Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in Smart Cities | Advancements and Security Challenges

The overarching aim of smart city architecture is to harmonize real-time response applications, but the complex cyber-physical environment introduces security challenges that could potentially compromise the data of individuals, systems, and processes. Although numerous centralized and decentralized architectural approaches have emerged to support the realization of smart cities, persistent concerns center around issues such as digital ownership of IoT assets, traceability, scalability, security services, platform compatibility, and resource management. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent a shift in ownership and trade perception in the digital world. While NFTs are renowned for representing unique and non-interchangeable data units on a digital ledger, their potential to digitize IoT assets in the cyber-physical systems of smart cities remains underdeveloped. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in Smart Cities: Advancements and Security Challenges examines NFT-based mechanisms by introducing new attributes and functions to define assets which results in the identification of the IoT assets in the cyber-physical systems (CPSs) for smart cities. Additionally, it dives into NFTs and their broader applications. Covering topics such as decentralized principles, urban connectivity, and deepfakes, this book is an excellent resource for technology developers, computer engineers, urban planners, policymakers, professionals, researchers, scholars, academicians, and more.

Usman Khalil, Dr., is associated with School of Digital Sciences as Eminent Visiting Professor (EVP) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in Brunei Darussalam. He is associated as a Researcher in Robotics Lab (RoboLab), School of Digital Science, UBD. He also worked with Faculty of Integrated Science as Eminent Visiting Professor (EVP) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) which is an Engineering School in Brunei Darussalam and the Virginia Tech Lab at UBD which is an international collaboration laboratory between UBD and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech-VT) United States. He obtained his Ph.D. and MS in Computer Science majoring in Cybersecurity and Data Science from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in 2024 and 2019 respectively. With over fourteen years of professional experience in the telecom industry in Pakistan and Malaysia, Usman Khalil previously worked as a Telecom professional. His research interests focus on exploratory pattern recognition algorithms for the analysis, data mining, clustering, integration of the Internet of Things with cloud computing, and the integration of the Internet of Things with Blockchain. He is serving as an invited Editor in the Innovative Informatics and Artificial Intelligence Research (IIAIR). He is also serving as an invited reviewer in reputed journals, including IEEE Access, Scientific Reports, Blockchain: Research and Applications, Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology, SN Applied Sciences, Bulletin of Electrical Engineering, and Informatics, PLOS ONE, Measurement Sensors, Cluster Computing, The Journal of Super Computing, Peer to Peer Networking and Applications etc. Position (s) and affiliation (s): Eminent Visiting Professor (EVP) – School of Digital Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam. Researcher – RoboLab, School of Digital Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.

Mueen Uddin , Dr. (Sr. Member IEEE) has been included in the Top 2% of Research Scientists (Stanford and Elsevier report 2022 and 2023). He received his PhD from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM in 2013. He has around 15 years of Research and Teaching experience in the domain of Data and Cybersecurity, Blockchain, and Security of Cyber-Physical Systems. Currently, he works as an Associate Professor of Data and Cybersecurity at the University of Doha for Science and Technology Qatar. Dr. Mueen was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Khalifa University UAE from 2019-2020. Dr. Mueen has developed an excellent track record of research and academic leadership including the development, management, and implementation of various funded projects supported by agencies in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Brunei Darussalam. Dr. Mueen has co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed research papers in highly cited journals and conferences. He is currently serving as Editor/ Associate Editor/GE in various prestigious journals. He is a Senior Member IEEE, ACM, AIS and was awarded a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellowship from the UK. He has also served as a technical committee member and session chair for various international and local conferences in Computer Sciences and Information Systems. Position (s) and affiliation (s): Associate Professor of Data and Cybersecurity, College of Computing and IT, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha, 24449, Qatar

Owais A. Malik, Dr. (Sr. Member IEEE) received the M.S. degree in computer science from KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 2002, and the Ph.D. degree in computer science from Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, in 2015. He is currently a Senior Assistant Professor of Mathematical and Computing Sciences with the Department of Digital Sciences, University Brunei Darussalam. He graduated as a Computer System Engineer from NED, Pakistan in 1998 and has more than ten years of progressive experience in academia and research in computer science and engineering. He has been teaching various undergraduate courses, including machine learning, data mining, machine perception, programming fundamentals, design and analysis of algorithms, software engineering, and operating systems in different national/international universities. He has authored or coauthored several articles in internationally reputable journals and conferences. His research interests include designing and exploring different intelligent/pattern recognition algorithms to analyze and classify biodiversity and cyber-security data, applied biomechanics, bio-signal processing, and Big Data analytics. Position (s) and affiliation (s): Sr. Assistant Professor, School of Digital Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam. Director, Institute of Applied Data Analytics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.

Abdulhalim Dandoush , Dr., is the Head of the IT department and an Associate Professor in IT and Computer Science at UDST, Qatar since June 2023. Additionally, he holds the position of associated researcher at the Esme Research Lab in France and at L2TI lab of Sorbonne University Paris Nord, France. Previously, Abdulhalim was the Director of Expertise Areas in “Computing, Modeling, and Digital Technologies” at ESME in France from September 2015 to July 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Networking and a Ph.D. in Information Technology from INRIA and the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Before his tenure at ESME, he worked as an Expert Engineer at INRIA-Sophia Antipolis within the INRIA-Alstom Transport joint Lab. His research interests encompass the performance evaluation and optimization of network protocols, as well as the intelligent management of new-generation networks. Abdulhalim co-led the ONF/ONOS teaching brigade in 2017/2018 and served as an assistant and associate for research and teaching at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in France from 2006 to 2010. He also held positions as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tishreen in Syria and the Arab Academy for Sciences and Technology in Egypt from 2011 to 2014. He served as a TPC member and co-chair in many international conferences and workshops. Position (s) and affiliation (s): Associate Professor of Information Technology, Head of IT department, College of Computing and IT, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha, 24449, Qatar. Home Page | ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn