Innovation in Geospatial Information Technology: Connecting Urban Security, Spatial Governance, and Smart City Development

Authors

  • Hao Zhang

    Zhejiang College of Security Technology, Wenzhou 325000, China; Zhejiang Cheng’an Big Data Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Yunge Wang

    Zhejiang College of Security Technology, Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Wangke Lin

    Zhejiang College of Security Technology, Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Jun Xu

    Zhejiang Cheng’an Big Data Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Haiyan Xu

    Zhejiang College of Security Technology, Wenzhou 325000, China; Zhejiang Cheng’an Big Data Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Junxian Chen

    WenZhou Port Group Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China
  • Quanlong Fan

    Zhejiang Cheng’an Big Data Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i3.13101
Received: 11 January 2026 | Revised: 28 February 2026 | Accepted: 5 March 2026 | Published Online: 2 March 202

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and digital transformation are reshaping how cities address challenges related to security, governance, and sustainable development. Geospatial information technology (GIT) has become a base infrastructure for smart cities, where the gathering, synthesis, and examination of spatially explicit information are used to deliver data to make decisions in cities. Even after its increasing significance, the current body of research on geospatial innovation is still divided into the spheres of urban security, spatial governance, and smart city development. Such fragmentation restricts the integration of theoretical work, as well as limits the possibility of developing coherent policies and governance institutions. This article includes a systematic and integrative review of innovation in geospatial information technology to analyze the relationship between technological, data-driven, and institutional innovation and urban security practices, spatial governance processes, and smart city initiatives. Based on peer-reviewed sources on urban studies, geography, planning, and information science, the review generalizes the main trends in real-time spatial analytics, artificial intelligence, participatory geospatial platforms, and urban digital twins. The review shows that geospatial systems facilitate anticipatory governance, cross-sector coordination, and evidence-based urban management, and that it provides an integrative conceptual lens on the existing literature on smart cities and urban governance, as it positions geospatial information technology as a socio-technical infrastructure, as opposed to a technical tool. The paper recognizes the voids in critical research and the directions into the future on how to build ethical, inclusive, and context-sensitive geospatial systems that can allow the creation of secure, governable, and sustainable urban futures.

Keywords:

Geospatial Information Technology; Urban Security; Spatial Governance; Smart Cities; Urban Digital Twins

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How to Cite

Zhang, H., Wang, Y., Lin, W., Xu, J., Xu, H., Chen, J., & Fan, Q. (2026). Innovation in Geospatial Information Technology: Connecting Urban Security, Spatial Governance, and Smart City Development. Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences, 8(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i3.13101

Issue

Vol. 8 , Iss. 3 (March 2026)

Article Type

Review

License

Copyright © 2026 Hao Zhang, Yunge Wang, Wangke Lin, Jun Xu, Haiyan Xu, Junxian Chen, Quanlong Fan

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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