Instigating Smart City Infrastructure in Oman: Considering Social Benefits and Economic Values

Abstract

Smart city is a group of technologies application used to improve the quality of people life by making services easier. The main requirements of smart city are both of physical infrastructure and technology infrastructure. Smart cities are including such as renewable energy, water quality, sewage management, transportation management, smart health, smart parking, waste management, electric vehicle charging, smart home, air pollution management, intelligent shopping, traffic management, smart environment, public safety, smart building, and internet of things. Through evaluating of main cities in Oman, it is time to develop the life style and living of people. This led to change of human life culture in dealing with a smart infrastructure. Smart city is concentered to connect the living city with some factors which improve high quality life and sustainable development services to citizens. The research will focus in analysis and identify the ability of converting capital cities like Muscat to smart city and trying to find common barriers of implement the smart city infrastructure. Also, it will evaluate economics and social effects of smart cities to the human life of Oman culture and develop the framework of smart city infrastructure in Oman. The methodology was used triangulation data method in this study which conducting the data received from three parts include data collection, quantitative method and qualitative method. Each analysis was done through different method to reach main results. The significant Findings discussed to cover the requirements of research objectives. Most of findings indicates that smart cities are popular from public because of its benefits in different sides. The results found that main cities in Oman can be converting to smart cities by developing the both physical and technology infrastructures. In addition, smart cities require a strategic plan to attract the global investment and improving the local business such as tourism and industrial areas. It is recommended that smart cities can improve public service and required to make facilities faster and cheaper.