It is predicted that the global government Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint electronics and communications market will touch $14.7 billion in 2020. It is an increase of 6 percent from 2019, according to a Gartner report.

The government IoT market in 2020 holds the largest revenue opportunities in outdoor surveillance, street and outdoor lighting and road toll, and also in traffic management.

Kay Sharpington, Principal Research Analyst, Gartner, said, “The Covid-19 pandemic is slowing down spending. However, governments across the globe continue to use IoT technologies and solutions to improve citizen safety. At the same time, the falling endpoint and connectivity costs make smart city initiatives more viable.”

Furthermore, Gartner expects governments to deploy eight cameras per thousand urban citizens for outdoor surveillance by 2021. It is an increase of six cameras per thousand in 2019.

Sharpington said, "Governments are increasing their spending on outdoor surveillance cameras to monitor cities for crime. In the wake of Covid-19, they are also used to track compliance with safety restrictions.”

Among all countries, the Chinese government is the primary contributor to the outdoor surveillance spending growth.

According to sources, the Chinese government is investing in cameras, which can harness advanced image recognition techniques and deploy 32 cameras per thousand urban citizens for outdoor surveillance by 2021, which is an increase from 27 cameras per thousand in 2019.

Police agencies are moreover increasing deployment of drones for efficient management of traffic and gain information on dangerous situations before officers risk their lives.

Sharpington, "Unlike police vehicles or stationary cameras, drones offer a more effective and moveable viewpoint, independent of traffic and terrain.”

Gartner predicts that fire services and police drones will grow from one per 58,000 people to one per 18,000 between 2019 and 2021.