10 Predictions concerning smart cities in 2016

A specialist in studies on the IT, telecommunications and consumer technology sector, IDC, has published Worldwide Smart City 2016 Predictions, a report on the developments to be expected in 2016 in the area of smart cities.

How will smart cities develop during the coming year? Which issues should their leaders prioritise and how should they orient their IT investments? Published in November 2015, the study Worldwide Smart 2016 Predictions summarises the major trends of our time in ten predictions.

Towards mature and global smart-city strategies

Prediction 1: By 2017, At least 20 of the world's largest countries will create national smart city policies to prioritize funding and document technical and business guidelines.

Prediction 2: In the next three years, one-third of medium-sized and large cities will define their smart city road map leveraging third-party maturity models and best practice studies.

Prediction 3: Through 2018, 90% of AP smart city ICT investment will support socioeconomic initiatives to reduce economic divides, grow domestic industries, and attract skilled workers.

Data will be the fuel of smart cities

Prediction 4: To enhance service delivery, by 2018, 75% of state and local organizations will use externally generated citizen data in transportation management and real-time crime centers.

Prediction 5: By 2016, 60% of mobile apps that people use to experience a city will rely on open data combined with crowdsourced information but supplied by commercial organizations.

Drones will be included in smart-city infrastructures

Prediction 6: In 2016, 90% of cities worldwide will lack a comprehensive set of policies on the public and private use of drones, sensors, and devices, resulting in increased privacy and security risks

Prediction 7: As crime becomes more mobile and invisible, and the global threat environment more complex, local public safety organizations will spend $20.7 billion in 2016 on IoT-enabled solutions.

Prediction 8: By 2018, 60% of robotics use and machine-to-infrastructure communications in major cities will be related to connected cars and driverless or semiautonomous vehicles.

Prediction 9: In 2017, public works projects will be the third-largest area of smart city investment as the business case in connected lighting and smart water become indisputable.

Prediction 10: In 2018, 50% of all smart home alerts, reminders, and predictive automation will rely on inputs or responses from local government.