Integration of Smart City Technology and Business Model Innovation

Abstract

At present, the progress of business model stages supported by a variety of technology categories may unclear, and the integration of technology application and business model innovation (BMI) is hard due to operational practices in various industries and research areas, which block the view of the integration of smart city technology (SCT) and BMI for further development. Thus, this paper aims to explore the current research on the integration of SCT and BMI and identify the current research status and hotspots, assisting in indicating the status of these technologies in the business model stages in order to determine future trends, and adopts a mixed research methodology including a macro-quantitative method based on bibliometrics and a micro-qualitative method using content analysis. The results reveal a 17-year (2007 to 2023) integration of SCT and BMI enhanced by cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence in recent years, with the most current studies focusing on the ideation and design stages of the business model stages with an emphasis on using digital capabilities to refine, formulate, and design the corresponding business model while defining the strategy through internal and external factors. Interestingly, Industry 4.0 and digital servitization are currently the key trends.