For half a century, urban metabolism has been used to provide insights to support transitions to sustainable urban development (SUD). Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) has recently been recognized as a potential technology enabler to advance this transition. This thesis explored the potential for an ICT-enabled urban metabolism framework aimed at improving resource efficiency in urban areas by supporting decision-making processes. Three research objectives were identified: i) investigation of how the urban metabolism framework, aided by ICT, could be utilized to support decision-making processes; ii) development of an ICT platform that manages real-time, high spatial and temporal resolution urban metabolism data and evaluation of its implementation; and iii) identification of the potential for efficiency improvements through the use of resulting high spatial and temporal resolution urban metabolism data. The work to achieve these objectives was based on literature reviews, single-case study research in Stockholm, software engineering research, and big data analytics of resulting data. The evolved framework, Smart Urban Metabolism (SUM), enabled by the emerging context of smart cities, operates at higher temporal (up to real-time), and spatial (up to household/individual) data resolution. A key finding was that the new framework overcomes some of the barriers identified for the conventional urban metabolism framework. The results confirm that there are hidden urban patterns that may be uncovered by analyzing structured big urban data. Some of those patterns may lead to the identification of appropriate intervention measures for SUD. / <p>QC 20151120</p> / Smart City SRS

The digital world tolerates a high volume of information and interactions. Considering the usage of electronic services by authorities, User Authentication (UA) is crucial. Numerous authentication methods are proposed in the literature; yet, identifying users based on their actual identities with the capability of global usage and respecting privacy is under research. By adopting Blockchain technology in the software industry, the record management systems have satisfied properties such as transparency, accountability, anonymity, and attack resiliency. Moreover, Smartphones are powerful devices capable of hosting a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Card that secures the execution of processes involving use of sensitive information. A combination of these technologies is the foundation of a strong UA in cyberspace. In this thesis, we propose the design and prototype of Blockchain-based Global Authentication System (BBGAS) that offers a secure, privacy-preserving, and transparent authentication system based on users' biometrics via Smartphones appropriate for service provider applications.

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With the dramatic growth of vehicles around the world, Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) have been proposed as a solution to advance road safety, improve transportation efficiency, and satisfy road users. In the VANET environment, vehicles communicate with each other and with road infrastructure in an ad-hoc manner. This communication may be safety-related or non-safety-related and may often include vehicle information (e.g., location, direction, speed, and control), road conditions, and events. A key component in assessing the veracity of the information is the trustworthiness of the information source. Thus, trust evaluation is one of the main requirements of VANET design. In this work, we investigate performance improvements in the trust evaluation framework of VANETs. First, we propose a risk-based trust evaluation model (RTEAM) to estimate the risk of taking action or refraining from action regarding a reported event (in case of receiving conflicting messages about the event's existence). Some trust metrics such as direct trust, hop-based trust values, proximity to the event, and consequences of acting on a wrong decision are used to estimate the risk of the vehicle’s actions. Vehicles make individual decisions by seeking the action with the lowest risk. Second, we propose a fog-based reputation evaluation model (FREM) to support trust management framework. We promote fog computing as a new paradigm since it can provide several services to users in the edge layer. In our work, Fog supports the decision-making process in the reputation evaluation framework. Fog nodes play a key role in collecting vehicles' reputation records and cooperating with the roadside units (RSUs) to update these records. We propose the use of Digital Trustworthiness Cards (DTC), where the latest reputation evaluation of a vehicle automatically appears on its card. The benefits of the DTC are twofold: 1) the communication load on vehicles is reduced, and 2) historical trust records are established for each vehicle. We also take advantage of fog’s familiarity and greater knowledge of the vehicles that frequently visit its zones; with more intimate knowledge, fog can smartly employ vehicles to perform specific tasks based on their experiences. Further, we implement a strategy for establishing trust based on specific task categories. This permits a nuanced evaluation of the vehicle best suited for the task at hand and has the further benefit of preventing malicious vehicles from being naively trusted based on successful completion of unimportant or non-safety-related tasks. Finally, we expand the role of the fog in the decision-making process when vehicles need to ensure the existence of serious events. We propose a fog-based event validation model (FEVM) to validate the event’s existence through cooperation between vehicles and fog nodes. The vehicles are used as mobile fog nodes, which compute their confidence in events based on the available information. Fog nodes then validate the event after combining vehicles’ confidence values by applying the Extended Dempster-Shafer (EDS) theory of evidence. To test our proposed models, we conduct many experiments to investigate their performance and compare them with other existing models.

Yes / Smart cities employ information and communication technologies to improve: the quality of life for its citizens, the local economy, transport, traffic management, environment, and interaction with government. Due to the relevance of smart cities (also referred using other related terms such as Digital City, Information City, Intelligent City, Knowledge-based City, Ubiquitous City, Wired City) to various stakeholders and the benefits and challenges associated with its implementation, the concept of smart cities has attracted significant attention from researchers within multiple fields, including information systems. This study provides a valuable synthesis of the relevant literature by analysing and discussing the key findings from existing research on issues related to smart cities from an Information Systems perspective. The research analysed and discussed in this study focuses on number of aspects of smart cities: smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart citizens, smart government, and smart architecture as well as related technologies and concepts. The discussion also focusses on the alignment of smart cities with the UN sustainable development goals. This comprehensive review offers critical insight to the key underlying research themes within smart cities, highlighting the limitations of current developments and potential future directions.

The diploma thesis is focused on the Smart Cities concept in the Czech Republic. The aim of the thesis is to get an overview of foreigner and Czech cities that are successful in implementing the Smart Cities concept. The main aim of the thesis is to evaluate the possibility of applying Smart Cities principles in a city České Budějovice. The thesis is based on a study of scientific literature, strategic or conceptual documents and the examples of "best practice". The draft of Smart City concept České Budějovice results from the questionnaire survey and the conducted interviews.

Exploring upon the phenomena of smart cities, this paper elaborates the potential of crowdsourced data collection in small scale urban quarters. The development of the Data4City (D4C) hyperlocal app – PinCity – is based on the idea of increasing the density of real-time information in urban areas (urban neighborhoods) in order to optimize or create innovative urban services (such as public transportation, garbage collection) or urban planning, thus improving the quality of life of quarter inhabitants as a long-term goal. The main principle of the app is the small-scale implementation, as opposed to top-down smart city approaches worldwide, preferably in a city quarter, or a community, which can be subsequently scaled and interlaced to other parts of the city.

[pt] Os principais problemas enfrentados hoje pelas cidades estão relacionados ao crescimento da população urbana e ao desenvolvimento sustentável. Deste contexto emerge o importante debate mundial sobre as formas de planejamento mais adequadas ao atual momento. Ao mesmo tempo em que estamos diante dos maiores desafios da história das cidades, o avanço tecnológico se mostra exponencial, direcionando não só a solução para os problemas, mas promovendo também uma série de mudanças de paradigmas em relação à forma como vivemos, nos relacionamos e trabalhamos. A Cidade Inteligente – termo conhecido mundialmente, mas com significado ainda pouco preciso – surge nesse contexto, em que a tecnologia é usada para resolver problemas urbanos, garantir o desenvolvimento sustentável e a qualidade de vida das pessoas. Esse trabalho tem como objetivo definir, a partir da revisão da literatura, o conceito de Smart City e relatar o movimento das Human Smart Cities, contextualizando o cenário brasileiro e as diferentes abordagens existentes. A partir da análise das iniciativas voltadas para o mercado de Smart Cities no Brasil, foi possível perceber a necessidade de um equilíbrio entre as abordagens top-down e bottom-up nos projetos existentes e futuros. É relevante sublinhar a importância do aspecto humano na definição de Smart City, valorizando a participação da sociedade através de ecossistemas de inovação que incentivem a co-criação das soluções, em conjunto com a esfera pública, empresarial e acadêmica. A descentralização das tomadas de decisão, juntamente com a integração dos sistemas inteligentes da cidade que definem a verdadeira Smart City. / [en] The majority of modern cities reflect old urban models and specific historical contexts and need to deal with global and local issues never dealt with before. One example is the significant increase of urban population and objectives to reach sustainable development. There are many challenges to be faced: demographical, environmental, economic and institutional. At the same time we are facing one of the biggest challenges in the history of urban life, technological development grows at an exponential rate, providing not only solutions, but also promoting a series of shifts in paradigms in relation to our way of life, in how we relate and work. Due to technology – especially Information and Communications Technology (ICT) –, today society can communicate more easily, which allows them to consolidate and grow in networks, collaborate among themselves and obtain knowledge – an abundant and intangible resource that can change the current economic logic. Economy based of mass production of homogeneous products – one that exploits the environment without considering its consequences – is increasingly losing ground to new economies such as creative, collaborative, and knowledge-based economies where product and service productions are decentralized and diversified. The concept of Smart City arises from that context of technological evolution, increase in data generation, knowledge and consequently, of innovation. It is a challenging historical moment, but it also offers a variety of technological opportunities.

Cities are facing many challenges; challenges linked to world-wide trends like urbanisation, climate changes and globalisation. In parallel to these trends, we have seen a rapid digitalisation in and of different parts of society. Cities and local governments have been appointed an important role in overcoming these world-wide challenges, and subsequently, in policy practices digitalisation is perceived as an important dimension in delivering better and sustainable services to its citizens. As a result, the smart city has emerged as a concept and approach to contemporary urban planning and development. There is still no common understanding of the concept and what components and dimensions it covers. However, in all definitions digitalisation constitutes one dimension, but the role and function of it is still not clear. In this study I have examined how different stakeholders talk about digitalisation in policy and planning practices of urban development. The aim has been to identify and analyse different repertoires of discourses on digitalisation to advance our knowledge on how goals related to the smart city and digitalisation are put into practice. The results are based on a qualitative and interpretative case study with a social constructionist approach. An analytical framework based on discourse analysis, stakeholder theory and (new) institutional theory has been constructed to analyse the case. Main results show that repertoires on digitalisation are limited in both policy and planning of urban development. In these practices, digitalisation is primarily seen as a means or as a communication infrastructure in relation to two city services/functions; i.e. services related to governance and to environment. Results also show that practices of urban planning and development are institutionalised, where different stakeholders’ salience and stakes in urban development and in digitalisation differ, but it is clear that digitalisation is a secondary issue. Implications of these results are that the taken-for-granted discourses in policy and planning practices of urban development limit both practice and research when developing a smart city. / Städer står inför många utmaningar kopplat till världsomspännande trender såsom urbanisering, klimatförändringar, och globalisering. Parallellt med dessa trender har vi sett en snabb digitalisering i och av olika delar av samhället. I detta sammanhang har städer och kommuner blivit tilldelade en viktig roll i hanteringen av dessa utmaningar. På policynivå ses digitalisering som en viktig dimension för att leverera hållbar och bättre service till medborgarna. Som ett led i detta har smarta städer vuxit fram som både begrepp och metod för stadsplanering och stadsutveckling. Det finns dock ingen gemensam tolkning av begreppet. Däremot finns digitalisering med som en dimension i definitionerna, men vilken roll och funktion den har är fortfarande oklart. I denna studie har jag undersökt hur olika intressenter talar om digitalisering i olika policy- och planeringspraktiker kopplat till stadsutveckling. Syftet har varit att identifiera och analysera repertoarer av digitaliseringsdiskurser för att bidra med kunskap om hur mål kopplade till smarta städer och digitalisering omsätts i praktiken. Resultaten är baserade på en kvalitativ och tolkande fallstudie med en socialkonstruktionistisk ansats. Ett analytiskt ramverk baserat på diskursanalys, intressentanalys, och nyinstitutionell teori har tagits fram för att analysera fallet. Resultaten visar att digitaliseringsrepertoarer är begränsade både i policy och i planering av stadsutveckling. I dessa praktiker ses digitalisering främst som ett verktyg eller en kommunikationsinfrastruktur i relation till två samhällsfunktioner, nämligen funktioner kopplade till styrning och administration, och funktioner kopplade till miljö. Resultaten visar också att praktiker kopplade till stadsplanering och stadsutveckling är institutionaliserade, praktiker där olika intressenter har olika makt, legitimitet och angelägenhet gällande stadsutveckling och digitalisering. Det är dock tydligt att digitalisering är en sekundär fråga. Implikationerna av dessa resultat är att de förgivettagna diskurserna begränsar både praktiken och forskningen i utvecklingen av smart städer.