In their analytical report, entitled, “Digital Technologies for Intelligent and Secure Public Spaces, Global, 2026–2031”, they explore the detail of the development of the digital ecosystem, the factors that are shaping that development, future scenarios which could define the next generation of public spaces and offer projections of potential growth areas for stakeholders operating in the technology landscape.  The following is a summary of their findings.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), digital identity, real-time analytics, and automation are enabling organisations to enhance safety, optimise operations, and deliver seamless, personalised user experiences. As digital ecosystems mature and demand for resilient, citizen-centric infrastructure grows, new growth opportunities are emerging across AI-powered operational intelligence, trusted digital identity, connected mobility, and experience-led public services, reshaping the future of public environments. For governments, infrastructure operators, technology providers, and urban planners, intelligent and secure public spaces represent a strategic opportunity to improve operational resilience, strengthen digital trust, and unlock new value through connected, experience-driven ecosystems.

Public spaces are rapidly evolving from isolated digital deployments into integrated, data-driven operational ecosystems. Across airports, transportation hubs, tourism destinations, and civic environments, stakeholders are moving beyond basic digitisation toward end-to-end digital journeys where identity, mobile orchestration, and real-time information are becoming integral to how public spaces are managed and experienced.

Four future scenarios defining the next generation of public spaces

According to the analysis, the next wave of digital transformation will move public environments beyond connected infrastructure toward predictive, autonomous, and highly personalised ecosystems. Several emerging applications are expected to reshape how citizens and visitors interact with public spaces.

• The arrival of ready-to-fly airports: By 2031, digital identity wallets, biometric credentials, and privacy-preserving identity technologies could make frictionless airport and border journeys a mainstream reality, reducing congestion while strengthening security and traveler convenience.
• Cities that predict movement before congestion happens: AI-powered systems will increasingly anticipate crowd movements, optimize queues, and dynamically manage transportation flows by combining data from cameras, sensors, and connected infrastructure. This capability could significantly improve resilience, operational efficiency, and urban safety.
• Personalised public experiences become the norm: Conversational AI, multilingual virtual assistants, and spatial computing technologies will provide personalised recommendations, real-time guidance, and location-aware services that adapt to individual preferences and changing environments.
• Roads become intelligent, connected ecosystems: Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies and cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) will support safer mobility, improve traffic management, and enable more efficient transportation experiences.

Growth Opportunities Shaping the Future

As public spaces become increasingly connected and experience-led, organisations have an opportunity to move beyond individual technology deployments and develop integrated digital ecosystems that improve safety, operational efficiency, and citizen experiences. Frost & Sullivan suggests that two opportunities are emerging as particularly attractive for long-term growth:

1: AI-powered public-space intelligence platforms

AI-powered platforms are becoming the digital control layer for intelligent public environments, enabling operators to manage increasingly complex, high-footfall spaces through real-time visibility and predictive decision-making.

Key considerations include:

• Integrating AI, analytics, and real-time sensing technologies to improve operational awareness and incident response.
• Enabling use cases such as crowd analytics, predictive flow management, anomaly detection, and traffic optimisation.
• Improving resource productivity, service reliability, and infrastructure utilisation through data-driven decision-making.
• Creating centralised operational intelligence platforms that support safer, more responsive, and efficient public environments.

2: Digital identity and frictionless access ecosystems

Digital identity technologies are transforming how people access and move through airports, venues, transportation hubs, and public services by enabling secure, seamless, and trusted interactions.

Key considerations include:

• Deploying digital identity wallets, biometrics, and verifiable credentials to support frictionless journeys.
• Reducing operational friction while strengthening identity assurance, security, and digital trust.
• Enabling faster processing, personalized services, and improved visitor experiences across high-volume environments.
• Building trusted digital ecosystems that balance convenience, privacy, and operational resilience.

Strategic opportunity

The future of intelligent and secure public spaces is summarised by Frost & Sullivan as a landscape that will be shaped by organisations that can combine operational intelligence, trusted digital identity, and connected infrastructure into integrated platforms that deliver safer, more efficient, and more personalised public experiences.