Preface to the Journal of Smart Cities and Society issue 2(1)
1.Introduction
Welcome to the first issue of our second volume in the Journal of Smart Cities and Society. Here we consider three contributions to the field, two of them consider innovation in the technical infrastructure whilst another considers an application in a specific regional setting:
“Resilient edge machine learning in smart city environment” by A. Vrachimis, S. Gkegka and K. Kolomvatsos, addresses some of the challenges faced by real-time analysis Smart City generated data, focusing on Edge Devices and concept drift, where the statistical properties of data streams change over time. A new method increasing quality of service and availability is proposed and experimental evaluations conducted using real datasets show positive results, not only on concept drift but also on reduction in the amount of data transmitted over the network during the process.
“What smart tourism in post-conflict cities follows a urbicide process? The role of new technologies in urban tourism in the western Balkans” by Cyril Martin-Colonna provides a fascinating insight on how Smart Cities projects offer positive opportunities for societies even in the background of tragic pasts, and illustrates through the Smart Tourism initiatives of Sarajeveo and Blegrade the challenges and progress made in the Balkan region to reclaim and recover urban spaces.
“Implementing green facades: A step towards sustainable smart buildings” by T. Aung, S. R. Liana, A. Htet and A. Bhaumik, performs a comprehensive review of current research and applications in green facades, analyzing their role in enhancing energy efficiency, improving indoor air quality, and contributing to overall building sustainability. The benefits of green facades on reducing energy consumption, air purification and aesthetical is explored together with some of the technological requirements and how these systems will relate to city residents.
The editorial team of this journal expects the contributions included in this issue will provide new tools to address some of the many challenges ahead to realize this societal paradigm shift and inspires and guide other colleagues in this developing community to further innovate in this sector.
We encourage all sectors of society to engage in this technical conversation as our view of this area as a multidisciplinary one which will require the input of various different professions and different levels of involvement within urban environments to produce effective innovation.
