The Benefits of Edge Computing in Healthcare, Smart Cities, and IoT

Recent advancements in technology now allow for the generation of massive quantities of data. There is a growing need to transmit this data faster and more securely such that it cannot be accessed by malicious individuals. Edge computing has emerged in previous research as a method capable of improving data transmission times and security before the data ends up in the cloud. Edge computing has an impressive transmission speed based on fifth generation (5G) communication which transmits data with low latency and high bandwidth. While edge computing is sufficient to extract important features from the raw data to prevent large amounts of data requiring excessive bandwidth to be transmitted, cloud computing is used for the computational processes required for developing algorithms and modeling the data. Edge computing also improves the quality of the user experience by saving time and integrating quality of life (QoL) features. QoL features are important for the healthcare sector by helping to provide real-time feedback of data produced by healthcare devices back to patients for a faster recovery. Edge computing has better energy efficiency, can reduce the electricity cost, and in turn help people reduce their living expenses. This paper will take a detailed look into edge computing applications around Internet of Things (IoT) devices, smart city infrastructure, and benefits to healthcare.