Quality Of Life For Citizens Research Articles

A Comparative Study of Digital City Development Using the Data-Driven Smart City Index

This research compares and contrasts the evolution of smart cities using a comparative analysis based on the Data-Driven Smart City Index. The study includes four important tables: the Digital City Development Index, which shows City D as a model smart city because of its high Infrastructure, Data Utilization, and Connectivity Scores, offers a thorough summary of the development of smart cities. The three components of the Data-Driven Smart City Index are Environmental Sustainability, Governance, and Quality of Life. City D excels in all three areas. The importance of big data analytics, IoT adoption, and open data usage—all of which City D leads—is emphasized in Data Utilization in Digital City Development. Lastly, Connectivity Infrastructure in Digital Cities emphasizes the significance of cutting-edge technology, with City D leading the way in terms of availability of public Wi-Fi, 5G network connectivity, and fiber broadband coverage. These results provide insightful information that will help stakeholders, politicians, and urban planners advance cities into the digital age and improve the quality of life for citizens.

THE ROLE OF CRISES IN THE CITY'S FUNCTIONING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES

The article presents the systematization of crises events arising in the process of functioning and development of the city as a complex system with a large number of different components interacting in a dynamic manner. The city is analyzed as an object that consists of a multitude of systems and subsystems, whose life interests on one hand foster development and on the other, limit each other's growth. As they change under the pressure of external and internal factors, these elements encounter limitations imposed by adjacent systems, leading to conflicts in the life interests of the city's subsystems. In this case, the contradictions are necessary and inevitable conditions for the development of any system, providing its mutability under changing external conditions of existence. Practically, they act as the driving force of development, prompting the system to alter its properties. City risks losing its ability to adapt and becoming vulnerable to external influences and internal disturbances. The study uses ideas taken from systems theory and synergetics, which allow for conclusions that the city as a system demonstrates a classic case of the "Law of Unity and Conflict of Opposites", where there is a constant balancing between the need to maximize self-preservation and survive in a changing world. On the other hand ‒ the aspiration for changes, sometimes leading to crisis. These systemic contradictions can be resolved by sophisticated regulation or can be exacerbated by wrong decisions. This approach offers new horizons for urban planning, where every step should be deliberate and aimed at providing sustainable development, consolidation of the social structure and a higher quality of life for citizens. With this perspective, city governments can transform potential crises into opportunities for the development and modernization of urban environments.

Exploring the potential of blockchain technology for citizen engagement in smart governance

This review article explores the potential of blockchain technology (BCT) as a key enabler for fostering transparency, trust, and citizen engagement in smart governance within smart cities. By examining the benefits of BCT in various aspects of smart city systems, such as data security and privacy, the paper highlights the advantages of implementing consortium blockchain architecture and the Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus algorithm and discusses the challenges of scalability and security concerns. Based on the literature showed in this article, we believe that the use of BCT in smart governance could significantly enhance citizen participation and help manage and deliver public services, paving the way for more effective decision-making processes and improved quality of life for citizens.

A Model of a Smart Garden Using the Integration of a Set of Components

The purpose of this paper is to describe an experiment in the design and construction of an intelligent irrigation system based on the integration of ready-made programmed components and programmable ones, which, if necessary, will provide watering of plantations. This paper presents a model of an integrated multi-component architecture for a smart garden, which is based on the combination of various components and techniques in small-scale urban garden irrigation by using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Automation is related to planning based on sensor data processing, determining when to activate water supply. Unlike manufacturers who offer "smart irrigation" solutions with all the automated components needed to build a complete intelligent system, our approach is different. We combine components from various manufacturers to create an independent irrigation system. The challenge lies in ensuring these components can seamlessly work together, processing automation instructions through external software, and storing data on a remote server. The described model represents an innovative solution that enhances the functionality and sustainability of urban gardens by combining an understanding of the gardens' needs and effective resource management, contributing to an improved quality of life for citizens and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Smart City in Indonesia: Review Studies and Lessons for Sumatra

Smart city is a concept that has gained increasing attention in Indonesia in recent years. This study uses bibliometric analysis to explore the development and trends of smart city research in Indonesia from 469 articles. The results show that the number of publications on smart city in Indonesia has increased significantly in recent years. Employing various bibliometric techniques, the study's results reveal key insights into the dynamics of Smart City research in Indonesia. The most prominent keywords reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the topic and its relevance to urban development, technology, governance, and environmental concerns. This study also found that in Sumatra, the development of Smart Cities is still in its early stages, but has the potential to improve the quality of life for citizens and address urban challenges. By comprehensively mapping the intellectual landscape of Smart City research in Indonesia, this research contributes to a better understanding of the key themes, trends, and collaborative networks shaping the discourse in this important domain.

Self‐training approach for crack detection using synthesized crack images based on conditional generative adversarial network

AbstractUrban infrastructure plays a crucial role in determining the quality of life for citizens. However, given the increasing number of aging infrastructures, regular inspections are essential to prevent accidents. Deep learning studies have been conducted to detect structural damage and ensure high accuracy and reliability of these inspections. However, these detection algorithms often face challenges due to scarcity of damage data. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes a method for synthesizing crack images and utilizing them for crack detection. Initially, crack images are synthesized from labeled images by using a conditional generative adversarial network. Subsequently, a new self‐training method is implemented wherein the synthesized crack images from the prediction images were incorporated into the learning process to enhance data diversity. The proposed approach yields promising results with a mean intersection over union of 80.34% and F1‐score of 76.31% on average. The proposed method can aid further research on virtual image generation for crack detection, seeking to reduce the reliance on extensive image collection.

Exploring the potential of blockchain technology for citizen engagement in smart governance

This review article explores the potential of blockchain technology (BCT) as a key enabler for fostering transparency, trust, and citizen engagement in smart governance within smart cities. By examining the benefits of BCT in various aspects of smart city systems, such as data security and privacy, the paper highlights the advantages of implementing consortium blockchain architecture and the Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus algorithm and discusses the challenges of scalability and security concerns. Based on the literature showed in this article, we believe that the use of BCT in smart governance could significantly enhance citizen participation and help manage and deliver public services, paving the way for more effective decision-making processes and improved quality of life for citizens.

Promoting Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction in Urban Areas with Key Performance Indicators and Data Analytics

With the increasing demand for sustainable urban development, smart cities have emerged as a promising solution for optimizing energy usage, reducing emissions, and enhancing the quality of life for citizens. In this context, the combined use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and data analytics has gained significant attention as a powerful tool for promoting energy efficiency and emissions reduction in urban areas. This paper presents a comprehensive conceptual framework in which a series of KPIs are proposed to serve as essential metrics for guiding, monitoring, and assessing energy efficiency and emissions reduction levels in smart cities. Some of the included KPIs in the analysis are 'annual energy consumption per person', 'reduction in greenhouse gas emissions', 'public transport use', and 'adoption of renewable energy'. By incorporating these KPIs, city planners and policymakers can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. Furthermore, the paper explores how the integration of KPIs with data analytics can be used for monitoring and assessing the overall performance of the city in terms of energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and the enhancement of urban living conditions. Visualization tools, such as radar plots, and time series analysis forecasting methods allow data to be processed and patterns to be identified, enabling informed decision-making and efficient resource allocation. Real-life case studies of ongoing smart city projects are presented in the paper, which also provides a KPI comparison among different European cities, as well as models to forecast the evolution of KPIs related to energy usage and emissions reduction in different European cities.

A holistic qualitative exploration on the perception of scams, scam techniques and effectiveness of anti-scam campaigns in Malaysia

PurposeScams are indeed malicious attempts to influence people and can take many forms, including online scams. With the increasing availability of technology, scammers have more tools at their disposal to create convincing and sophisticated communications that appear to come from legitimate sources, such as emails, text messages or social media posts. These scams can be designed to trick individuals into clicking on malicious links, downloading malware or ransomware or providing sensitive information such as login information, financial information or personal details. Scammers often use social engineering techniques to persuade their targets to take specific actions, such as creating a sense of urgency, offering a reward or prize or posing as a trusted authority. These tactics can be highly effective, particularly if the target is unaware of the warning signs of a scam or is unfamiliar with how to protect themselves from online fraud. This paper aims to explore the extent and nature of this problem and evokes the concern that the general public is vulnerable and susceptible to scams if they are not resilient and aware. This paper also explores why victims fall for online scams and uncovers preventive measures to enable a direction in tacitly strategizing ways to create more impactful and effective awareness campaigns.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores these aspects through a holistic qualitative approach. Using in-depth interview techniques with six victims, six non-victims, four law enforcement officers, four scammers and seven stakeholders from various agencies such as banks, telecommunication agencies and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission involved in combating the issue of scams.FindingsThe findings generally revealed that participants who were victims of scams felt Malaysians were susceptible to scams, easily fooled and had a nonchalant attitude. Most participants also highlighted that public safety is important for ensuring a high quality of life for citizens that should work closely between the government and non-government agencies, including effective law enforcement and crime prevention strategies.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of this study is the feedback from scammers themselves and their input towards authority and victims. Overall, the respondents provide their views drawing strength from the ever-changing technological background as well as the susceptibility of security features and vulnerability of human engagement.

VALUATION OF TRANSPORTATION POLICY IN MAKASSAR CITY BASED ON VEHICLE EMISSION POLLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE ZONE PLANNING

City expansion, vehicle growing number, fossil fuel consumption as non-renewable energy, and highest carbon emission has increased green house effect with potentially expanding global warming. Global warming has negative impacts on citizen quality of life as well as economic growth. Makassar City as one of the metropolitan in Indonesia with the high number of vehicle has a potential to endure global warming. This is excarbated by the decreasing environmental carrying capacity caused by household and industrial pollution and greater vehicle emission. This study aims to (1) identify the vehicle emission gas using descriptive analysis, (2) evaluate ambient air quality in several locations within Makassar City based on field measurement, and (3) formulate the zone plan with potential vehicle-sourced high pollution using AHP. It can be concluded from this study that 99% of Makassar City’s pollution is caused by vehicle emissions with specifically refers to vehicle ages, car engine types, and low maintenance. It is found that high pollution level occurs in the suburbs, while medium pollution level happens in the transition zone and low level of pollution in city center. Urban infrastructure improvement is carried out by Makassar City Development Agency (Bappeda) with consistency ratio between 0.05 and 0.06.

The role of Mayors in protecting citizens' health: a brief report from Italy.

The World Health Organization has identified urbanization as one of the most important public health challenges of our century. Nowadays, about half of the world's population live in urban areas, thus municipal authorities can influence multiple determinants of health through Urban Health strategies. However, the health policies and welfare systems are usually managed by multi-level political governments. The aim of this report is to describe the legal and operational competences attributed to mayors and municipal councils with reference to health, taking Italy as case study. Our report summarises and analyses the national, regional, and local Italian legislations. Our results identified the mayors as the highest local health authorities. Indeed, the mayor can issue specific regulations for their local area or order contingent and urgent measures for preventing or delimiting serious health hazards for the safety of their citizens. Moreover, among their duties, municipalities play a crucial role in social care. Hence, municipalities are expected to cooperate with National Health Service at the regional level, to integrate their contributions in a single welfare system. In conclusion, mayors represent the institutional figures closest to the citizens. Municipalities and regional governments should coordinate and integrate their strategies and policies to meet health and social needs of citizens, providing easy access to shared pathways. Municipalities also regulate autonomously fundamental aspects related to the urban environment and can promote and protect health and improve the quality of life for citizens.

KPIs for Maintaining Smart Clean Sustainable Cities

Nowadays, cities adopt new initiatives to build a prosperous future and to satisfy the society needs to optimize city functions and promote economic growth while improving the quality of life for citizens using smart technologies and data analysis, where smart cities make cities more livable ensuring efficient use and planning of urban sources and infrastructure Egypt has taken major steps in this perspective as part of 2030 vision which is one of the numerous initiatives currently being adopted by the Egyptian government aligned with the vital strategic plans. In the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization which is to be illustrated in this paper -the objectives of smart cities and national geographic information services are determined to make infrastructure work in order to establish smart cities, to improve the spatial management in cities with the help of technology, to share data to improve public services and to be the focus of national geographical information”. In this paper, measures used globally for Smart, Clean, sustainable cities are combined to measure the performance of the new administrative Capital in Egypt, this massive unique project that is built on a state of the art technology in all fields and aspects.

A Survey of Video Surveillance Systems in Smart City

Smart cities are being developed worldwide with the use of technology to improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance their safety. Video surveillance is a key component of smart city infrastructure, as it involves the installation of cameras at strategic locations throughout the city for monitoring public spaces and providing real-time surveillance footage to law enforcement and other city representatives. Video surveillance systems have evolved rapidly in recent years, and are now integrated with advanced technologies like deep learning, blockchain, edge computing, and cloud computing. This study provides a comprehensive overview of video surveillance systems in smart cities, as well as the functions and challenges of those systems. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of video surveillance systems in smart cities and to provide insights into how they could be used to enhance safety, security, and the overall quality of life for citizens.

Smart Cities in Nepal: The concept, evolution and emerging patterns

Nepal is the least urbanized country in South Asia with approximately 28% of Nepalese living in urban areas, while it is also the fastest urbanizing country in with an annual urban population growth of 6%. Urban areas suffer from municipal physical and information infrastructure deficits and are at high risk from earthquakes, floods, fires, and landslides. Development and transformation into Smart Cities would be a new avenue in Nepali development trend. However, this is relatively new and is still in its early stages of development. The objective of this research is to assess the evolution, the emerging trends and future prospects of Smart City in Nepal. A literature review with qualitative method along with structured key informant interviews were conducted to obtain data. This study revealed that the concept of Smart Cities in Nepal is centered around the integration of technology and innovative solutions to address the challenges facing urban areas and improve the quality of life for citizens. The concept is driven by the rapid pace of urbanization, the increasing need for sustainable and resilient cities, and the growing recognition of the role that technology can play in addressing these challenges. Nepal has emphasized on sustainability, the integration of Smart City initiatives, and the use of smart technologies with the country's broader development goals. Smart City indicators have been developed to track the progress, yet they are not flexible. This study recommends that i) the indicators need to be kept flexible with adequate room for revision of resilience-related indicators, ii) appropriate focus should be given to interconnected components of Smart Cities and iii) development of a more transparent and accountable approach to Smart City thereby providing better opportunities to enhance quality of life and unlock economic growth potential.

REINFORCEMENT LEARNING EMPOWERED DIGITAL TWINS: PIONEERING SMART CITIES TOWARDS OPTIMAL URBAN DYNAMICS

Smart cities have emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges posed by rapid urbanization and the quest for sustainable urban development. To achieve optimal urban dynamics and enhance the quality of life for citizens, there is a growing need for innovative approaches that integrate cutting-edge technologies. This paper introduces the concept of Reinforcement Learning Empowered Digital Twins as a pioneering strategy for smart cities. By combining the power of digital twin technology with reinforcement learning algorithms, cities can create dynamic, real-time virtual representations that mirror urban systems and interact with the physical world. This integration enables data-driven decision-making, efficient resource management, and optimized traffic flow, ultimately leading to reduced congestion, decreased fuel consumption, and improved air quality. The paper explores the potential applications of reinforcement learning empowered digital twins in various smart city domains, such as intelligent transportation systems, energy management, and urban planning, but mainly with respect to traffic flow and optimisation particularly in the state of Chhattisgarh and its prospects. Moreover, it identifies research gaps and discusses future directions to unlock the full potential of this transformative approach in pioneering smart cities towards optimal urban dynamics. Various scientists have been focusing on this and suggest further investigation and examination as a response and have given their own assessments; this paper essentially discusses, and overviews created by 5 articles, Machine learning approaches for smart city applications: Emergence, challenges and opportunities [1] by Sonam Mehta, Bharat Bhushan & Raghvendra Kumar; Applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in smart cities [2] by Zaib Ullah, Fadi Al-Turjman, Leonardo Mostarda, Roberto Gagliardi; Enabling cognitive smart cities using big data and machine learning: Approaches and challenges [3] by Mehdi Mohammadi, Ala Al-Fuqaha; A survey on algorithms for intelligent computing and smart city applications [4] by Zhao Tong, Feng Ye, Ming Yan, Hong Liu, Sunitha Basod; The Reversible Lane Network Design Problem (RL-NDP) for Smart Cities with Automated Traffic [5] by L Conceição, GHA Correia, JP Tavares. KEYWORDS: Smart Cities, Digital Twins, Reinforcement Learning, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Urban Dynamics, Traffic Flow Optimization, Energy Consumption Management

SocioCoast: Design and Implementation of a Data-Driven Platform for Citizen Science in Coastal Areas

Due to the rapid urbanization and globalization that has occurred in recent decades, cities have undergone significant changes and transformations. The smart city concept can lead to improvements in the life quality of citizens and contribute to the city’s sustainability by collecting humans’ real-time observations. More specifically in smart coastal areas, citizen’s science data can be utilized not only to increase the effectiveness of its services like smart tourism and smart transit but also to raise awareness about environmental issues. Emphasizing on coastal areas under the Blue Flag program and the Natura 2000 network, in this work, we introduce a system that aims to collect crowdsourcing data from citizens and tourists and combine or compare them with existing knowledge for these areas. We describe the design and implementation: the back-end, its data sources and also the front-end outputs, a web knowledge platform, and a crowdsourcing mobile application. Geospatial information as well as historical or real-time data collected will be provided to users for further exploitation and creation of their own applications. A demonstration of the system is also provided to showcase its usefulness in increasing attractiveness and raising awareness for coastal areas by offering users rich and updated information.

Smart cities: the role of Internet of Things and machine learning in realizing a data-centric smart environment

This paper explores the concept of smart cities and the role of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) in realizing a data-centric smart environment. Smart cities leverage technology and data to improve the quality of life for citizens and enhance the efficiency of urban services. IoT and machine learning have emerged as key technologies for enabling smart city solutions that rely on large-scale data collection, analysis, and decision-making. This paper presents an overview of smart cities’ various applications and discusses the challenges associated with implementing IoT and machine learning in urban environments. The paper also compares different case studies of successful smart city implementations utilizing IoT and machine learning technologies. The findings suggest that these technologies have the potential to transform urban environments and enable the creation of more livable, sustainable, and efficient cities. However, significant challenges remain regarding data privacy, security, and ethical considerations, which must be addressed to realize the full potential of smart cities.

The economic and environmental benefits of adopting natural gas in isolated systems of Amazonas state, Brazil

The Amazonas state in Brazil faces unique challenges regarding energy planning for its 95 isolated systems, which are remote areas not connected to the national power grid and primarily rely on diesel to generate electricity. These challenges include dense forests, low population density, low overall energy demands, and restrictions on transporting oil derivatives via waterways. However, the discovery of onshore reserves of natural gas in the state and investments in infrastructure, such as the construction of gas pipelines, have provided an opportunity to replace diesel with this cleaner and more cost-effective energy source. This study aims to assess the feasibility of completely replacing diesel-powered generators with natural gas in 14 isolated systems located near the Urucu-Manaus gas pipeline, as well as the Azulão and Japiim production fields. The methodology employed in this study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the economic and environmental impact of transitioning from diesel to natural gas in isolated systems. This assessment focuses on two key topics: fuel costs and CO2 emissions resulting from electricity generation. The analysis results indicate that transitioning from diesel to natural gas can bring significant economic and environmental benefits. The switch to natural gas would reduce fuel costs by more than 40% and decrease CO2 emissions from combustion (in one case, 39.6% and in other cities, between 16.75% and 27.10%), promoting savings for additional investments in efficiency and sustainability. Implementing these changes makes it possible to achieve a better quality of life for citizens in isolated communities by providing access to a more reliable and sustainable energy source.

Effect of Perceived Importance according to the Visual Image of Tropicalesque Flower Landscape on the Loyalty of Horticulture Majors and Workers in Related Fields

Background and objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the psychological effect of the visual image of tropicalesque flower landscape and the preference for plants, and the effect of the importance of plants on loyalty.Methods: A survey was conducted with 105 participants who attended a symposium on tropicalesque flower landscaping, and the results were analyzed.Results: As a result of comparatively analyzing the psychological indices of plants in terms of the level of gardening activity (3 factors such as gardening experience, plant preference tendency, and plant-related event) between horticulture majors and workers in related fields and general people, it was found that horticulture majors and workers in related fields showed a higher level of gardening activity than general people, with gardening experience particularly showing statistical significance (p < .05). Preference for ‘Pretoria’ was the highest among four varieties of Canna × generalis. Preference for mixed planting of tropicalesque and indoor foliage plants was highest among three types of tropicalesque flower landscape. Preference for tropicalesque flower landscape was highest in the 50s among all age groups, and in the group with an average monthly income of 4.01-5 million won, showing statistical significance. Among 6 factors of perceived importance of plants, esthetics and emotional relaxation for improved quality of life showed high scores in the survey measuring perceived importance of plants. As a result of conducting a regression analysis to examine the effect of the level of gardening activity, importance of plants, preference for tropicalesque flower landscape, and demographic variables (control variables) on loyalty, flower landscape preference was the most influential variable, followed by esthetics among the 6 factors of importance.Conclusion: These results suggest that by increasing the formation of tropicalesque flower landscape, a natural landscape that can reduce negative factors such as increased stress and depression since the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be possible to reduce fatigue caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and improve the quality of life for citizens.

Human Action Recognition in Smart Living Services and Applications: Context Awareness, Data Availability, Personalization, and Privacy.

Smart living, an increasingly prominent concept, entails incorporating sophisticated technologies in homes and urban environments to elevate the quality of life for citizens. A critical success factor for smart living services and applications, from energy management to healthcare and transportation, is the efficacy of human action recognition (HAR). HAR, rooted in computer vision, seeks to identify human actions and activities using visual data and various sensor modalities. This paper extensively reviews the literature on HAR in smart living services and applications, amalgamating key contributions and challenges while providing insights into future research directions. The review delves into the essential aspects of smart living, the state of the art in HAR, and the potential societal implications of this technology. Moreover, the paper meticulously examines the primary application sectors in smart living that stand to gain from HAR, such as smart homes, smart healthcare, and smart cities. By underscoring the significance of the four dimensions of context awareness, data availability, personalization, and privacy in HAR, this paper offers a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners striving to advance smart living services and applications. The methodology for this literature review involved conducting targeted Scopus queries to ensure a comprehensive coverage of relevant publications in the field. Efforts have been made to thoroughly evaluate the existing literature, identify research gaps, and propose future research directions. The comparative advantages of this review lie in its comprehensive coverage of the dimensions essential for smart living services and applications, addressing the limitations of previous reviews and offering valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field.