Towards smarter cities taking advantage of the Fog Computing paradigm

Abstract

The fog computing term has achieved importance in the last years due to its effect in the latency reduction that the Internet of Things [IoT] applications have. These applications demand real-time (or nearly real-time) responses and they are characterized by low bandwidth consumption; hence, the fog computing is relevant in achieving these requests because part of the processing is done near the end user devices. For this reason, the cloud computing paradigm is not enou gh for some applications, since nowadays, the instant need of data and the decision-making process leverage –or somehow discover– a new horizon that demands a complementary variable. This article consists on an approach to the fog computing term, together with the requirements analysis for engineering solutions in the IoT field. Also, its impact in the smart cities and other fields plus its main challenges are addressed. We also present a guideline to implement a recommendation system for sightseeing places for tourists based in fog computing embraced in a large smart city project located in Havana.