Towards an Internet of Things society: Perspectives from government agencies in Sweden

Abstract

Digitalization in general, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in particular, is dramatically transforming societies, affecting both industry and the public sector. Government agencies have a role to play in how successful distribution and implementation of IoT technologies are. We conducted an explorative, qualitative study based on 16 interviews with key respondents from government agencies in Sweden to discover the public sector agencies’ current maturity. We focused on society as a whole and drilled down into individual sectors: energy, food, transportation, health care, financial services, information and communication, and security. Governance challenges are identified related to the complex ecosystem interplay of public and private actors, including lack of common guidelines, sparsity of expertise, and each respective agency’s evolving roles in an increasingly connected society.