Smart city initiative investment worldwide in 2018-2023

Technology spending on smart city initiatives worldwide is forecast to more than double between 2018 and 2023, increasing from 81 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 to 189.5 billion in 2023. Smart cities use data collected through sensors to automate a range of services in order to bring about better performance, lower costs or reduced environmental impacts. A smart city is a vertical of Internet of Things (IoT) - a term used to define a network that not only connects people, but also the objects around them.

The ‘smartest’ of ‘smart’ cities

    As of 2019, Oslo, Norway was ranked as one of the smartest cities to live in with an index score of 7.63. This index was calculated by looking into different categories such as transport and mobility, sustainability, innovation economy, living standard and expert perception. The index included the provision of smart parking and mobility, recycling rates, blockchain ecosystem and other factors that improve the standard of living to give a top index score of 10. Next to Oslo is another Norwegian city Bergen, as well as Amsterdam, with index scores of 7.57 and 7.55 respectively.