Modeling pervasive platforms and digital services for smart urban transformation using an enterprise architecture framework

Abstract

PurposeIn smart cities pervasive systems are deployed by enterprises and stakeholders in municipalities to provide digital services to citizens. But cities are faced with the challenge of achieving system pluggability, mainly service integration due to numerous actors and systems needed for smart urban transformation. Hence, there is need to employ a comprehensive and holistic approach to help achieve service integration of pervasive platforms. Therefore, this study presents an Enterprise Architecture Framework (EAF) to support smart urban transformation.Design/methodology/approachIn this study the design science research methodology is adopted based on a multi-case studies of two organizations and data is collected using semi-structured interview from an organizations and municipality in Norway to validate how service integration can be achieved by the developed EAF to address pluggability challenges faced in urban environment.FindingsFindings suggest that the presented EAF provides the structure to manage changes and maintain urban transformation and aims to align the business with the underlying information systems from the perspective of the stakeholders. Additionally, findings from the case studies modelled in ArchiMate language depict how service integration of different pervasive platforms provide digital services for smart urban transformation.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only employed semi-structured interviews to validate service integration of digital platforms, other identified dimensions of pluggability were not fully addressed in this study.Practical implicationsFindings from the case studies provides insights on how pervasive platforms can be integrated to achieve a pluggable digital service from different stakeholders and data sources in practice. The developed EAF presented in this study provide a model that supports collection and exchange of data from different data sources in smart urban environment to enable the provision and consumption of digital services.Social implicationsThe developed EAF aids system pluggability of actors and systems in providing digital service such as smart urban transformation that contributes to sustainable use of electric mobility in cities.Originality/valueAs cities increasingly deploy pervasive platforms to support urban innovation, researchers are seeking to explore how these platforms shape urban transformation. Presently, prior studies do not offer important insights into pervasive platform management from urban perspective. Against this backdrop, this study employs the information systems perspective of digital platforms literature roots in software development and physical product development to depict how the EAF can be employed to describe specific cases that integrate different pervasive platforms deployed by different stakeholders communicating to co-create collective digital services to citizens.

Smart City Transformation: An Analysis of Dhaka and Its Challenges and Opportunities

“…The study provides insights for urban policymakers, managers, and planners to make informed decisions regarding smart city policies and planning. Finally, a study proposes an Enterprise Architecture Framework (EAF) to address the challenge of integrating pervasive systems in smart cities that involve multiple stakeholders and actors [40].…”

Using an extended technology acceptance model to predict enterprise architecture adoption in making cities smarter

“…Also, qualitative data were employed in the study. Jnr et al (2021c) proposed a model grounded on DeLone and McLean information system success model to evaluate the acceptance and usefulness of EA for digitalization of cities. The work by Jnr et al (2020a, b) explored how big-data-driven multi-tier architecture can be employed to promote electric mobility as a service within smart cities.…”

Digital transformation with enterprise architecture for smarter cities: a qualitative research approach

“…Smart people consist of the inhabitants or communities at large that resides within the city. Smart people used digital services to improve their quality of life (Bokolo and Petersen, 2019; Jnr et al , 2021). Smart living aims to improve citizens understanding of how technology interact societal development (Anthony Jnr, 2021).…”

“…EA provides a medium to manage the overview of IT systems, data and align the IT strategy to the business strategy and the needs of the cities and citizens and thus serves as an informational foundation for informed decisions in urban development (Chen et al , 2008). Simultaneously, EA provides a means to develop and visualize to-be states of the city (Jnr et al , 2021). EA plays a critical role in this integration, aiding better designs for cities, management of their operations and analysis of their performance (Kakarontzas et al , 2014).…”

“…Since its inception in the late 1980s, EA discipline has progressed into a well-known initiative of managing information systems (IS) alignment with business goals (Gorkhali and Xu, 2017). Therefore, EA comprises of models, principles and methods used in the realization and design of cities IT infrastructure, business processes and organizational structure (Jnr et al , 2021).…”