2022 International Conference on Information Technologies (InfoTech-2022), Proceedings of the IEEE Conference, Rec # 55606
15-16 September 2022, Bulgaria
Analysis of the Implementation of Smart Cities
Initiatives in Northeast Bulgaria’s Districts
Nikolay Tsonkov, Kamen Petrov
Department of Regional Development, Faculty of Management and Administration
University of National and World Economy,
19, December 8th str., 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria
e-mail: n.tzonkov@unwe.bg, petrovkamen@abv.bg
Abstract – Bulgarian municipalities’ smart development is
the cornerstone for building regional innovative ecosystems. In
this respect, the report presents the authors’ comparative
analysis of the implementation of Smart City initiatives in
Northeast Bulgaria’s Districts. The purpose of the research is
to give an original approach to the evaluation of Smart cities’
building through ICT platforms incorporation. In the terms of
a global digital economy and society need Bulgarian regions to
improve WI-FI accessibility to meet Smart development
challenges. For example, household access to the Internet in
Northeast Bulgaria’s Districts has increased from 60% to over
80% for the period 2016 – to 2021. Currently, the Bulgarian
state provides 348 electronic administrative services using the
Unified Model for requesting, paying, and provision of
electronic administrative services. Municipal administration
provides 142 e-services. Last years the authors see an increase
in Smart cities’ initiatives in major Northeast Bulgarian
Districts.
Keywords – E-government, E-services, municipalities, smart
development, connectivity.
I. INTRODUCTION
The creation of appropriate conditions and an information
environment is an important prerequisite for the long-term
smart development of the Bulgarian regions. The key factor
is the creation, introduction, and use of ICT. Modern ICT
development predetermines smart city building. A smart city
integrates modern information and communication
technologies
with
urban
systems’
management
implementing intelligent solutions. IoT and wireless
networks create conditions for intelligent data collection and
management using Multi-Level Smart city architecture [1].
Smart city architecture’ building is due to smart city
planning [2].
It is especially important for the researchers, working in
computing-related disciplines to convert project works into
quality publications and publish them in reputed journals
[4]. In this sense, the choice of proper approaches and
scientific methods and the way of constructing a publication
content form the scientific value of work.
In this respect, the research methodology includes an
analysis of the development of e-services in the
municipalities in the Northeast region in the context of a
level of Smart city building. The analysis is performed based
on criteria such as – the presence or absence of e-services;
the possibility to order and pay for services electronically.
The authors use analysis and synthesis, descriptive,
statistical methods, and comparative analysis to evaluate the
implementation of Smart City initiatives in major
municipalities in Northeast Bulgaria’s Districts – Varna,
978-1-6654-6870-1/22/$31.00 2022 European Union
Shumen, Targovishte, and Dobrich. The authors use good
scientific practices in the research [3]. The authors compare
the pointed cities by analysing statistical data on business
and household access to the internet network, and e-services
applications.
II. SMART DEVELOPMENT THEORY FRAMEWORK
Authors working in the field of ICT application outline
the emergence and development of the concept of smart
cities [5, 6]. The public authorities may use the smart city
concept for the intelligent development of Bulgarian cities
and local administrations in the direction of finding solutions
to issues related to the violation of environmental
components, urban growth, meeting energy needs, and
reducing living and space.
Authors such as Nam and Pardo look at the smart city in
three main aspects: technology, population, and politics [7].
At the same time, Washburn focuses on the transformation
of cities into intelligent systems with the help of intelligent
computing technologies [8]. Another author, Caragliu
focuses his research on smart cities in terms of increasing
energy
efficiency
and
achieving
environmental
sustainability in cities [9]. The concept of energy efficiency
is related to rational urban systems management. In this
respect, we must point out studies of different researchers in
the field of smart city waste management systems using IoT
technology [10]. IoT as a modern technology integrates
different platforms in one system creating an elevated level
of interconnectivity. The analysis of the technologies’
incorporation shows various applications of IoT. It improves
processes in healthcare and mobility (classification of daily
activities using smartphone sensor data) [11, 12]. A
significant part of the smart cities’ development is cyber
security, personal data protection, and information society
formation. R. Romansky reviews the development of the
contemporary information society based on the growing
informatization of social processes and to systematize the
main challenges for user’s privacy and personal data
protection [13].
Batty identifies that a smart city combines information
and communication technologies with traditional
infrastructure integrated through new digital technologies
[14]. We can also give an example, most of the adult
population extensively uses the services of traditional
municipal services, such as public transport, taxis, and
government services. Therefore, solutions for a smart city
simplify the process and improve the user experience, but do
not require significant changes in the usual patterns of
behaviour, they happen as popular as basic municipal
services. Here we can emphasize that the research needs to
have the appropriate methodological framework for
collecting and evaluating data on the effect of e-government
and the development of the Internet space. It is important to
create conditions that allow people to benefit from online
services and information. In the direction of the adequacy of
the telecommunication infrastructure, ability of the human
resources to use the information technologies, and
availability of online services. It is also possible to analyse
how effective the state institutions are in the involvement of
the society in the process of policy formation at the national,
regional, and local levels.
In this direction, it is important to note and evaluate the
level of increasing access to electronic services and the
Internet throughout Eastern Bulgaria in the period 20162021.
30,0
25,0
20,0
15,0
10,0
III. ANALYSIS OF THE E-SERVICES OF THE MUNICIPALITIES IN
THE NORTHEAST PLANNING REGION
State Agency for Electronic Government has developed
and implemented a model for requesting, paying, and
provision of electronic administrative services. Currently,
348 electronic administrative services are provided through
the Unified Model for requesting, paying, and provision of
electronic administrative services, of which 142 are
provided by municipal administration [15]. The services
provided by municipal administrations are available through
the Unified Portal for Access to Electronic Administrative
Services in the section "Centralized application". The
provided administrative services online by municipalities
are regulated in Ordinance on the registers of the
information objects and the electronic services [16].
The analysis of the electronic services provided by the
municipalities in the region under consideration shows that
we could outline several types of e-services. One is offered
by the single portal for requesting and providing e-services
to the central administration and the external territorial
bodies. Other e-services are provided by the municipalities
in the region. Here we can make distinctions according to
the way they are provided. In one case they are provided as
the applicant is identified by an electronic signature. Other
e-services are provided freely. The municipalities are
characterized by well-developed interfaces and portals. In
practice, the activity of using smart solutions by citizens also
depends on the management of city (urban systems)
administration, whose role may range from prohibitive
regulation to official maintenance and performance
management. First, for the municipalities, it is necessary to
set priority directions for development and to set a goal level
of use of solutions. In this direction, an important condition
is to reveal the potential of smart digital technologies. This
can be done through a multifaceted analysis of the impact of
various decisions on the city's economy, the speed of
transport communications, and the health of citizens.
In Bulgaria, people using the Internet for e-services has
changed in recent years. There was a peak in services in
2012, then declining and rising again in recent years (Fig. 1).
At the same time, there is a certain lag in the use of the
Internet in The North-Eastern region, which is noted in the
Integrated Territorial Strategy for the Development of the
North-Eastern Region. We found that there is a division
between urban and rural areas. Household access in cities is
much larger than in rural areas, especially in peripheral
areas.
5,0
0,0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Fig. 1. Persons using the Internet to interact with public
institutions in the last twelve months in Bulgaria.
Looking at household access to the Internet, we can
conclude that the level is relatively high. From fig. 2 there is
an increase from 2016 to 2021 from 60% to over 80%. In
other words, it can be said that the technical provision in the
Northeast region creates the necessary conditions for the
formation of a digital economy and the introduction of egovernment in municipalities.
90,0
80,0
70,0
60,0
50,0
40,0
30,0
20,0
10,0
0,0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Fig. 2. Household internet access in the Northeast region.
According to the National Statistical Institute, the number
of people using the Internet is gradually increasing in the
region. In the period from 2016 to 2021, they increased from
60% to about 80%. Of course, this does not mean that people
constantly interact and use e-services from the
municipalities (Fig. 3).
80,0
70,0
60,0
50,0
40,0
30,0
20,0
10,0
0,0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Fig. 3. People who use the Internet regularly (every day or at least
once a week) in the Northeast region.
111
The intelligent development of the municipalities in the
region under consideration covers various areas such as
digital economy, smart education, and healthcare, egovernment and services, e-commerce, and others. As we
can see from fig. 4 people who use the resources of the
digital economy are few. In 2021, they increase to almost
40%. Therefore, the digital culture of the people living in
this part of Bulgaria is still low.
12
10
8
6
4
2
50
0
2014
40
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
30
Fig. 6. Dynamics of e-services in Shumen municipality.
20
An important characteristic of the settlements around the
town of Shumen is that they also show growth rates of the
provided electronic services. There is a lag mainly in rural
areas, where the quality of the Internet is lower than in the
regional centre of Shumen.
Within the Northeast region of Bulgaria, the best internet
coverage and the provision of electronic services is in the
city of Varna. It is important to note that Varna is the city
where the population has been growing over the last 10 years
and it is emerging as the largest district and the largest city
in the Northeast region. Varna has an environment for
providing electronic administrative services. For example,
the water supply and sewerage sector allow complete
digitalization. Compared to other major urban centres a
wider range of administrative services (including electronic
services) are offered. The analyses show that for the period
2014 - 2020 the electronic services in Varna have doubled
(Fig. 7).
10
0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Fig. 4. Persons who have purchased goods and services online for
personal use in the last 12 months in the Northeast region.
Based on this, we could conclude that the local population
does not use e-services traditionally. Another question is to
what extent e-services are provided by municipalities.
The comparative analysis shows that in the last few years
there has been a significant increase in the provision of eservices. We can find this in the municipality of Dobrich,
which is the regional centre. For the period 2015 – 2020,
there is a significant increase in e-services in the
municipality (Fig. 5). In this regard, we can emphasize that
based on the information provided by the municipal
information portal of Dobrich, the municipality is associated
with a single model for ordering, paying, and provision of
electronic administrative services with developed and
published 68 electronic forms for electronic administrative
services.
12
10
8
6
12
4
10
2
8
0
2014
6
4
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Fig. 7. E-services in Varna for the period 2014-2020.
2
0
2015
2016
2017
2018
2020
Fig. 5. E-services dynamics in Dobrich municipality.
The other regional town (Shumen) in this region is also
characterized by a sharp increase in electronic services. For
the period 2014 - 2021, they increase from 4 to over 10
points according to the Institute for Economic Policy. This
is evident from fig. 6.
The last regional centre is Targovishte. There is an
increase in e-services, but less than in other major regional
cities in the region. For the period 2014 – 2020, we observe
an increase from 2 to 9 (Fig. 8).
The slower pace of development of Internet access in
Bulgaria gives the advantage of realized qualitatively and it
is currently available in Bulgaria with almost 100%
broadband. Thus, Bulgarian consumers receive services
with quality over the EU average, as in most of the countries
in the EU, the share of these high-speed connections is
smaller or similar speeds are not available.
112
services. On the other hand, to attract a population, a better
digital environment and services need to be created based on
ICT platform development. In the pandemic, many workers
moved to smaller settlements to live and work. In this
context, the digitalization of the municipalities must
continue, which will allow accessibility and connectivity in
the evaluated districts.
10
8
6
4
2
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The paper is financed by the UNWE. The report presents
the results from the realization of the university scientific
project NI 4/2021.
0
2015
2016
2017
2018
2020
Fig. 8. Change of e-services in Targovishte (2014-2020).
Institute for economic policy.
The provision of internet and electronic services in
Bulgaria is relatively good in most urban areas. The more
remote and sparsely populated places in the mentioned
municipalities are characterized by some difficulties in their
communication both socially and economically which
isolated them from the social and cultural life in the country.
In this direction, the state’s authorities must establish terms
for incorporating the ICT into people’s life and
implementing Smart city initiatives. This corresponds to the
continuing process of providing access to online services for
people living in poverty-populated and remote areas aims to
overcome these trends and stimulate social cohesion.
IV. CONCLUSION
The development of electronic services in the
municipalities in the Northeast Bulgarian region has been
developing in recent years. At the same time, the authors’
observations show that the implementation of Smart City
initiatives is running slowly. This is a paradox because
Bulgaria is a state which is characterized by an extremely
elevated level of internet accessibility. The number of eservices is increasing as in the observed municipalities we
register an average estimation of 10 scores. This fact
corresponds with an elevated level of internet coverage (over
80%). On the other side, the authors observe low digital
culture which reflects a small percentage of the population
(30%) in the region interacting electronically with public
authorities and using intelligent platforms.
Based on the analysis the authors distinguish three groups
of municipalities according to the population, in which we
observe different levels of e-services provided in the region.
The first group is the regional centers, which differ in the
availability of resources, larger population, more e-services,
and various e-platforms at the service of citizens. This city’s
group incorporates ICT successfully. The second group of
municipalities is smaller but provides a sufficient number of
e-services. The third group is the smallest municipalities in
the region, which do not have a large population and this
circumstance does not stimulate the development of eservices. Referring to the e-services to the population in the
municipalities, we can conclude that the services are
increasing per capita. But this fact is due to the sharp decline
in the population in most municipalities. Also, the content of
services and information must be in line with the interests of
the population in these areas and services promoting the use
of the Internet. We see the need for developing new
computer skills for use of the internet and electronic
[1]
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