| Abstract |
To contribute to the investigation of how energy, services and trade can be consumed in a sustainable way in future "mega cities", we consider how both "traditional" and "innovative" approaches to identifying suitable business models can add value to the development of services enabled by the "Internet of Things" approach: Smart Grids and Smart Cities are prime examples of such services. Currently, in the Mediterranean area, access to services and energy by population, unevenly located in different countries, is largely unbalanced, with increasingly evident difficulties, which are expected to lead to the implementation of policies fostering a more balanced socio-economic development through the adoption of ICT technologies. We argue that by supplementing "traditional" approaches to business model identification with an investigation based on modelling techniques, supported by a benefits analysis, a more powerful business argument adoption can be developed. We also propose an outline framework supporting such an approach and assess the nature of the involved forces, to better drive the change currently impacting the growth of these technologies, and ensuring a more balanced development of the whole Mediterranean area. |
