Decision analysis of IoT-based big data analytics in smart cities of Saudi Arabia

The smart cities are being created to enhance livability for residents by utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve urban infrastructure, increase services, and cut costs globally. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to transform urban living through Smart Cities (SCs), leveraging IoT-based big data analytics to enhance infrastructure, services, and cost-efficiency. Decision analysis is the most important task in a high volume of changing data, in SCs. This study explores how IoT and big data analytics can optimize decision-making for SC development in Saudi Arabia. The data analytics (DA) enables the gathering, processing, and analysis of enormous amounts of data coming from various IoT-based infrastructures across the nation. IoT-based DA is a fast-emerging domain of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure in SC. The quantitative research employs the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to evaluate key factors. The analysis reveals economic growth as the top priority (weight: 0.24), followed by good governance (0.103) and transport (0.095), with economic growth’s subfactor (G12) scoring highest at 0.17016. The study proposes a framework for integrating IoT-based big data analytics, examines opportunities and challenges, and offers recommendations for effective implementation, fostering sustainable urban ecosystems. The study also pursues the opportunities and challenges in using IoT-based big data and DA in SCs, and recommends mechanisms for the successful implementation of such initiatives.