Social reception of the use of IoT in public space

The revitalisation of the Warsaw University of Technology campus requires the acceptance of the university community. An important element of the research was to gather opinions on the openness of the university's student and staff community, as well as residents of nearby quarters, regarding the use of IoT sensors as a tool for exploring social habits, preferences and needs. As one of the research assumptions was the use of edge computing sensors, an important part of the opinion analysis was to make respondents aware that this approach ensures confidenciality of data while maintaining the efficiency and comprehensiveness of the survey. 

An important part of the research was a survey carried out by WUT students as a part of the interdisciplinary course “Smart City - phantom menace or new hope?,”. This was an opportunity to use Internet of Things technologies to support sustainable urban development which was of relevance. Firstly, respondents admit that they use the Central Campus area sporadically, most frequently coming to the Main Building. This is mainly due to the poorly organized space between the buildings located on the University’s grounds. Main reasons for that were pointed out clearly as e.g.  lack of area to work, eat, nor rest which leads as a result to the need to look for those places outside the campus. It should be noted that a predominant part of the people spending time on the campus are local residents who perceive the area as large and empty, but having some potential. In general, respondents feel safe on the Central Campus but inadequate traffic signage was highlighted, as well as the problem with cars parked incorrectly - both in designated parking spaces and on sidewalks. 

The next step taken was an extensive social on-line survey conducted by WUT researchers from January 2022 to June 2022 on the acceptance of IoT sensor-based among academic community. The respondents were informed that the survey concerned the feasibility of introducing Internet of Things sensors operating in the Edge Computing mode at the campus of the Warsaw University of Technology. The aim was to assess the respondents’ attitudes toward this idea. In total, 218 complete responses were analyzed. The survey showed a significant openness of the academic community of the Warsaw University of Technology to the use of geo-information technology and IoT sensors for the acquisition of spatial knowledge about the ways in which space is used, and, indirectly, also about social expectations. Taking into account the issues related to the requirement to ensure the protection of personal data, which are important to the respondents, the research used an Edge Computing approach that  provide anonymity. 

An adoption of a new technology always depends on the user’s perception and behavior toward technological novelties. In this age of technological advances, cloud computing, IoT, and Edge computing are widely used, and it is a good idea to use them to facilitate the lives of residents of smart cities.