Today, IDC Government Insights revealed its first annual Worldwide Smart City 2013 Top 10 Predictions, (Document #GI239209), highlighting market predictions for the year ahead. The Smart City movement is emerging and growing as a significant force of innovation and investment at all levels of government. To assist government organizations, IDC Government Insights' global Smart City analyst team has identified the top 10 predictions for 2013 that will most heavily influence the direction and magnitude of technology investment, management, and evaluation.

The Top 10 Predictions are:

1. In 2013, 70% of Worldwide Spending on Smart City Projects Will Be Focused on Energy, Transportation, and Public Safety, and 90% of These Will Be at Least Partially Funded by National or International Government

2. At Least 50% of Smart City Programs Will Be Initiated at the Line-of-Business or City-Function Level

3. Worldwide Spending on Smart Water Solutions Will Reach $1.8 Billion in 2013

4. Smart City Information Challenges Will Begin to Be Framed as Big Data Issues

5. Local Government Will Remain in the Research and Evaluation Stage Regarding Machine to Machine, with Growth in Very Specific City Functions Mostly for Medium-Sized to Large Cities

6. Cities with Open Data Initiatives Will Drive 50% More Private, Citizen, and Crowdsourced Mobile Applications

7. In 2013, Local Government Will Connect to Citizens via Mobile Devices and Social Media, Accelerating a New Type of Citizen/Government Relationship

8. Smart City Programs Will Experiment with New Public/Private, Risk-Reward-Sharing Partnership Models to Make Funding Sustainable

9. At Least Three More Tier 1 Global ICT Vendors Will Enter the Market with a Branded Smart City Solution, Leading to More Intense Competition Among Existing Players

10. At Least 70% of Smart City Programs That Will Succeed Between 2013 and 2015 Will Be Governed by Joint Ventures That Include City Leaders as Key Stewards

"This worldwide set of Smart City predictions is a list of prioritized business drivers and technology trends that we believe will shape the local government IT landscape in the context of an economically and socially challenging 2013 time. Our goal is to emphasize the events that are reshaping the ways cities operate and require the city leaders to make smart, and sometimes very difficult, decisions," said Ruthbea Yesner Clarke, research director, Smart Cities Strategies, IDC Government Insights.

For additional information about these predictions or to arrange a one-on-one briefing, please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or sarah@attunecommunications.com. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact insights@idc.com; reporters should email sarah@attunecommunications.com.

About IDC Predictions

A hallmark of IDC’s offering for three decades, the annual Top 10 Predictions reports provide our outlook on the IT market, across industries, for the coming year. To view IDC's published Top 10 Predictions reports, please visit www.idc.com/predictions2013.

About IDC Government Insights

IDC Government Insights assists government policy, program, and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of government and IT industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the Federal/Central and local/provincial Governments. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-gi.com, email info@idc-ei.com, or call 703-485-8300. Visit the IDC Government Insights Community at http://idc-insights-community.com/government.