ICT90003 Applied Research: Method Review on IoT Energy in Smart Cities

This report provides a method review of energy management for the Internet of Things (IoT) in smart cities. It discusses the importance of energy efficiency in urban environments and explores three research methods: case study, survey, and literature review. The case study examines consumer attitudes towards energy saving, while the survey assesses household perceptions of smart homes and energy consumption. The literature review analyzes existing research on IoT smart city services. The report compares these methods, discusses their implications for future smart homes, and critically analyzes their limitations. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of academic resources for students.

Method Review: “Energy management for Internet of Things in smart cities “
Introduction
Around the world, innovation is taking
place in integration with the information and
communication technologies (ICT) along with the
physical infrastructure, which is set at highest
priority for the government, so that they can pursue
green and smart living for enhancing the efficiency
of energy, environment protection, enhancement in
quality of life and for bolstering the
competitiveness of economy [1]. Currently, cities
are facing various multifarious issues, in which
fundamental problems relate to homes energy
efficiency and residential dwellings as the primary
requirement. Successfully attaining it with the
assistance of contextual systems and intelligent
sponsors can support in building the smart cities in
coming time. Within the environment of smart
homes, Management of home energy plays an
integral role in exploring the appropriate as well as
a relevant solution for curtailing the high demands
and attaining the conservation of energy. This
paper will discuss about three research methods
that are helpful in understanding the research topic.
Case study, survey and literature review will be
conducted for understating the perception of
respondents, case and previous literatures on
similar topic.
Purpose of Review
There is an international trend as well as
demand for the application of smart technology for
minimizing the consumption of energy. As per
Ashton (2010), heat production and electricity
contribute to around 25% of the peak total
international GHG emission proportion [2]. This
depicts the significance as well as the energy of
consuming sustainable energy to reduce the
emissions. The present research will identify the
household perceptions about the saving of energy
and offer right analysis about the smart technology
acceptance in households. This research aims to
evaluate the stories of energy saving in households
by smart homes, with the help of case study
method. It will also assess the perception of
households about saving energy by building smart
homes through survey method. To analyse the loT
smart city services, a literature review method will
also be followed.
Research Design
The primary purpose of conducting this study is to
explore how the households living in smart cities
are trying to save energy. To get the understanding
about the research problem, the investigation will
be developed, which will assist the research in
moving towards the new aspects, because it’s not
so easy to predict the outcome of the study, due to
the different investigation environment. There are
various possibilities linked with the study design
and selecting the research approach like qualitative
and quantitative. A qualitative and quantitative
approach will be applied while reviewing the
research topic through different research methods.
Under the qualitative approach, research will be
explained and deeply investigated. Data collection
strategies that will be applied by researcher will be
case study, survey with Smart homes households,
as well as literature review. A research tool that
will be used for collecting data will be a
questionnaire, journals, and books.
Review of Methods
Method 1- Case Study
Case studies related to the topic will be
discussed, which have implemented the smart
homes for energy saving in urban households. This
case study will offer a right insight into how the
smart technologies and smart homes can be used
for energy saving [3]. This case will also be aligned
with polices, and perception of consumers on
saving energy.
Method 2- Survey
Survey method will include an online
survey, which will be conducted for collecting the
insight about the consumption of energy in
households by viewing at the practical policies of
the government for saving energy, use of smart
technologies at houses, and perception of
households about the saving of energy by
constructing smart homes. Fifty households will be
chosen for study, and questionnaire is sent through
email. The questionnaire is also enclosed with the
close-ended questions.
Method 3
The third method is the literature review
method. In this method, two keywords will be used
such as smart city and Internet of things for
building the search query. Along with that
scientific database will be explored for the
appropriate topics like Google Scholar, IEEE
Explore, and ACM Digital Library [4]. Before
2012, research on these topics was quite scared, but
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it is noted that since the beginning of 2013, the
number has increased rapidly. There are more than
70% of the papers that were published between the
years 2015-16 [11]. The main reason for its
reduction in 2017 was that its review took place in
January 2017. These data show us entirely new
area of research in both the loT as well as smart
city, as it’s the current buzzword, and with time it
has a gain interest within the academic groups.
Usually, many papers, somewhat around 58 papers
were presented during the scientific conference,
and 14 papers got published in book sections,
journal articles as well as two papers.
Discussion
Description of methods
Case Study
Kani and Nehir (2013) case included 246
attitudes of consumers towards saving of energy in
2009-10. This survey was held in China, and it was
face to face. Between the years 2000-08,
consumption of energy has risen in China [12]. To
handle this problem, the government has come up
with policies for increasing energy efficiency by
enhancing the equipment of power plant and
appliances of labelling. This leads to a positive
effect on households as they could save money.
Consumers were given with products that were
energy efficient, but still, awareness was the big
issue. It is essential to educate them and change
their behaviour when they use these appliances
[13]. The findings are related to the questionnaire,
including awareness, knowledge, and pattern of
behaviour. Outcome depicts the knowledge level
among participants that energy is a real problem,
but they had less information about saving energy.
Youth were clear about policies of government and
awareness was there about energy costing. In
conclusion, this case depicts about the necessary
awareness about policies and energy savings.
Survey
Participants in the survey show the
awareness related to households consumption of
appliances, which includes water heater, air-
conditioner, and washing machine. In context of
viewpoint about the smart homes, participant’s
shows that they were not convinced with the
technology, that it’s capable enough in saving the
energy as compared to appliances of energy
efficiency [5]. Legislation of government is another
aspect, which was accepted by participants. The
government of China has implemented all these
policies for increasing the efficiency of energy in
households.
Literature review
After collecting the appropriate list of
papers, all the papers were divided through the
services of the smart city. All the literature were
not restricted to the only individual smart city;
that’s why individual papers were shown in
different categories. Along with that, boundaries
among the groups were not limited, as one specific
smart city might be included in more than one
category [6]. In these cases, author’s intention,
categorizing services was explored as quite
dominant. It is investigated that few categories like
healthcare, accessibility, transport and traffic,
monitoring of the environment, management of
energy, public lighting, healthcare, management of
waste, and city infrastructure. A loT is referred as
the critical enabler as well as a smart city driver. It
supports in offering the way for city sensing as well
as its inhabitants and supports in gathering the vast
quantity of information related to activities and city
events.
Comparison of methods
Case study related to group explains the
group behaviour, instead of any individual in the
group. Nevertheless, when the case is used in the
sense of abstract or either an argument or claim,
then such case can be referred as the subject for
various research methods, instead of just case study
method [8]. Case study method also includes the
quantitative and qualitative methods of research.
The survey is the method of gathering data
through asking questions. In particular case, the
survey is done face to face, or questionnaire can be
mailed too, and respondents reply back to that mail.
In some instances, the survey is also done through
the telephone.
At one side, a case study is descriptive by its
nature, and the survey is entirely predictive and
descriptive by its nature.
A literature review method is referred as
the stand-alone publication. It also comes under the
case study, in which authors try to conduct a
literature review [9]. Literature review in case
studies strive to meet two functions such as,
informs readers about the concepts required for
analysing the paper, and for persuading the reader
about the credibility of the research question.
Implication of methods
Smart homes in future will include all the advanced
technologies that will impart user comfort as well
as entertainment. It is analysed by the research
methods that intelligent systems will be made
available to make sure about the reliability and its
ease. Through this advancement in technologies,
future energy management need to be done. The
local energy of users depicts the considerable
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amount of total demand for electricity [11]. Home
energy system will also make use of rudimentary
types of energy efficiency as well as management.
Research explores that in near time households will
need an adequate quantity of energy for their
domestic purpose like lighting, cooking,
communicating and heating. To enhance the living
standards and health, it is essential that poverty
should be reduced. Due to unavailability of modern
energy, households will be most likely to turn
towards other types of sources like coal.
Critical analysis of methods
All the three methods hold significance in
some of the other ways. Case study mention has its
importance as it discusses the research topic with
the help of case, in which specific questions were
formed and according the whole case moves on and
discuss the concluding remark [15]. In case of an
interview, data will be collected from participants.
Face to face interview always help in getting more
data, and facial expression can be noted about
whom, who is taking the interview. In the last
method, a literature review is helpful, as it helps in
assessing previous journals and books.
Differences in viewpoints
The difference between the case study and
survey is the case of degree, and it mainly includes
the trade-off among the information
generalizability and accuracy of details. Earlier,
survey and case studies were referred as some
different kind of research. Therefore, in some
cases, case studies are highly intended as
representative and relate with survey findings [10].
Case study method includes the logic, but fail to
have a statistical reference. As per the research
topic and method review, it is analysed that loT is
the primary enabler as well as act as a driver of
various services of the smart city. It also enables
the transformation of previous city service towards
the smart services. For doing the same, its
complement and get collaborated with other
advanced technologies like cloud computing and
big data.
Case study findings depict the pattern of
behaviour among consumers, which might not get a
change just for saving energy. Though individual
people claim to be concern towards energy saving
or the environment, it is analysed that security, as
well as comfort, play an essential role in the life of
people [14]. The above research depicts the design
and maturity gap in technology, as it fails in taking
the behaviour of people and their views on the
functioning of smart homes.
Limitations of methods
Case study
A case study based on energy
management for loT in smart cities is quite narrow
and includes limited generalization as well as
representation. Case study method might even have
the memory as well as judgment errors. It is
analysed that it’s a subjective method instead of an
objective method. Another limitation of this
method is that it’s not at all easy, and no layperson
can perform it. Because of the narrow study, the
bases as well as narrowness might happen while
investigating about the social unit. This method
also relies on the situation and can even have the
fixed investigation limits for the researcher [16]. It
also has the limitation of cost as well as time
consumption. As compared to other methods it
takes more time and leads to more cost.
Survey
In case of survey method, most of the
participant might not be aware of the reasons
behind giving any answer, as they might lack
knowledge about that subject or it can happen due
to boredom. Surveys are mostly close-ended, and
even hold low validity rate, and might have data
errors because of non-responsive questions [14].
Participants that are selected to respond to
questionnaire might be variant from the one, who is
not elected; therefore, such situation leads to
biases.
Literature review
The main limitation is that it is entirely
relied on the previously published research as well
as on the availability of studies, which use this
method in search methodology, and for
appropriateness of the study.
Ethical considerations
As per ethics, respondent’s dignity should
be respected and should be given priority. Along
with this privacy of respondents should be ensured
[15]. It is essential that all the exaggeration and
deception related to the research aim should be
avoided [16]. No misleading information should be
pass or nor it should be biased.
Conclusion
For the above research, it is analysed that
survey, case study and literature review methods
are applied for analysing the energy management
through loT in smart cities. Various methods were
included and critically analysed in this paper.
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