Unlocking value with a crowdsourcing configuration of smart city: a system dynamic simulation

Purpose: The paper aims to explore the value generated by a specific configuration of a smart city's infrastructure by proposing a comparison between a silos configuration versus a crowd configuration at the data storage and processing level. Design/methodology/approach: A system dynamics simulation is adopted to determine and compare the value created by the two configurations of smart city's infrastructure. The simulation outlines the flow of data and their positive and negative feedback that reinforce and hinder the smart city value generation. Findings: The results demonstrate the huge impact of the availability of data for App developers when crowdsourcing configuration is adopted. Furthermore, results unveil the potential in value generation of a crowdsourcing smart city platform configuration compared to a silos architecture. Originality/value: The authors have proposed a comparison between two alternative smart city digital platform configurations. The paper seeks to test the magnitude of the pros and cons of a crowdsourcing approach in setting up a smart city digital platform. The paper provides new guidelines for improving the data management of smart cities.