A case study on the estimation of sensor data generation in smart cities and the role of opportunistic networks in sensor data collection

Smart cities rely on real-time sensor data to improve services and quality of life. However, the rapid growth of sensor data poses challenges in transmission, storage, and processing. This paper presents a case study on estimating sensor data generation and the role of Opportunistic Networks (OppNets) in data collection in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, India. We highlight the challenges of managing large amounts of sensor data, particularly in densely populated cities. We propose OppNets as a promising solution, as they can leverage the mobility of devices to relay data in a distributed manner. We present a detailed analysis of sensor requirements and data generation for different smart city applications and discuss the potential benefits of OppNets for smart city data collection. Our study shows that Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar require approximately 4.6 million and 1.3 million sensors, producing an estimated 2702 Terabytes and 704 Terabytes of sensor data daily, respectively.