a b s t r a c t
The expansion of big data and the evolution of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have played an
important role in the feasibility of smart city initiatives. Big data offer the potential for cities to obtain
valuable insights from a large amount of data collected through various sources, and the IoT allows the
integration of sensors, radio-frequency identification, and Bluetooth in the real-world environment using
highly networked services. The combination ofthe IoT and big data is an unexplored research area that has
brought new and interesting challenges for achieving the goal of future smart cities. These new challenges
focus primarily on problems related to business and technology that enable cities to actualize the vision,
principles, and requirements of the applications of smart cities by realizing the main smart environment
characteristics. In this paper, we describe the state-of-the-art communication technologies and smartbased
applications used within the context of smart cities. The visions of big data analytics to support
smart cities are discussed by focusing on how big data can fundamentally change urban populations
at different levels. Moreover, a future business model of big data for smart cities is proposed, and the
business and technological research challenges are identified. This study can serve as a benchmark for
researchers and industries for the future progress and development of smart cities in the context of big
data.