Open Data Initiatives Fundamental Pillar For Emergence and Development of Smart Cities.

Smart city is a booming phenomenon in the 21st century with Open data initiatives increasingly becoming part of elements considered in emergence of this cities. Data plays an important role in enhancing informed decision making in real time. Availability of different open data talesis an added advantage. This paper analyses data initiatives from countries that are in the process of developing smart cities namely Kenya and India. Although their geographical boundaries vary in priorities of respective governments in development plans. We consider China, India and Africa, where smart city initiatives are promoted as a way of enabling modernization and national development, responding to population growth/migration, and managing economic and urban transitions. The study sought to identify how the open data initiatives available in this respective countries and they are similar to the conceptual framework of smart cities also to identify how they will shape development of different smart cities. This findings show the necessity of open data initiatives on emergence of smart cities