Which Way to Cope with COVID-19 Challenges? Contributions of the IoT for Smart City Projects

Many activities and sectors have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 crisis. People and workers' habits and behaviors have changed dramatically, as the use of technologies and connections, virtual reality, and remote support have been enhanced. Businesses and cities have been forced to quickly adapt to the new challenges. Digital technologies have allowed people to have better access to public services due to improved use of resources. Smart cities have significant potential for linking people to work and services as never done before. Additionally, the technological convergence produces data that can enhance interactions and decisions toward the new normal. In this paper, the aim is to assess how Portugal is prepared to respond to the accelerated process that this context demands from cities. Portuguese SMEs have developed a good capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation; however, they are still behind in converting the knowledge acquired in sales and exports and there is still limited collaboration at the public-private level. The acceleration of smart cities through the Internet of Things (IoT) may encourage changes in these issues. A more assertive alignment between the emergent technologies and the digitization goals of companies is required. This paper opens a discussion around major needs and trends of IoT (and related technologies) since the pandemic has leveraged them. The relationship between innovation and city smartness is approached to assess main contributing and limiting variables (through the European Innovation Scoreboard), to clarify future directions toward smarter services. The tourism sector, as the largest export economic activity in the country, is addressed in this matter. An analytical framework (using, for example, Power BI and Azure IoT Hub) around this approach can choose and support the most suitable areas of development in the country.

Automated summary

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many activities and sectors have come to a halt, leading to dramatic changes in people's habits and behaviors. The use of digital technologies has improved access to public services, and smart cities have the potential to link people to work and services like never before. This pandemic has accelerated the need for cities to adapt quickly to new challenges and opportunities.