Smart City Solutions and the Potential of Using Web APIs

Abstract

This chapter presents the advantages of using APIs in the context of Smart City solutions and describes relevant successful practices. As there is still some uncertainty and the fear of compromising the security of data in these types of scenarios, most cities have just started using web APIs indicating that there are still opportunities for further enhancements. Different views on Smart City solutions result in different priorities and assumptions, so depending on the role, it is possible to differentiate between the programmer's (technical) and customer/citizen's perspective. The research was conducted with two groups of respondents: with end-users and programmers. The purpose of the survey was to find out the preferences and characteristics that potential users are looking for from Smart City solutions, while the aim of conducted interviews with programmers was to explore their attitudes about using web APIs in Smart City solutions.