2 research outputs found
Internet of Things (IoT): Opportunities, issues and challenges towards a smart and sustainable future
The rapid development and implementation of smart and IoT (Internet of Things) based technologies
have allowed for various possibilities in technological advancements for different aspects of life. The
main goal of IoT technologies is to simplify processes in different fields, to ensure a better efficiency of
systems (technologies or specific processes) and finally to improve life quality. Sustainability has become
a key issue for population where the dynamic development of IoT technologies is bringing different
useful benefits, but this fast development must be carefully monitored and evaluated from an environmental
point of view to limit the presence of harmful impacts and ensure the smart utilization of
limited global resources. Significant research efforts are needed in the previous sense to carefully
investigate the pros and cons of IoT technologies. This review editorial is partially directed on the
research contributions presented at the 4th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies
held in Split and Bol, Croatia, in 2019 (SpliTech 2019) as well as on recent findings from literature.
The SpliTech2019 conference was a valuable event that successfully linked different engineering
professions, industrial experts and finally researchers from academia. The focus of the conference was
directed towards key conference tracks such as Smart City, Energy/Environment, e-Health and Engineering
Modelling. The research presented and discussed at the SpliTech2019 conference helped to
understand the complex and intertwined effects of IoT technologies on societies and their potential
effects on sustainability in general. Various application areas of IoT technologies were discussed as well
as the progress made. Four main topical areas were discussed in the herein editorial, i.e. latest advancements
in the further fields: (i) IoT technologies in Sustainable Energy and Environment, (ii) IoT
enabled Smart City, (iii) E-health e Ambient assisted living systems (iv) IoT technologies in Transportation
and Low Carbon Products. The main outcomes of the review introductory article contributed to
the better understanding of current technological progress in IoT application areas as well as the environmental
implications linked with the increased application of IoT products
Smart city configurations: A conceptual approach to assess smart city practices and outcomes
This paper proposes a novel conceptual framework as analytical tool to support the systematic and methodical investigation of smart city instantiations. Integrating existing fragmented perspectives, we propose three analytical dimensions (integration, automation and adaptivity) to describe the relationships between four foundational smart city aspects (technology, people, institutions and material environment). Together dimensions and foundational aspects create smart city configurations (SCCs).SCCs enable the systematic description, assessment and comparison of specific smart city instantiations. SCCs can further help to make transparent the basis for policy decisions and implicit assumptions of decision-makers aiding the legitimacy, explainability and accountability of smart city efforts