E-government impact on developing smart cities initiative in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities & challenges

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have a recent impact on governance and public administration. Electronic government (e-government) services were created to streamline administrative processes and enhance citizen engagement on the one hand, and to build new governance models that would empower individuals, involve them in the decision-making process, and increase transparency on the other. Many individuals are doubtful about smart city projects because of the security issues that arise in such environments. In essence, internet of things gadgets are security flaws. Concerns about the proliferation of IoT sensors and the tighter coupling of infrastructure silos in cities are well-founded. The major objective of the study is to identify the influencing factors of smart cities on e-government in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this research explores the definition of e-government, and its supporting technologies like smart cities, IoT, big data, cloud computing and other digital government platforms. After exploring the detailed definitions, the study identifies the challenging scenarios of e-government in Saudi Arabia, and discusses the different opportunities. This study also concentrates on the good practices to be followed to overcome the challenges. Furthermore, this study can be used in future research for solving real time challenges of e-government.