The market is getting flooded with a lot of Internet of Things consumer gadgets that include smart doorbells, WiFi enabled toothbrushes, refrigerators that order groceries and ovens that can be scheduled to cook dinner.

What has become known as IoT occurs when: 1.) digital sensors can be embedded onto almost any “thing,” 2.) almost every electronic device has some measurable processing power, and 3.) these devices can be networked together through the Internet.

Among the areas where the civic IoT is advancing most rapidly are in water management and waste removal, the electrical “smart grid,” and improving transportation — whether it is public transit, smoother automobile traffic or parking cars.

By automating the tracking of water and electricity consumption, with the added benefit of helping the grid’s stability and reliability, civic authorities can effect huge savings.

Developing a Smart City requires infrastructure investments in communications as with the electric grid and water supply system. Access to super-fast broadband is a necessity. They are required   for IoT-based applications.

Smart City applications enhance efficiency and democratic accountability.  Public access to information in machine-readable formats enables new tools for problem-solving.

Digital governance is no longer about one-way communication, but about collaborative exchanges built upon feedback loops.

Information security must be built into government networks that use IoT data to ensure privacy.