With the rapid development of economic globalization and information technology, the construction of smart cities is in full swing. Internet of Things, cloud computing, and big data have become hot words in the construction of smart cities. From the central to the lower, the wave of construction of the "smart city" has covered a wave. This reminds us of a word “digital city” that once appeared in the vision of our urban construction. The core of smart city construction is the construction of big data, while the foundation of big data is digital. Based on the above logic, the smart city in the eyes of many city managers is equivalent to the digital city. In fact, there are many differences and differences between smart cities and digital cities.

From the perspective of development, information ports and digital cities are important development stages in the construction of smart cities. Digital cities emphasize that they are visible and useful, focus on the foundation, and are led by data. Smart cities are used, used widely, used well, and are sustainable, focusing on applications and application-led.

CUDI International Urban Development Research Institute believes that the informatization of the city is essentially the digitization of the urban human-land relationship system. It embodies the dominant position of “people” and better grasps the movement state and law of the urban system through urban informatization. The regulation of human-land relations is carried out to achieve system optimization, making the city a space conducive to human survival and sustainable development. The process of urban informatization is the process of a digital city. Large-scale urban traffic congestion index, air pollution coefficient, urban resource consumption data, as small as bus arrival, electricity payment, medical settlement, all aspects of daily life work, are the process of data participation analysis. As the upgraded version of the smart city, the most important thing is to take a step in data guidance.

Smart cities are based on the next generation of information technology such as the Internet of Things and cloud computing, as well as the application of tools and methods such as wikis, social networks, and integrated integration methods to create an ecosystem that is conducive to innovation. More importantly, smart cities use information and communication technologies to make urban life smarter. By using resources efficiently, saving costs, energy, improving the quality of life, reducing negative impacts on the environment, and promoting the development of a low-carbon economy. Smart cities have made people have a more real understanding of the evolution of innovative forms and social changes led by information technology, and have a deeper understanding of the "people-oriented" science and technology innovation, and a new understanding of the evolution of urban form under the development of modern science and technology.

The digital city is based on the initial business synergy formed by the Internet, which mainly improves the management efficiency and service quality of various industries through the informationization of various industries in the city. The most common application of digital cities is the establishment of three-dimensional maps of cities. Through the information collection and integration of urban traffic data, the user and external information are effectively connected, and the leap from the two-dimensional city to the three-dimensional city is realized. Digital cities have created conditions for urban planning, intelligent transportation, grid management and services, location-based services, and urban security emergency response. They are an important means for the harmonious development of cities in the information age.

Different from digital cities, smart cities emphasize the transition from industry segmentation and relatively closed information architecture to the open, integrated and coordinated urban information architecture of complex giant systems, and bring into play the overall effectiveness of urban informatization. Especially for heavy applications, today, the ubiquitous interconnection and intelligent integration of anytime and anywhere through ubiquitous network and mobile technology has become the trend of smart city development. Under the modern government management system, relying on intelligent means, smart cities can provide more high-quality and efficient services. Especially in the context of the development of modernization of national governance capabilities, the value of smart city construction lies in fully mobilizing the enthusiasm between the government, enterprises (social units) and citizens (communities), and realizing urban management intelligence and grid management of industry management. The harmonious interaction realizes the integration and linkage of the bar resources, thus establishing a linkage mechanism of government supervision and coordination, enterprise standard operation, and extensive participation of citizens.

Through the transformation of the traditional transportation system and the intelligent transportation of the transportation system, it is possible to intelligently collect traffic information, traffic, noise, road surface, traffic accidents, weather, temperature, etc., thereby ensuring mutual communication between people, vehicles, roads and the environment. In turn, it improves the safety, accessibility and economy of the transportation system, and plays a role in protecting the environment and reducing energy consumption. Remote smart medical services are provided through remote diagnostics, instant messaging, real-time use of medical research databases, emergency ambulance wireless communications, and hospital internal communications. Based on computer technology and network technology, various household appliances communicate and exchange data through different interconnection methods, realizing the “interconnection” between household appliances and other household items, enabling us to be indoors or outdoors. Through the Internet of Things and various access terminals, we can feel the informatization results of the smart earth. The smart city of the future will be able to realize the comprehensive intelligence of facilitating the people and benefiting the people, eliminating the urban-rural gap, improving the efficiency of the government, promoting economic development, and security.

The "Digital City" system is a system of people's (geographical environment) relationship, which reflects the interaction and relationship between people, people, land and land, people and the land, and pays more attention to the use of information technology to realize informationization in various fields of the city. To enhance social production efficiency. Informatization of digital surface mapping and statistics (digital survey and map), informationization of government management and decision-making (digital government), informationization of enterprise management, decision-making and services (digital enterprise), informationization of citizen life (digital city life) The above four informatization processes are digital cities. The digital city emphasizes speaking with data, whichever is the data.

The smart city is based on data, relying on cloud computing, Internet of Things and other application tools, more emphasis on the subjective position of people, more emphasis on the shaping of open innovation space and the participation of citizens and user experience. In other words, the smart city has realized the concept of “technology is people-oriented” to a greater extent. Through user experience and citizen participation, we will create value for smart cities and achieve sustainable innovation.

In the past, our e-government, intelligent transportation, and tourism information inquiry were all realized through electronic means. But the input of such electronic information can be realized by human input. In a smart city, this information can be provided to the platform through the collection of intelligent terminals, thereby serving the entire city. To be more straightforward, every individual in a smart city is both the creator of information and the enjoyment of information, and the ultimate service point of information. Compared with digital cities, the interactive and communicative nature of smart cities will be greatly enhanced.