Defining and aligning data: The pressing need for global standards

Dr. Patricia L. McCarney presenting at the Digital Cities: Connected Technology, Connecting Ecosystems launch webinar

Even cities within the same state or country are measuring city services differently, often with different definitions of what is being measured, according to different methodologies on how to measure, and according to different urban boundaries.

This holds true for all sorts of data points — across transit, recreation, education, housing, safety, air quality and other city services and quality of life data that affect a city’s planning and economic policy, and most importantly, the well-being of their citizens.

The advantages of comparable data

This unevenness in the data creates an inability to compare, to consider economic investment, and an inability to improve performance in service delivery based on peer city experiences. Without standardization, it is difficult for mayors to know how they are doing, for example, on the overall safety of their citizens, since some cities define violent crime rates according to different definitions, or they measure emergency response time according to different methodologies.

Hence a basic, fundamental question of how safe a city is, posed by city officials or citizens, is not easily answered. It is not a question of insufficient data, just a lack of data that is standardized and verified for a sound context and comparability.

Similarly, without comparable data, economic development officers lack information on how to promote their city accurately and effectively. Economic development in cities is, by nature of the task (namely, competitiveness), propelled by comparative data.

Moreover, senior levels of government lack credible comparative city data to make informed decisions on investments locally, this being particularly acute in large infrastructure spending decisions being taken by national and regional (provincial/state) governments.

Accurate and trusted city level data that is comparable in cities across a country or region, supports both local leadership in making informed requests for infrastructure investments, as well as upper-level government leadership in making data informed decisions on where infrastructure investments are most necessary. Once allocated and according to accurate and comparable baselines, tracking year-over-year progress on the results and outcomes of these investments also builds efficiencies in municipal management and transparency for citizens.

Setting global standards

In response to these identified gaps in city data, the ISO 37120 Series of international standards was initiated by a group of Toronto- based researchers, containing the first-ever set of global standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, that are devoted to building city level data that is globally comparable.

The ISO 37120 Series includes three international standards: ISO 37120 – Indicators for Sustainable Cities, ISO 37122 – Indicators for Smart Cities, and ISO 37123 – Indicators for Resilient Cities. The ISO 37120 Series contains 276 key performance indicators (KPIs) in total, all prioritized by cities and developed within ISO since 2012, voted on through global ballot by some 30 member countries between 2012 and 2019, and published between 2014 and 2019.

Each of the three ISO Standards is being implemented by the World Council on City Data (WCCD)i to support cities in reporting data in conformity with the definitions and methodologies contained in this series of ISO standards. The WCCD is working with over 100 cities in over 40 countries, building high caliber city level data that is comparable worldwide for the first time. This work is building city level data that is: globally standardized in conformity with the ISO 37120 Series; considered trusted in that it is outside of government (ISO certified and hosted on the WCCD global platform); and is independently, third-party verified; and, regularly reported on an annual basis.

Cities are embracing global standards to propel their success

Data is moving fast; in a global context of big data and the information explosion, the ISO 37120 Series is being embraced by cities to build a reliable foundation of core knowledge. It is creating data-driven municipalities and incentivizing performance across departments and divisions inside city halls while facilitating peer city exchange locally and across the globe with “apples to apples” data to ensure city-to- city lessons and insights.

As cities embrace the three global standards, they are developing high caliber data that are being put to use in six targeted areas:

To build more effective, transparent governance, inform decision- making in policy and city management and improve performance in service delivery through internal benchmarking. For example, to help inform budget and better target their spending as well as improve their city’s credit and bond ratings. City leaders are also using comparative data for local benchmarking with neighboring municipalities for comparative learning and sharing of informed practice across cities.

To establish comparative and data-informed targets through international benchmarking. This global benchmarking with peer cities is driving peer-to-peer learning and sharing of informed practice across the globe.

To support strategic plans. Cities, once equipped with solid baselines, are more able to build accurate targets and measure progress on their official planning goals and objectives.

To inform and propel economic development planning. The data informed by the KPIs in the ISO 37120 Series is helping cities to demonstrate investment attractiveness. Cities of all sizes that are part of this growing worldwide network of data-driven cities are using globally standardized data to attract investment, drive job creation and direct economic development opportunities.

To make intelligent choices in infrastructure investment with measurable results. City leaders need good data to plan modern public infrastructure. Equipped with comparative data, they are positioned to set specific priorities and to formulate data-driven requests for infrastructure investments from federal and state governments. Cities are using this trusted data to leverage funding both with their senior levels of government, and for data-informed tasks in international development banks.

To monitor their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, on global climate agendas and on the UN Making Cities Resilient agenda (MCR2030). Cities are increasingly vulnerable to heavy winds, hurricanes and tornados, wildfires, heatwaves of higher intensity and longer duration that augment already existing climate issues and, most recently, the rapid spread of viruses triggering health pandemics worldwide. ISO 37123 – Indicators for Resilient Cities, the newest ISO Standard published as part of the ISO 37120 Series – defines the resilience of cities as a city’s ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to shocks and stresses.