April 2022

Written by Kithinji Muriungi, Guest Editor

The advances in Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) is highly dependent on the efficient use of information and data from acquisition, processing, analyzing, and decision making. The adoption of IR 4.0 in enhancing the knowledge-based economy will be a significant factor across many industry sectors. Unlike the previous physical resource-based economies that drove the advancement of the previous industrial revolution, IR 4.0 plays an important role in making smart cities sustainable, liveable, safe, and efficient. Innovation in the digital transformation era would have several roles in optimizing the knowledge economy in many different application areas.

Written by Eleni Mangina and Fridolin Wild

The world is changing and the Educational Metaverse is coming. The future of learning is in the overlay reality. The real world surrounding us is augmented using wearables, liberating us from decades of being tied to screens and allowing us to ‘live’ in our learning experiences. Smart cities of the future need to facilitate this shift to eXtended Reality (XR) with accessible sensors, open data, and digital twins so we can realize the evident potential for rapid reskilling and developing expertise in real-time directly where the knowledge is applied.

Written by Mohammad Upal Mahfuz

The field of smart cities is a newer area of research and development that has opened opportunities to incorporate sustainability into everyday lives. The field of education experiences the need to implement sustainability-focused instruction not only in the field of engineering but also in multiple interdisciplinary fields at universities, colleges, and K-12 academic institutions. The field of smart cities is an interdisciplinary application of the concepts of sustainability.  

Written by Patrick Yegon Toroitich

With the advent and manifestation of the concept of smart cities, we need to pause and ask ourselves if the occupants of these cities have the education needed to enable them develop, manage and live in these cities.

Written by Isaac Wainaina, Kithinji Muriungi, Kiyeng Chumo, and David Mulongo

Innovation, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and creativity thrive in a chaotic environment where experimentation is an important key in shaping a smart city where imagination is the limit. Therefore, in addition to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) that essentially comprises mathematical formulae, scientific and engineering principles, there is a need to bring in the artistic side of life to achieve a holistic view in developing various applications for people in a smart city. Arts complement STEM-based innovations hollistically.