Metaverse

Abstract

The way we interact with the physical world around us is being changed rapidly by advances in technology. These new technologies are very helpful for developing smart cities with the goal of improving the quality of life considering sustainability. Technology is also at the core of the circular city vision, and we need to use the new technologies and act in a smarter way in smart cities to support the achievement of economic, environmental, and social targets that are important for sustainable development and circular economy (CE) implementation. The metaverse (which is the combination of the prefix “meta” with the word “universe”) is a new concept that is known as transcending hypothetical synthetic environment linked to the physical world. In this chapter, the proposed concept will be introduced in more detail, and then the authors discuss how smart cities can use the metaverse platforms for improving themselves in five main aspects including governance, environment, mobility, economy, and quality of life dimensions.

Bayesian network methodology and machine learning approach: an application on the impact of digital technologies on logistics service quality

“…Along with DTA, new solutions linked to DTIE have significant potential for supporting and enhancing SERVQUAL logistics. These technologies offer virtual collaboration and communication, allowing logistics professionals to interact and collaborate, regardless of location (Vishkaei, 2022). Simulations and virtual training for logistics operators improve skills and competency (Upadhyay and Khandelwal, 2022), while advanced visualization and analytics tools enable proactive decision-making and logistics optimization (Popescu et al, 2022).…”

Sustainability of the Metaverse: A Transition to Industry 5.0

“…In this regard, metaverse developers and adopters must verify whether metaverse implementation and management align with the concept of responsible digital transformation [18]. In other words, they must verify that the metaverse allows developers and adopters to achieve environmental objectives [31] and social scopes [32] in conjunction with economic targets. Therefore, we seek to provide tools to comprehensively recognize the trade-offs entailed by the metaverse through an analysis of the triple bottom line, which consists of economic, environmental, and social impacts.…”

“…Opportunities -new markets for digital goods -new services [2] -brand enhancement, awareness, and engagement [33] -efficiency in terms of resources and material savings, production cycles, inventory, and (in general) operations [34] -no need for monitoring and controlling systems since the technology is transparent and trustable [33] -no intermediaries and efficient transactions [20] -less complaints and reconciliation costs [20] -no fake goods and counterfeiting [35] -positive experiences lead to worldwide word-of-mouth [36] -less space usage and then, waste [32] -services make people to travel less [37] -lower exploitation of natural resources [38] -less demand for transportation [32] -people do activities from home (e.g., take lunch) implying less energy and resources consumption [31] -new competences and jobs [36] -new needs and purchasing immersive experiences [39] -no manipulation and corruption [40] -sensing physical goods in virtual spaces [20] -quick solutions to customer complaints [33] -cultural and social expansion [41] -new practices and modus operandi [39] -more physical activities planned to be conducted at home when using the metaverse [32] Risks -cannibalization of physical goods or traditional services [42] -pressure on just in time and atypical production systems [43] -no patience for delivering and designing goods [42] -activation of new data centers and storage systems [44] -investments in cloud and computing power [44] -investments in infrastructure with limited governments' funding [32] -defining new strategies for old customers and markets [20] -duplicate investments to manage customers connecting in different platforms [32] -provide services and work 24/7/365 [36] -uncertain capacity of avatars to replicate the reality [43] -possible queues for managing and producing physica...…”

Metaverse and circular economy

“…virtual clothing items and accessories remodelled, reused or repurposed), sustainable virtual infrastructures with low energy consumption and carbon emissions, as well as Architecture-Engineering-Construction for designing buildings and cities in a semi-realistic digital world (Baghalzadeh Shishehgarkhaneh et al, 2022; Kanak et al, 2022). In this context, the interconnection of the Metaverse, circular economy and smart cities will come in the foreground as a main area of development in the future, due to the necessity of both technology and waste mitigation (Dwivedi et al, 2022; Maleki Vishkaei, 2022).…”