Radar · Industry landscape · the United States
Smart Cities Landscape of the United States
2,046 Smart Cities companies in the United States, in one picture: who is hiring, who is raising money, who founded them, where they are based, what the news is about, which skills employers want and where the research is going. Updated August 2026.
2,046companies tracked
$15.3Bdisclosed funding
161hiring right now
564events · 24 months
2,144,456news articles · 12 months
Who leads Smart Cities in the United States
The sector includes 2,046 companies, with 161 currently hiring and 469 having disclosed funding; Vontier, Particle Measuring Systems and Kaseware lead hiring, while Metropolis, Axon and REEF are top funded.
open roles
Hiring now
ranked by live open roles
- 01
Vontier13last posted Aug 2026
- 02
Particle Measuring Systems12last posted Jul 2026
- 03
Kaseware11last posted Jun 2026
- 04
Adura Technologies11last posted Jun 2026
- 05
Albireo Energy11last posted Jun 2026
- 06
Govini11last posted Jun 2026
- 07
OpenGov11last posted Jul 2026
- 08
Flock Safety11last posted Jul 2026
161 companies hiring · 1 posted in the last 30 days
disclosed funding
Most funded
disclosed totals, all rounds
- 01
Metropolis$1.9BSeries D · Nov 2025
- 02
Axon$936MPost IPO · Dec 2022
- 03
REEF$766.5MSeries D · Nov 2020
- 04
- 05
RapidSOS$508.7MAngel · Apr 2026
- 06
CivicPlus$473.5MSeries D · Aug 2023
- 07
Securus Technologies$404MConventional Debt · Jan 2010
- 08
FlashParking$398MConventional Debt · Sep 2024
469 companies with disclosed rounds · $15.3B total
revenue
Revenue leaders
official filings first, else latest snapshot
- 01
- 02
- 03
Tyler Tech$613.5MFY2023 filing
- 04
Badger Meter$202.3MFY2025 filing
- 05
LSI Industries$150.5MFY2022 filing
- 06
Vehere$17.7Msnapshot Mar 2025
- 07
Euna Solutions$15.9MFY2019 filing
- 08
Rekor$10.3MFY2024 filing
10 companies with a revenue figure
headcount
Largest teams
ranked by tracked headcount
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
Lutron Electronics1,993tracked employees
- 05
- 06
CentralSquare1,454tracked employees
- 07
- 08
Texas Juvenile Justice Department773tracked employees
123 companies with headcount data
share of events
Share of voice
share of all tracked sector news events, 24 months
- 01
- 02
- 03
Verses8.9%84 tracked events
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
945 tracked events across 97 companies
web reach
Most-used apps
the sites in this sector the web visits most
- 01
Accelatop 50kaccela.com
- 02
Navigate360top 50knavigate360.com
- 03
VitalChektop 50kvitalchek.com
- 04
GovPlanettop 50kgovplanet.com
- 05
Schneider Corptop 50kschneidercorp.com
- 06
- 07
Official Paymentstop 50kofficialpayments.com
- 08
658 companies here run a site with a measured audience · 79 of them sit inside the web’s top million
articles
In the news
Prism news coverage, last 12 months
- 01
ERP7,317articles in the window
- 02
Remix743articles in the window
- 03
Inrix412articles in the window
- 04
NiC168articles in the window
- 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
GTT96articles in the window
121 of these companies drew sector coverage in the window
Radar
See all 2,046 Smart Cities companies in the United States
Filter by funding, headcount, hiring and location, and export the list.
How the Smart Cities ecosystem in the United States grew, 2016–2025
Company formation peaked at 123 in 2018 and fell to 19 by 2025, showing the yearly founding pattern for the sector.
Companies founded / year
new Smart Cities companies in the United States
20162025
peak 123 in 2018
Companies raising / year
with a disclosed round that year
20162025
peak 79 in 2017
Disclosed funding / year
sum of disclosed rounds (USD)
20162025
peak $3.2B in 2025
Where Smart Cities companies in the United States are based
Hub 01
San Francisco
94 Smart Cities companies
24% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
94companies
$1.5Bdisclosed funding
14hiring now
Hub 02
New York City
69 Smart Cities companies
18% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
69companies
$1.4Bdisclosed funding
8hiring now
Hub 03
Austin
46 Smart Cities companies
12% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
46companies
$672.3Mdisclosed funding
3hiring now
generated artwork
Hub 04
Washington, Dc
45 Smart Cities companies
12% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
45companies
$110.7Mdisclosed funding
2hiring now
generated artwork
Hub 05
Los Angeles
39 Smart Cities companies
10% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
39companies
$136.1Mdisclosed funding
4hiring now
Hub 06
San Diego
38 Smart Cities companies
10% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
38companies
$130.7Mdisclosed funding
5hiring now
Hub 07
Atlanta
31 Smart Cities companies
8% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
31companies
$745.3Mdisclosed funding
3hiring now
Hub 08
Denver
25 Smart Cities companies
6% of the Smart Cities companies across these hubs
25companies
$51.4Mdisclosed funding
5hiring now
The Smart Cities market map of the United States: what these companies actually do
Products are dominated by enterprise tech (1,886 firms) and enterprise software (1,180), with subscription models used by 1,685 companies, followed by fee‑for‑service and transaction commissions.
- Enterprise Tech1,886 companies · $14.6B raised · 155 hiring
- Enterprise Software1,180 companies · $8.9B raised · 94 hiring
- SaaS966 companies · $8B raised · 85 hiring
- Consumer Digital428 companies · $2.3B raised · 25 hiring
- Law Enforcement Management Tools209 companies · $2B raised · 16 hiring
- IoT in Automotive142 companies · $1.3B raised · 17 hiring
- Fire Safety Tech128 companies · $208M raised · 4 hiring
- Internet of Vehicles111 companies · $877.6M raised · 15 hiring
- Emergency Incident and Response Management108 companies · $904.2M raised · 6 hiring
- Smart Buildings93 companies · $673.6M raised · 6 hiring
- Travel and Hospitality SaaS74 companies · $1.8B raised · 11 hiring
- Fintech71 companies · $1.1B raised · 10 hiring
Monetization
How Smart Cities companies make money
How many companies earn revenue each way. Plenty use more than one model, so the counts add up to more than the sector.
Subscription1,685
Fee-For-Service198
Commission on Transaction136
Physical Commerce115
E-Commerce - Product99
Advertising92
E-Commerce - Service58
Sponsorship15
Funding, M&A and the deals moving Smart Cities in the United States
In the past two years, 564 corporate events were recorded, including 162 earnings releases, 110 funding rounds, 106 key‑person announcements and 78 mergers and acquisitions.
Earnings 162Funding 110Leadership 106M&A 78Announcement 32Contracts 30Product 11Assets 9Lawsuit 7Buyback 7
- FundingNeology – which won the Sustainable Cities Challenge organised by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and secured USD 500,000 to develop a hydrogen refuelling solution in Detroit.2026-05-01
- M&ANEOGOV Acquires Miller Mendel2026-04-28
- M&ABadger Meter, Inc. (NYSE: BMI) has agreed to acquire United Kingdom-based UDlive for $100 million plus contingent consideration2026-04-18
- FundingFlock Safety, which sells cameras, drones and AI software to police departments, was valued at $8.4 billion in a new round of funding completed in recent weeks.2026-04-17
- M&ALSI Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: LYTS , “LSI” or the “Company”) a leading U.S. based manufacturer of commercial lighting and display solutions, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Royston Group (“Royston”), a leader in identity and equipment solutions for retail environments, from Industrial Opportunity Partners (“IOP”), following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and expiration of applicable regulatory waiting periods.2026-03-24
- FundingPivotal recently put $3 million into a company called Binti, Fortune is the first to report, a direct investment not attached to any fundraising round.2026-03-23
- M&APowerDMS acquires PowerDetails2026-03-17
- FundingUbicquia – $106.0M2026-03-02
- M&AL Squared Capital Partners said today it bought Functional Devices Inc., a provider of field devices for building automation and emergency lighting systems. Financial details were not released.2026-02-23
- M&AGuardify acquired the NCAtrak case management software division from National Childrens Alliance to enhance its nonprofit and public sector technology portfolio.2026-02-18
Mergers and acquisitions
Deals from the last 24 months where a Smart Cities company in the United States was the buyer or the one bought, newest first. “Undisclosed” means the price was never published — not that the deal was worth nothing.
| Acquirer | Target | Deal value | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-04-28 | ||
| $100M | Announced | 2026-04-22 | ||
| $325M | Completed | 2026-04-16 | ||
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-03-17 | ||
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-02-23 | ||
| NCAtrak | undisclosed | Announced | 2026-02-18 |
Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work
This section details leadership changes, product launches and contract wins among the tracked companies.
Leadership moves
37 tracked people moves · last 12 months
DeckardNick del Pego · Appointment → Member of Forbes Technology CouncilApr 2026
BS&A SoftwareChad Harryman · Resignation → Member of BS&A\'s Board of DirectorsApr 2026
Product launches
tracked launches · last 12 months
LiveSafeLiveSafe (Mobile security communications)Feb 2026
EcosenseEcoQube Flex Trademark (radon monitor)Dec 2025
ArkestroArkestro Opportunities (AI-powered procurement feature)Oct 2025
Springbrook SoftwareCirrus Asset Management (ERP finance platform solutions for local government)Oct 2025
Contract wins
25 customer wins · last 24 months
Regulatory & litigation
1 regulatory events · 5 tracked suits · 24 months
AtmosAirapproved for sale to government agencies — U.S. General Service AdministrationFeb 2025
- nathan cummings foundation v Axon EnterpriseShareholder proposal regulationMar 2026
- hayden ai v Chris Carsonproprietary information theft · FiledMar 2026
Earnings pulse
companies reporting results · last 24 months
12 companies reporting183 company-quarters trackedbeat 47miss 22in line 3
Half of these companies grew revenue faster than +11.0%, half slower.
Who is building Smart Cities in the United States
Founders and chief executives12 of 1,182, from the best-funded companies on this page
Rapidsos, ex-Braemar Energy Ventures, ex-Ms Consulting, Harvard Business School, 2015
Ex-Xception Software, The Extra Mile, Silver Fern Holidays Group, Logical Computers. University of Canterbury BE 1992
Xpandable, ex-Co-Founder Locality Media, NetSuite, Canadian PGA Tour and European Challenge Tour. Georgetown University McDonough School of Business…
Ex-Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ESnet. Harvard University AB 1989, University of California Berkeley PhD 2002
Payit, ex-Safe Fleet, ex-Quinn Capital, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1991
Flexcharging, ex-Incubatenergy Network, ex-Gmo, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, 2015
Ex-VP Huawei Technologies, SMA America, Sixtron Advanced Materials, Rockwell Automation, Motion Engineering. UC Snata Barbara, BS 1994
Alpha College Of Engineering BE, Tamilnadu Teachers Education University BEd 2024
Ex-Fingenom. Bar-Ilan University BSc 2012 & MSc 2014
Where the founders studied
alma mater on record for 158 of 1,182 founders
Harvard University28
Stanford University19
Harvard Business School18
Massachusetts Institute of Technology16
Carnegie Mellon University14
Yale University11
University of California (Berkeley)9
University of Pennsylvania8
Where they worked before
a previous employer on record for 25 of 1,182 founders
Google7
Microsoft5
Cisco3
Apple2
Uber1
Intel1
Bain1
Facebook1
Founders flagged as repeat founders
of 1,048 founders with a profile on this page
8
carry a repeat-founder flag
- flagged as repeat founders8
- no repeat-founder flag1,040
Women and men among the founders
first names matched for 1,107 of 1,182 founders
12%
of matched founders are women
- women134
- men973
Inferred from first names, using 119 million people who state their own gender: a first name counts only where at least 20 of them share it and at least 90% of those share the same gender. The other 75 founders go in neither column.
Radar
Look up the people behind Smart Cities companies in the United States
Search founders, executives and operators by company, role and location.
Who funds Smart Cities in the United States
Since 2016, 922 funding rounds have involved 976 investors, with the typical round size around $2.5 million.
| Investor · most active investors since 2016 | Rounds | Led | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | 30 | 5 | Jan 2026 |
| Techstars | 19 | 9 | Nov 2024 |
| Europa | 11 | — | Sep 2023 |
| URBAN-X | 10 | 8 | Mar 2023 |
| Insight Partners | 10 | 7 | Apr 2026 |
| 500 Global | 10 | 5 | Jun 2022 |
| Andreessen Horowitz | 9 | 5 | Oct 2025 |
| Frazier VC | 8 | — | Aug 2024 |
| Govtech Fund | 8 | — | Apr 2025 |
| General Catalyst | 7 | 6 | May 2025 |
Stage mix · rounds since 2016
Seed & Angel355
Series A–B297
Series C+ / PE94
Grants, debt & other176
The typical round is $2.5M — half were bigger, half smaller.
The biggest Smart Cities funding rounds in the United States
The largest disclosed round is REEF’s $766.5 million Series D, and ten major rounds are highlighted.
| Company | Round | Size | When | Backers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series Dmega-round | $766.5M | Nov 2020 | SoftBank, Mubadala, Oaktree Capital Management +2 more | |
| Series Dmega-round | $500M | Nov 2025 | LionTree, BDT & MSD Partners, DFJ Growth +5 more | |
| Series Amega-round | $355M | Aug 2025 | JMI Management, TCV, Serent Capital | |
| Series Fmega-round | $275M | Mar 2025 | Bedrock, Andreessen Horowitz, Greenoaks +7 more | |
| Series Dmega-round | $250M | Mar 2022 | Vista Equity Partners, L Catterton | |
| Series C | $190M | Mar 2025 | Sequoia Capital, Goldcrest, Fifth Down Capital +3 more | |
| Series E | $183.5M | Mar 2015 | Abry, Karlani Capital, Landmark Partners +1 more | |
| Series B | $167M | Jun 2022 | 3L Capital, Assembly Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group +9 more | |
| Series D | $150M | Oct 2025 | Bain Capital | |
| Intersection | Series C | $150M | Nov 2017 | Graham Holdings Co, ArrowMark Partners, NewSpring |
Venture round sizes · 2023–2025
<$1M34
$1–10M57
$10–50M29
$50–250M14
>$250M3
137 venture rounds with a disclosed amount in the window.
Fresh cheques · last 6 months
SeedundisclosedMay 2026
SeedundisclosedMay 2026
Series A$29MApr 2026
Series A$22MApr 2026
Series A$13.4MApr 2026
Seed$2.4MApr 2026
What the news says about Smart Cities in the United States
Over the last year, 2,144,456 news articles covered the sector, focusing on administrative divisions, geopolitical disputes and international relations.
News volume
Smart Cities coverage across United States · articles per quarter
2021Q22026Q2
peak 1,278,963 in 2025Q3 · 2,144,456 articles in the last 12 tracked months
Tone of coverage
share of articles by dominant sentiment (positive / neutral / negative)
202120232025
Positive-tone share moved 19% → 22%, negative 19% → 28% across 2021–2025.
What the coverage is about
The subjects that dominate Smart Cities news in United States. The arrow shows whether each one is being written about more or less than a year ago.
- Administrative and political subdivisions4,334,542▲+17%
- Geopolitical disputes and contested areas320,352▲+30%
- International and transnational geographic entities320,185▲+30%
- International political relations208,076→+3%
- Security and defense policies145,110▲+19%
- Cryptocurrency impact on forex markets105,497▲+13%
- International relations and diplomacy95,880→-8%
- Geographic naming conventions and etymology81,698▲+384%
- Trade policies and agreements73,529▼-27%
- Human rights advocacy reports69,734▼-26%
Most-covered companies · last 12 months
- 7,317
- 743
- 412
- 168
- 156
- 103
- 99
- 96
- 84
- 75
121 Smart Cities companies here were named in the news over this period.
Prism
Watch Smart Cities coverage in United States as it happens
Prism follows these subjects story by story — which companies are named, what is said about them and how the tone moves.
Momentum
The words getting louder — and quieter
Which terms are showing up in more stories than a year ago, and which are fading. The percentage is the change in how many articles mention them.
stablecoin fx impact+44%countries+100%etf trading+75%oil price volatility+131%etfs+67%sector etfs+66%etf products+78%etf structures+70%export sanctions+181%crypto volatility fx+109%
tariff negotiations-40%free trade deals-37%stock price-40%trade enforcement-39%economic slowdown-49%
The pressures the press keeps returning to
Three recurring angles in United States Smart Cities coverage, and whether each is getting more attention year on year (through 2025).
Regulatory Risk ▲ rising
1,587,679 articles touch this dimension · 41.8% critical tone
20212025
signals: territories, disputed islands, tariff negotiations
Funding Momentum ▲ rising
253,138 articles touch this dimension · 45.7% critical tone
20212025
signals: investment deal, inflation reports fx, currency intervention policies
Growth ▲ rising
379,833 articles touch this dimension · 36.1% critical tone
20212025
signals: earnings report, quarterly results, quarterly financials
Smart Cities jobs in the United States: who is hiring and what they ask for
Companies posted 4,639 jobs in the past year, most often requiring Excel, SQL, AWS, Python and Word, with a median advertised salary of $100 k per year.
4,639postings · last 12 months
6,934postings tracked overall
235employers advertising
$100kmedian advertised salary/yr (n=593)
Demand
The Skills Employers Ask For
What Smart Cities employers in the United States put in their job ads. The bar is how many postings ask for it; the arrow shows whether demand grew or shrank against the year before.
- excel137▲
- sql106▲
- aws102▲
- python95▲
- word74▲
- salesforce68▲
- powerpoint64▲
- microsoft office58▲
- azure53▲
- kubernetes50▲
What level are these roles?
Entry41
Intern116
Senior931
Lead251
Manager1,501
What they pay, by level
- Manager$105k/yr (n=154)
- Senior$129k/yr (n=102)
Most advertised titles
- 82
- 33
- 32
- 30
- 26
- 26
What Smart Cities research in the United States is working on
U.S. institutions produced 4,295 papers, of which 730 identify common problems, 92 issue cautions, and 2,900 discuss opportunities.
How this field talks about itself
United States-affiliated Smart Cities papers (gold) against all published research (grey)
Breakthrough34.6% · 26.6%1.3×
Promising32.9% · 37.1%≈ par
Problem-identifying15.9% · 9.7%1.6×
Descriptive10.6% · 17.4%0.6×
Comparative2.8% · 3.9%0.7×
Cautionary2.1% · 4.4%0.5×
United States-affiliated Smart Cities literature runs 1.3× more “breakthrough” than science at large (34.6% vs 26.6% baseline).
How the work is done
Methods-led61.5%
Empirical16.2%
Reviews13.7%
Position pieces7.6%
Theoretical1.0%
How the research reads
96% positive · 1% neutral · 4% negative, across 4,295 papers.
The institutions doing the work · United States
- 7k
- 7k
- 5k
- 4k
- 3k
- 3k
ranked by how often their work is cited
Leading researchers · United States-affiliated work
Taewoo Nam · Theresa A. Pardo · Yu Zheng · Sherali Zeadally · J. Ramón Gil-García · Hafedh Chourabi · Shawn Walker · Sehl Mellouli
The most-cited breakthroughs
- A Multiagent Approach to Autonomous Intersection Management · 1k cites
- Reinforcement learning-based multi-agent system for network traffic signal control · 586 cites
- Traffic Flow Prediction via Spatial Temporal Graph Neural Network · 572 cites
- Developing Vehicular Data Cloud Services in the IoT Environment · 563 cites
- Visual Exploration of Big Spatio-Temporal Urban Data: A Study of New York City Taxi Trips · 522 cites
Common problems researchers identify679 papers · 7 recurring themes
Problems · theme 01
Governance and Sustainability Challenges
196 papers · 28.9% of this block
▲ +7% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Researchers highlight governance, public relations, and sustainability hurdles in implementing smart city initiatives.
Smart city · Public relations · Sustainability · Corporate governance
“Understanding Smart Cities: An Integrative Framework”
196 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 02
Intelligent Transportation System Issues
113 papers · 16.6% of this block
▼ -48% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Papers point to technical and engineering problems limiting advanced traffic management and transportation integration.
Intelligent transportation system · Transport engineering · Advanced Traffic Management System · Systems engineering
“Sensor Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems”
113 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 03
Big Data and Urban Planning Barriers
90 papers · 13.3% of this block
▲ +16% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Studies discuss difficulties in leveraging big data for effective urban computing and planning decisions.
Big data · Urban computing · Urban planning · Smart city
“Smart cities with big data: Reference models, challenges, and considerations”
90 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 04
Security and Privacy Concerns
76 papers · 11.2% of this block
▼ -25% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Authors flag cybersecurity and privacy risks inherent in IoT‑enabled smart city applications.
Smart city · Computer security · Internet privacy · Internet of Things
“Security and Privacy in Smart City Applications: Challenges and Solutions”
76 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 05
Vehicular Network Security Gaps
70 papers · 10.3% of this block
▼ -58% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Research identifies vulnerabilities and trust issues within vehicular ad‑hoc networks and automotive software deployments.
Vehicular ad hoc network · Computer security · Automotive industry · Software deployment
“A Survey on Recent Advances in Vehicular Network Security, Trust, and Privacy”
70 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 06
IoT Infrastructure and Cloud Challenges
68 papers · 10.0% of this block
▲ +13% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Papers note obstacles in scaling IoT devices, cloud integration, and software deployment for smart city services.
Internet of Things · Smart city · Cloud computing · Software deployment
“IoT in Smart Cities: A Survey of Technologies, Practices and Challenges”
68 of these papers raise it as a problem
Problems · theme 07
Traffic Congestion and Planning Limits
66 papers · 9.7% of this block
▲ +4% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Works emphasize persistent congestion, flow inefficiencies, and planning constraints in intelligent transportation systems.
Transportation planning · Intelligent transportation system · Traffic congestion · Traffic flow
“Autonomous Driving Strategies at Intersections: Scenarios, State-of-the-Art, and Future Outlooks”
66 of these papers raise it as a problem
Cautions85 papers · 4 recurring themes
Cautions · theme 01
Data‑Driven Cybersecurity Risks
30 papers · 35.3% of this block
▼ -19% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Authors caution that data‑intensive IoT and cloud networks can expose new security vulnerabilities.
Smart city · Internet of Things · Cloud computing · Telecommunications
“Opportunities and Challenges of Data-Driven Cybersecurity for Smart Cities”
30 of these papers raise it as a problem
Cautions · theme 02
Infrastructure and Automation Safety
24 papers · 28.2% of this block
▼ -64% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Studies advise careful assessment of collaborative sensing and automation reliability in vehicular networks.
Intelligent transportation system · Computer network · Computer security · Automation
“Deployment and Performance of Infrastructure to Assist Vehicular Collaborative Sensing”
24 of these papers raise it as a problem
Cautions · theme 03
Political and Public Engagement Issues
22 papers · 25.9% of this block
▼ -43% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Research warns that governance, politics, and community participation can hinder smart city adoption.
Smart city · Corporate governance · Politics · Public relations
“Aspirations and Realizations: The Smart City of Seattle”
22 of these papers raise it as a problem
Cautions · theme 04
Intersection Collision and Control Limits
9 papers · 10.6% of this block
▼ -63% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Papers highlight safety concerns around V2X privacy and cruise‑control strategies at intersections.
Collision · Intersection · Transport engineering · Cruise control
“Impact of V2X privacy strategies on Intersection Collision Avoidance systems”
9 of these papers raise it as a problem
Opportunities2,696 papers · 7 recurring themes
Opportunities · theme 01
Secure Real‑Time Transportation Systems
544 papers · 20.2% of this block
▼ -57% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Opportunities focus on integrating security with intelligent transport and advanced traffic management technologies.
Intelligent transportation system · Transport engineering · Computer security · Advanced Traffic Management System
“Internet of Vehicles: Sensing-Aided Transportation Information Collection and Diffusion”
Opportunities · theme 02
Sustainable Smart City Platforms
450 papers · 16.7% of this block
→ +0% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Works propose holistic dashboards and dynamic models to advance sustainability and governance in urban environments.
Smart city · Sustainability · Architectural engineering · Corporate governance
““Cities go smart!”: A system dynamics-based approach to smart city conceptualization”
Opportunities · theme 03
AI‑Driven Vehicle Control and Detection
447 papers · 16.6% of this block
▲ +5% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Research explores reinforcement learning and deep‑learning methods for autonomous driving, platooning, and intrusion detection.
Reinforcement learning · Cruise control · Object detection · Platoon
“Socially Intelligent Reinforcement Learning for Optimal Automated Vehicle Control in Traffic Scenarios”
Opportunities · theme 04
Machine Learning for Traffic Flow
396 papers · 14.7% of this block
▲ +4% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Studies demonstrate predictive models using floating car data and graph networks to alleviate congestion.
Traffic flow · Traffic congestion · Intelligent transportation system · Floating car data
“Topological Graph Convolutional Network-Based Urban Traffic Flow and Density Prediction”
Opportunities · theme 05
Edge‑Enabled IoT Cloud Frameworks
356 papers · 13.2% of this block
▲ +12% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Papers present secure, low‑latency IoT architectures that combine cloud and edge computing for smart city services.
Internet of Things · Smart city · Cloud computing · Edge computing
“Secure Smart Cities Framework Using IoT and AI”
Opportunities · theme 06
Advanced Vehicular Communication Networks
260 papers · 9.6% of this block
▼ -70% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Research highlights novel VANET protocols and security designs to improve vehicle‑to‑vehicle connectivity.
Vehicular ad hoc network · Wireless ad hoc network · Computer network · Vehicular communication systems
“Internet of Vehicles: Architecture, Protocols, and Security”
Opportunities · theme 07
Urban Computing and Mobility Analytics
243 papers · 9.0% of this block
→ +2% share2022→2025 share of research on this subject
Works focus on crowdsourced positioning and trajectory analysis to enhance public transport and navigation.
Urban computing · Point of interest · Public transport · Global Positioning System
“Mobile Crowdsourcing for Intelligent Transportation Systems: Real-Time Navigation in Urban Areas”
Which of these themes are growing fastest
This section tracks how the share of research themes has shifted globally from 2022 to 2025.
Problems
how much more (or less) of the world’s research on this subject each theme took up, 2022→2025
gaining sharelosing share
Big Data and Urban Planning Barriers▲+16%
IoT Infrastructure and Cloud Challenges▲+13%
Governance and Sustainability Challenges▲+7%
Traffic Congestion and Planning Limits▲+4%
Security and Privacy Concerns▼-25%
Intelligent Transportation System Issues▼-48%
Vehicular Network Security Gaps▼-58%
Cautions
how much more (or less) of the world’s research on this subject each theme took up, 2022→2025
gaining sharelosing share
Data‑Driven Cybersecurity Risks▼-19%
Political and Public Engagement Issues▼-43%
Intersection Collision and Control Limits▼-63%
Infrastructure and Automation Safety▼-64%
Opportunities
how much more (or less) of the world’s research on this subject each theme took up, 2022→2025
gaining sharelosing share
Edge‑Enabled IoT Cloud Frameworks▲+12%
AI‑Driven Vehicle Control and Detection▲+5%
Machine Learning for Traffic Flow▲+4%
Urban Computing and Mobility Analytics▲+2%
Sustainable Smart City Platforms▲+0%
Secure Real‑Time Transportation Systems▼-57%
Advanced Vehicular Communication Networks▼-70%
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About this data: built from Fliar's company, founder, funding, hiring, jobs, news and research trackers, covering the United States. Counts are of companies we track, not of every company that exists. Updated August 2026.
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