Transforming South African Cities: The Impact of Big Data Analytics on Smart City Initiatives

Technological advancement is rapidly changing the way cities operate. These advancements have led to the development of smart cities, which are data-driven cities designed to improve people’s way of life. Analyzing the numerous data generated within cities can help drive the attainment of city smartness. Based on this knowledge, this study assessed the impact of big data analytics (BDA) on the attainment of smart cities in South Africa. This was done to propose policies guided by technological advances, such as BDA, in the quest for smart cities in the country. The study adopted a post-positivist stance with a quantitative design. Data gathered from participants with knowledge of innovative city development in the country were analyzed using relevant descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that the major sources of big data that can be analyzed for city smartness are sensor data, banking transactions and social networking sites, which can be gathered in a hybrid mode and controlled by the government and private entities. It was further noted that carefully analyzing these data using BDA would significantly impact smart transportation, grid, healthcare, governance, economy, and environment. The study contributes to the existing smart city discourse from the view of BDA adoption in a developing country. Its findings can serve as an excellent theoretical backdrop for future works in countries where such a study has not been conducted.