Abstract
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.
Highlights
Across the globe, many business operations of various types and sizes have halted due to the COVID-19 crisis, but essential sectors, such as construction, have soldiered on
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an integral part of the future internet ecosystem (FIE) that will have a major impact on the development of e-services
If several information technologies and systems interact in the IoT paradigm, it will be possible for a smart city to respond better to a more sustainable tourism because necessary assets such as public health, security, transport, and logistics will be more and better safeguarded [15]
Summary
Many business operations of various types and sizes have halted due to the COVID-19 crisis, but essential sectors, such as construction, have soldiered on. Digital technologies translate into better public services when there is an improved use of resources, with less impact on the environment [2] and when they allow more transparent communication between government and citizens. Such steps are materialized towards smart cities when improving smart living in cities Such steps are materialized through cyber-physical applications that allow citizens to be proactive about their surrounding activities. Technologies such as big data the higher levels of web, Wi-Fi, and connection are needed Technologies such as big data and IoT have allowed more innovative and creative developments for smart cities [9]. IoT have allowed more innovative and creative developments for smart cities [9]. The IoT is an integral part of the future internet ecosystem (FIE) that will have a major impact on the development of e-services.
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