IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Smart Cities and Communities 2023 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Smart Cities and Communities 2023 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: By 2023, 60% of Cities and Communities Will Have Been Impacted by the Global Energy and Climate Crisis, Despite Some Efforts in Climate Tracking, Climate Intelligence, and Green Procurement

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: Led by Efforts to Create Zero Trust Architectures, in 2023, 25% of Large Cities and States Will Use AI for Improved Observability, Network Security, and Other Cybersecurity Solutions

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: By 2024, Because of Ongoing Staff Shortages, 60% of Regional and Local Governments Will Realign Budgets and Job Categories to Increase Investment in Cloud and Managed Services

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By 2024, 25% of States, Provinces, and Local Governments Will Create Platforms to Enable Data Sharing Between Government, the Private Sector, and Users to Improve Processes and the User Experience

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: By 2025, at Least One AI-Assisted Tech for Equitability and Inclusivity, from Multilingual to Accessible Services, Will Be Deployed in 75% of Communities Over 100,000 in Population

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By 2025, 75% of Large Cities and Communities Will Form Industry Ecosystems with IT, Architectural, Engineering, and Real Estate Firms to Share Data, Applications, and Expertise to Address ESG Issues

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2026, More than One-Third of Large Cities Will Deploy Multimodal Transit Hub Offerings to Promote Mobility, Sustainability, Health, and Equity Benefits for Communities

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2026, 15% of Large Cities and 25% of States and Provinces Will Implement Self-Sovereign Digital Identity Schemas to Improve Secure Access to Services

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: Threatened by Water Scarcity and Extreme Weather, by 2027, 40% of Large Cities Will Have Digital Twins of Their Water Resources to Manage Water Supply, Quality, Resilience, and Behavioral Change

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: By 2027, 20% of City Products and Services Will Be Delivered Using Metaverse or Augmented Reality Solutions, Transforming Services Delivery, Planning and Simulation, and Constituent Interactions

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• Storms of Disruption — Accelerating, Interconnected Uncertainty

• Cybersecurity and Risk — Scaling and Evolving Threat Environment

• Meaningful Intelligence — Differentiated Decision Power

• Ecosystem-Based Innovation — Driving Enterprise Value

• Embracing the Metaverse — New Levels of Immersion

• Mainstream ESG — Sustainability Is Measured and Mandatory

• Everything as a Service — Thriving Through the Change

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• Related Research