A Review Of Adaptive Multi-Sensor Grids in IOT-Enabled Smart City Development
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and continuous technological growth have increased the demand for sustainable and intelligent city infrastructures. Smart cities use the Internet of Things (IoT) and adaptive multi-sensor grids to improve resource management and real-time monitoring. This study focuses on understanding how IoT-based adaptive sensor grids can improve the sustainability, resilience, and intelligence of future cities. It also highlights the major innovations, present applications, and challenges involved in implementing these systems. A systematic literature review was carried out using academic databases such as IEEE Xplore and Scopus. Research papers published between 2020 and 2025 were analyzed using keywords like “smart city,” “IoT,” and “multi-sensor grid.” The findings show that adaptive sensor grids form the core of smart city infrastructure. These grids continuously monitor traffic flow, energy consumption, air quality, and public health conditions. When combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI), they support real-time decision-making. This enables predictive energy management, dynamic traffic control, and efficient waste handling. Despite these benefits, several challenges remain. The major concerns include cybersecurity risks, data privacy issues, and lack of interoperability between systems. Overall, adaptive multi-sensor grids play a crucial role in shaping sustainable and human-centered smart cities. To achieve this vision, it is essential to develop open standards, secure data frameworks, and strong governance policies. These steps ensure that IoT-driven urban systems remain safe, resilient, and fair for all citizens.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Chen, S. Planning and Development of Smart Cities Based on the Concept of Sustainable Development. Adv. Econ. Manag. Political Sci. 2024, 96, 73–80. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/96/2024MUR0115
Kommineni, M.; Baseer, K. K. An Architecture and Review of Intelligence-Based Traffic Control System for Smart Cities. EAI Endorsed Trans. Energy Web 2024, 11, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4108/ew.4964
Alahi, M. E. E.; Sukkuea, A.; Tina, F. W.; Nag, A.; Kurdthongmee, W.; Suwannarat, K.; Mukhopadhyay, S. C. Integration of IoT-Enabled Technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Smart City Scenario: Recent Advancements and Future Trends. Sensors 2023, 23, 5206. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23115206
Jakkaladiki, S. P.; Poulová, P.; Pražák, P.; Tesařová, B. Smart Parking System: Optimized Ensemble Deep Learning Model with Internet of Things for Smart Cities. Scalable Comput. Pract. Exp. 2023, 24, 1191–1201. https://doi.org/10.12694/scpe.v24i4.2550
Bellini, P.; Nesi, P.; Pantaleo, G. IoT-Enabled Smart Cities: A Review of Concepts, Frameworks and Key Technologies. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 1607. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031607
Ghazal, T. M.; Hasan, M. K.; Alzoubi, H. M.; Alshurideh, M. T. Internet of Things Connected Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Cities. In The Effect of Information Technology on Business and Marketing Intelligence Systems; Springer, 2023; pp 1953–1968. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12382-5_107
Mahadik, S.; Gedam, M.; Shah, D. Environment Sustainability with Smart Grid Sensor. Front. Artif. Intell. 2025, 7, 1510410. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2024.1510410
Dahmane, W. M.; Ouchani, S.; Bouarfa, H. Smart Cities Services and Solutions: A Systematic Review. Data Inf. Manage. 2024, 8, 100087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dim.2024.100087
Whaiduzzaman, M.; Barros, A.; Chanda, M.; Barman, S.; Sultana, T.; Rahman, M. S.; Roy, S.; Fidge, C. A Review of Emerging Technologies for IoT-Based Smart Cities. Sensors 2022, 22, 9271. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22239271
Hoang, T. V. Impact of Integrated Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things Technologies on Smart City Transformation. J. Tech. Educ. Sci. 2024, 19, 64–73. https://doi.org/10.54644/jte.2024.1532
Abbas, Q.; Ahmad, G.; Alyas, T.; Alghamdi, T.; Alsaawy, Y.; Alzahrani, A. Revolutionizing Urban Mobility: IoT-Enhanced Autonomous Parking Solutions with Transfer Learning for Smart Cities. Sensors 2023, 23, 8753. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23218753
Chan, J. J.; Chye, S. W. Impact of Smart City Initiatives on Urban Planning Strategies in Singapore: An In-Depth Analysis of Technology-Driven Solutions and Their Influence on Sustainable Development and Quality of Life. J. Strateg. Manag. 2023, 7, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4200
Rubí, J. N. S.; de Lira Gondim, P. R. IoT-Based Platform for Environment Data Sharing in Smart Cities. Int. J. Commun. Syst. 2021, 34, e4515. https://doi.org/10.1002/dac.4515
Ogbodo, E. U.; Abu-Mahfouz, A. M.; Kurien, A. M. A Survey on 5G and LPWAN-IoT for Improved Smart Cities and Remote Area Applications: From the Aspect of Architecture and Security. Sensors 2022, 22, 6313. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22166313
Badshah, A.; et al. Smart Cities’ Big Data: Optimization with Regional Computing. IEEE Access 2024, 12, 128896–128908. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3457269
Farooq, S.; et al. Balancing Sustainability and Privacy in AI-Enabled Smart Cities. In Smart Cities and Sustainability; IGI Global, 2023; pp 263–286. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0892-9.ch013
Akhter, S.; et al. Neuro-Symbolic AI for IoT-Driven Smart Cities. J. Comput. Sci. Technol. Stud. 2025, 7, 36–55. https://doi.org/10.32996/jcsts.2025.7.2.4
Jakkani, A. K. Enhancing Urban Sustainability through AI-Driven Energy Efficiency Strategies in Cloud-Enabled Smart Cities. J. Energy Eng. Thermodyn. 2024, 4, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.55529/jeet.45.1.13
Priyadarshini, I. Anomaly Detection of IoT Cyberattacks in Smart Cities Using Federated Learning and Split Learning. Big Data Cogn. Comput. 2024, 8, 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc8030021
Koo, J.; Kim, Y.-G. Interoperability Requirements for a Smart City. In Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing; Association for Computing Machinery, 2021; pp 690–698. https://doi.org/10.1145/3412841.3441948
Lee, J.; Babcock, J.; Pham, T. S.; Bui, T. H.; Kang, M. Smart City as a Social Transition towards Inclusive Development through Technology: A Tale of Four Smart Cities. Int. J. Urban Sci. 2023, 27, 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2022.2074076
Mayuranathan, M.; Nahar, G.; Vijayakumar, A.; Naveen; Mamodiya, U.; Babu, D. M. Sustainable Business Models for Smart City Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques. In Navigating the Circular Age of a Sustainable Digital Revolution; IGI Global, 2024; pp 263–294. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2827-9.ch009
Xu, H.; Ang, L. M.; Smith, J.; Seng, K. P. Multi-Level Split Federated Learning for Large-Scale AIoT System Based on Smart Cities. Future Internet 2024, 16, 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16030082
Faliagka, E.; Christopoulou, E.; Ringas, D.; Politi, T.; Kostis, N.; Leonardos, D.; Tranoris, C.; Antonopoulos, C. P.; Denazis, S.; Voros, N. Trends in Digital Twin Framework Architectures for Smart Cities: A Case Study in Smart Mobility. Sensors 2024, 24, 1665. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24051665
Gururaja, H. S.; Hebbar, A.; Poojary, A. S.; Bharadwaj, A. A.; Naidu, R. C. Decentralized Energy Trading for Grids Using Blockchain for Sustainable Smart Cities. Int. Res. J. Adv. Eng. Hub 2024, 2, 134–141. https://doi.org/10.47392/IRJAEH.2024.0025
Kumar, P.; Srivastava, G.; Gupta, G. P.; Tripathi, R.; Kumar, R.; Gadekallu, T. R.; Xiong, N. N. PPSF: A Privacy-Preserving Framework for IoT-Driven Smart Cities. IEEE Trans. Netw. Sci. Eng. 2021, 8, 2326–2341. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSE.2021.3089435
Sharifi, A.; Allam, Z.; Bibri, S. E.; Khavarian-Garmsir, A. R. Smart Cities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Systematic Literature Review of Co-Benefits and Trade-Offs. Cities 2024, 146, 104659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104659
Mutambik, I. Unlocking the Potential of Sustainable Smart Cities: Barriers and Strategies. Sustainability 2024, 16, 5061. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125061
Lifelo, Z.; Ding, J.; Ning, H.; Qurat-Ul-Ain; Dhelim, S. Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Metaverse for Sustainable Smart Cities: Technologies, Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Electronics 2024, 13, 4874. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13244874
Syed, A. S.; Sierra-Sosa, D.; Kumar, A.; Elmaghraby, A. IoT in Smart Cities: A Survey of Technologies, Practices and Challenges. Smart Cities 2021, 4, 429–475. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4020024
Belli, L.; Cilfone, A.; Davoli, L.; Ferrari, G.; Adorni, P.; Di Nocera, F.; Bertolotti, E.; et al. IoT-Enabled Smart Sustainable Cities: Challenges and Approaches. Smart Cities 2020, 3, 519–541. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities3030052
Pandiyan, P.; Saravanan, S.; Usha, K.; Kannadasan, R.; Alsharif, M. H.; Kim, M.-K. Technological Advancements toward Smart Energy Management in Smart Cities. Energy Rep. 2023, 10, 648–677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.07.021
Abu-Rayash, A.; Dincer, I. Development and Analysis of an Integrated Solar Energy System for Smart Cities. Sustain. Energy Technol. Assess. 2021, 46, 101170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2021.101170
Aliero, M. S.; Qureshi, K. N.; Pasha, M. F.; Jeon, G. Smart Home Energy Management Systems in IoT Networks. Environ. Technol. Innov. 2021, 22, 101443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2021.101443
Beheshtikhoo, A.; Pourgholi, M.; Khazaee, I. Design of Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller in Smart Home Energy Systems. J. Build. Eng. 2023, 68, 106097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106097
Cengiz, B.; Adam, I. Y.; Ozdem, M.; Das, R. A Survey on Data Fusion Approaches in IoT-Based Smart Cities: Smart Applications, Taxonomies, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. Inf. Fusion 2025, 121, 103102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2025.103102
Saini, K.; Sharma, S. Smart Road Traffic Monitoring: Unveiling the Synergy of IoT and AI for Enhanced Urban Mobility. ACM Comput. Surv. 2025, 57, 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1145/3729217
Janani, R. P. IoT in Smart Cities: A Contemporary Survey. Comput. Netw. 2021, 186, 107746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2021.107746
Nguyen, H.; Nawara, D.; Kashef, R. Connecting the Indispensable Roles of IoT and Artificial Intelligence in Smart Cities: A Survey. J. Inf. Intell. 2024, 2, 261–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiixd.2024.01.003
Zakaria, A. A.; Amr, T.; Ragheb, A. A. IoT in Smart Urban Planning: A Comprehensive Review of Applications, Developments, and Engineering Perspectives. IEEE Access 2025, 13, 135316–135335. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3594019
Peralta Abadía, J. J.; Walther, C.; Osman, A.; Smarsly, K. A Systematic Survey of Internet of Things Frameworks for Smart City Applications. Sustain. Cities Soc. 2022, 83, 103949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.103949
Swain, B.; Singh, Y.; Raj, P.; Singh, S.; Singh, K.; Mohapatra, H. Ethical Implications and Mitigation Strategies for Public Safety and Security in Smart Cities. In Smart Cities and Sustainable Development; IGI Global, 2025; pp 419–436. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6859-6.ch019
Hassebo, A.; Tealab, M. Global Models of Smart Cities and Potential IoT Applications: A Review. IoT 2023, 4, 366–411.
Salih, S.; Abdelmaboud, A.; Husain, O.; Motwakel, A.; Elshafie, H.; Sharif, M.; Hamdan, M. IoT in Urban Development: Insight into Smart City Applications, Case Studies, Challenges, and Future Prospects. PeerJ Comput. Sci. 2025, 11, e2816. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.2816
Barletta, V. S.; Caivano, D.; De Vincentiis, M.; Pal, A.; Scalera, M. Hybrid Quantum Architecture for Smart City Security. J. Syst. Softw. 2024, 217, 112161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2024.112161
Zaman, M.; Puryear, N.; Zohrabi, N.; Abdelwahed, S. A Review of IoT-Based Smart City Development and Management. Smart Cities 2024, 7, 1462–1501. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities7030061
Caragliu, A.; Del Bo, C. F. Smart Cities and the Urban Digital Divide. npj Urban Sustain. 2023, 3, 43. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00117-w
Tekinerdogan, B.; Köksal, Ö.; Çelik, T. System Architecture Design of IoT-Based Smart Cities. Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4173. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13074173
Abbas, N.; Abbas, Z.; Liu, X.; Khan, S.; Foster, E.; Larkin, S. A Survey: Future Smart Cities Based on Advanced Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 9881. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179881
El-Agamy, R.; Sayed, H.; Akhatatneh, A.; Aljohani, M.; Elhosseini, M. Comprehensive Analysis of Digital Twins in Smart Cities: A 4200-Paper Bibliometric Study. Artif. Intell. Rev. 2024, 57, 154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-024-10781-8
Goudarzi, A.; Ghayoor, F.; Waseem, M.; Fahad, S.; Traore, I. A Survey on IoT-Enabled Smart Grids: Emerging, Applications, Challenges, and Outlook. Energies 2022, 15, 6984. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15196984
Suanpang, P.; Jamjuntr, P. Optimizing Electric Vehicle Charging Recommendation in Smart Cities: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach. World Electr. Veh. J. 2024, 15, 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj15020067
Gagliardi, G.; Tedesco, F.; Lo Scudo, F.; Cicchello Gaccio, F.; Lupia, M.; Cario, G.; Casavola, A. Advanced Adaptive Street Lighting Systems for Smart Cities. Smart Cities 2020, 3, 1495–1512. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities3040071
Raaj, A. T. M.; Balaji, B.; Pravin, R. R. S. A.; Naidu, R. C.; Kumar, R. M.; Ramachandran, P.; Rajkumar, S.; Kumar, V. N.; Aggarwal, G.; Siddiqui, A. M. Intelligent Energy Management across Smart Grids Deploying 6G IoT, AI, and Blockchain in Sustainable Smart Cities. IoT 2024, 5, 560–591. https://doi.org/10.3390/iot5030025
Song, Y.; Qin, H.; Lao, K.; Wan, C.; Hu, X. Resilient Power Grid for Smart City. iEnergy 2022, 1, 325–340. https://doi.org/10.23919/IEN.2022.0043
Hussain, D. I.; Elomri, D. A.; Kerbache, D. L.; El Omri, D. A. E. Smart City Solutions: Comparative Analysis of Waste Management Models in IoT-Enabled Environments Using Multiagent Simulation. Sustain. Cities Soc. 2024, 103, 105247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105247
Sefati, S. S.; Craciunescu, R.; Arasteh, B.; Halunga, S.; Fratu, O.; Tal, I. Cybersecurity in a Scalable Smart City Framework Using Blockchain and Federated Learning for Internet of Things (IoT). Smart Cities 2024, 7, 2802–2841. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities7050109
Bai, Y.; Hu, Q.; Seo, S.-H.; Kang, K.; Lee, J. J. Public Participation Consortium Blockchain for Smart City Governance. IEEE Internet Things J. 2022, 9, 2094–2108. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2021.3091151
Anedda, M.; Fadda, M.; Girau, R.; Pau, G.; Giusto, D. A Social Smart City for Public and Private Mobility: A Real Case Study. Comput. Netw. 2023, 220, 109464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2022.109464
Astrain, J. J.; Falcone, F.; Lopez-Martin, A. J.; Sanchis, P.; Villadangos, J.; Matias, I. R. Monitoring of Electric Buses within an Urban Smart City Environment. IEEE Sens. J. 2022, 22, 11364–11372. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2021.3077846
Bauer, M.; Sanchez, L.; Song, J. IoT-Enabled Smart Cities: Evolution and Outlook. Sensors 2021, 21, 4511. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21134511
Sacoto-Cabrera, E. J.; Perez-Torres, A.; Tello-Oquendo, L.; Cerrada, M. IoT, AI, and Digital Twins in Smart Cities: A Systematic Review for a Thematic Mapping and Research Agenda. Smart Cities 2025, 8, 175. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities8050175
Sarrab, M.; Pulparambil, S.; Awadalla, M. Development of an IoT Based Real-Time Traffic Monitoring System for City Governance. Global Transitions 2020, 2, 230–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glt.2020.09.004
Zeng, F.; Pang, C.; Tang, H. Sensors on Internet of Things Systems for the Sustainable Development of Smart Cities: A Systematic Literature Review. Sensors 2024, 24, 2074. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24072074
Chauhan, V.; Patel, M.; Tanwar, S.; Tyagi, S.; Kumar, N. IoT-Enabled Real-Time Urban Transport Management System. Comput. Electr. Eng. 2020, 86, 106746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2020.106746
Kheder, M. Q.; Mohammed, A. A. Real-Time Traffic Monitoring System Using IoT-Aided Robotics and Deep Learning Techniques. Kuwait J. Sci. 2024, 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjs.2023.10.017
Jha, A. K. IoT-Enabled Traffic Signal Systems for Urban Mobility Optimization. Supply Chain Oper. Decis. Making 2025, 2, 31–38. https://doi.org/10.48313/scodm.v2i1.27
Waqar, A.; Barakat, T. A. H.; Almujibah, H. R.; Alshehri, A. M.; Alyami, H.; Alajmi, M. Analytical Approach to Smart and Sustainable City Development with IoT. Sci. Rep. 2025, 15, 23617. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08861-y
Salman, M. Y.; Hasar, H. Review on Environmental Aspects in Smart City Concept: Water, Waste, Air Pollution and Transportation Smart Applications Using IoT Techniques. Sustain. Cities Soc. 2023, 94, 104567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104567
Almalki, F. A.; et al. Green IoT for Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Smart Cities: Future Directions and Opportunities. Mob. Netw. Appl. 2023, 28, 178–202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-021-01790-w
Kaur, R.; Kaur, R.; Singh, J. Edge Computing and IoT in Smart Cities—An Overview. In Holistic Research Perspectives; National Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development, 2024; Vol. 11, pp 51–66.
Bhushan, B.; et al. Blockchain-Enabled Secure Smart Cities. Int. J. Recent Innov. Sci. Technol. 2021, 3600–3610.
Wang, M.; Rasoulpour, F. IoT-Based Urban Mobility Solutions for Traffic Congestion. Comput. Eng. Technol. Innov. 2025, 2, 23–33. https://doi.org/10.48314/ceti.vi.44
Alotaibi, A.; Aldawghan, H.; Aljughaiman, A. A Review of the Authentication Techniques for Internet of Things Devices in Smart Cities: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions. Sensors 2025, 25, 1649. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061649
Bhise, S. S. An IoT Application in a Smart Traffic Management System. J. Res. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. 2025, 4, 74–78. https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.4.1.8
Bibri, S. E.; Alexandre, A.; Sharifi, A.; et al. Environmentally Sustainable Smart Cities and Their Converging AI, IoT, and Big Data Technologies and Solutions: An Integrated Approach to an Extensive Literature Review. Energy Inform. 2023, 6, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-023-00259-2
Khonina, S. N.; Golovastikov, N. V.; Kazanskiy, N. L. Photonic Sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities. Sens. Actuators, A 2025, 393, 117317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2025.117317
Omrany, H.; Al-Obaidi, K. M.; Hossain, M.; et al. IoT-Enabled Smart Cities: A Hybrid Systematic Analysis of Technologies, Applications, and Challenges. Discover Cities 2024, 1, 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-024-00002-w
Bhardwaj, V.; Anooja, A.; Vermani, L. S.; et al. Smart Cities and the IoT: Global Research Trends, Emerging Themes, and Future Directions. Discover Internet Things 2024, 4, 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43926-024-00076-3
Rejeb, A.; Rejeb, K.; Simske, S.; Treiblmaier, H.; Zailani, S. The Big Picture on the Internet of Things and the Smart City: A Review of What We Know and What We Need to Know. Internet Things 2022, 19, 100565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2022.100565
