systems have advanced greatly in the past few years, especially with the support of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions. Numerous AI-supported IoT devices are playing a significant role in providing complex and user-specific smart city services. Given the multitude of heterogeneous wireless networks, the plethora of computer and storage architectures and paradigms, and the abundance of mobile and vehicular IoT devices, true smart city experiences are only attainable through a cooperative intelligent and secure IoT framework. This article provides an extensive study on different cooperative systems and envisions a cooperative solution that supports the integration and collaboration among both centralized and distributed systems, in which intelligent AI-supported IoT devices such as smart UAVs provide support in the data collection, processing and service provisioning process. Moreover, secure and collaborative decentralized solutions such as Blockchain are considered in the service provisioning process to enable enhanced privacy and authentication features for IoT applications. As such, user-specific complex services and applications within smart city environments will be delivered and made available in a timely, secure, and efficient manner.

Vehicular Edge Computing: Architecture, Resource Management, Security, and Challenges

Vehicular Edge Computing (VEC), based on the Edge Computing motivation and fundamentals, is a promising technology supporting Intelligent Transport Systems services, smart city applications, and urban computing. VEC can provide and manage computational resources closer to vehicles and end-users, providing access to services at lower latency and meeting the minimum execution requirements for each service type. This survey describes VEC’s concepts and technologies; we also present an overview of existing VEC architectures, discussing them and exemplifying them through layered designs. Besides, we describe the underlying vehicular communication in supporting resource allocation mechanisms. With the intent to overview the risks, breaches, and measures in VEC, we review related security approaches and methods. Finally, we conclude this survey work with an overview and study of VEC’s main challenges. Unlike other surveys in which they are focused on content caching and data offloading, this work proposes a taxonomy based on the architectures in which VEC serves as the central element. VEC supports such architectures in capturing and disseminating data and resources to offer services aimed at a smart city through their aggregation and the allocation in a secure manner.

Internet of Things for Future Smart City Using 5G Networks

The future of cities lies in blending new technologies with existing infrastructure to tackle tangible, pressing issues such as environmental sustainability and economic opportunities. The enormous pressure towards efficient city initiatives by both government and private sector businesses to invest in Information and Communication Technologies to find sustainable solutions to diverse opportunities and challenges (e.g., waste management). Future smart cities are the key to fulfill the ever growing demands of citizens. Successful smart cities will build a strong, flexible, digital infrastructure that integrates new technology into existing structures. The main goal of a smart city is to optimize city functions and promote economic growth while also improving the quality of life for citizens by using smart technologies and data analysis. According to a new report from @NavigantRSRCH, there are more than 250 smart city projects from178 cities around the world, and the majority focus on government and energy, initiatives, followed by transportation. Keywords: 5G network, Internet of things (IOT), Smart Waste Management System, Safety and Security, Sustainable

SMART GRIDS COMO ALTERNATIVA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO URBANO INTELIGENTE E SUSTENTÁVEL EM PARINTINS/AM

Devido à rápida e não planejada urbanização surgem problemas de aclimatação urbana, para os quais alternativas de soluções foram desenvolvidas a partir do conceito de Smart City. Nesta pesquisa, o foco é nos problemas da gestão da produção e da distribuição de energia elétrica em Parintins/AM. Para a problemática energética são utilizados os conceitos de rede elétrica inteligente, Smart Grid, que por meio da tecnologia otimiza os sistemas de produção e distribuição de energia, tornando-os mais eficientes, eficazes e sustentáveis. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar, com base nas teorias desenvolvidas acerca das Smart Cities e das Smart Grids, quais são os aspectos que devem ser levados em consideração para a gestão inteligente e sustentável da produção e distribuição de energia elétrica em Parintins/AM. O paradigma de pesquisa é o funcionalista, por meio de pesquisa qualitativa, com delineamento descritivo e analítico. Os dados foram levantados por meio de revisão bibliográfica, análise documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas, triangulados e analisados mediante técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados obtidos foram: 1) desenvolvimento científico na área das Smart Cities e Smart Grids, em construção, por meio de estudo empírico no interior do Amazonas; 2) identificação dos fatores impulsionadores e limitantes à implantação de Smart Grids em Parintins/AM.

Participatory Governance of Smart Cities: Insights from e-Participation of Putrajaya and Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Participatory governance is widely viewed as an essential element of realizing planned smart cities. Nonetheless, the implementation of e-participation platforms, such as the websites and mobile applications of civic authorities, often offer ambiguous information on how public voices may influence e-decision-making. This study aims to examine the status of participatory governance from the angle of e-participation platforms and from the broader scope of linking e-platforms to a smart city blueprint. In order to achieve this aim, the study focuses on shedding light on the e-governance space given to smart city realization in a developing country context—i.e., Malaysia. The Putrajaya and Petaling Jaya smart cities of Malaysia were selected as the testbeds of the study, which used the multiple case study methodology and multiple data collection designs. The analyses were done through the qualitative observations and quantitative descriptive statistics. The results revealed that both of the investigated smart city cases remained limited in their provision of e-decision-making space. The inefficiency of implementing planned initiatives to link the city blueprints to e-platforms was also evidenced. The study evidenced that the political culture of e-decision-making is undersized in Malaysia, which hinders the achievement of e-democracy in the smart cities’ development. This study has contributed a case report on a developing country’s smart cities, covering the participatory issues from the angle of e-participation and e-platforms.