Beyond The 'Smart' City: Get Ready For The 'Hyperconnected' City

Whatever happened to the "smart city?" It's alive and well but morphing into the "hyperconnected city," powered by data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and other advanced technologies. Among the goals: Create new business opportunities, increase the efficiency of government processes, and improve public safety and health, according to a new study by research firm ESI ThoughtLab and sponsored by Oracle. Those benefits will come with a discernible return on investment that increases as connectivity expands, the report maintains. One surprising finding is the extent to which hyperconnected cities--even some with huge technology investments--admit to being largely unprepared for cyberattacks.