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Building Smart Rural Regions: Challenges and Opportunities

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Trends and Innovations in Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST 2020)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1161))

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Abstract

Rural regions are a typology of region rooted around the world. Its identity and matrix are differentiated from the most urbanized regions. Associated with rural areas is a strong negative feeling of depopulation, undeveloped business fabric, less wealth and less ability to attract investment and where public and private services from various sectors of activity are not concentrated. This reality cannot be socially accepted and must be fought for greater equity within countries. To leverage this change, rural regions will have to become co-competitive and attractive regions. In order for this transformation to take place, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a major role. This article characterizes the rural regions in their demographic and economic dimensions, emphasizing the case of the Northeast region of Portugal. Analyse and review a set of fundamental vectors where ICT can be a key driver and enabler for smart rural regions to be created. Finally, it is presented a conceptual model of what can be a smart rural region.

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Acknowledgments

UNIAG, R&D unit funded by the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. UIDB/04752/2020.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNIAG, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal

    Carlos R. Cunha & Elisabete Paulo Morais

  2. Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal

    João Pedro Gomes

  3. CiTUR, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal

    Joana Fernandes

Authors
  1. Carlos R. Cunha
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  2. João Pedro Gomes
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  3. Joana Fernandes
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  4. Elisabete Paulo Morais
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos R. Cunha .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Engenharia Informática, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Álvaro Rocha

  2. College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Hojjat Adeli

  3. FEUP, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luís Paulo Reis

  4. DIMES, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata, Italy

    Sandra Costanzo

  5. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro

    Irena Orovic

  6. Universidade Portucalense, Porto, Portugal

    Fernando Moreira

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© 2020 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Cunha, C.R., Gomes, J.P., Fernandes, J., Morais, E.P. (2020). Building Smart Rural Regions: Challenges and Opportunities. In: Rocha, Á., Adeli, H., Reis, L., Costanzo, S., Orovic, I., Moreira, F. (eds) Trends and Innovations in Information Systems and Technologies. WorldCIST 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1161. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45697-9_56

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