September 21, 2020
Today, the World Council on City Data (WCCD) recognized the City of Edmonton for achieving ISO 37120 Platinum certification as part of the Government of Canada supported Data for Canadian Cities Project. This is the highest level of certification that a city can achieve and reflects the calibre of the data reported in accordance with ISO 37120: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Indicators for City Services, the first international standard for city data. This global first was largely created through the input of Canadian urban leaders and practitioners.
“Transparency and accountability maintain and strengthen our democracy. This is why we’re extremely pleased to have achieved Platinum certification from the WCCD for the Data for Canadian Cities Project,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “Edmonton has long been a leader in data-driven decision-making to provide better City services and improve quality of life for Edmontonians. I’d like to thank Minister McKenna and the WCCD for their leadership in this project and encourage my colleagues in other Canadian municipalities to participate in this important work.”
“We are so pleased to welcome Edmonton into the WCCD global network of 100 data-driven cities across more than 35 countries” stated the WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney. “Edmonton is already recognized, here in Canada and on the global stage, as a city truly dedicated to building high calibre data for performance management, benchmarking and moreover, for putting that data to use as a core element in their strategic planning framework. Being awarded WCCD ISO Platinum Certification today further underscores the commitment of Mayor Iveson and Edmonton’s leaders on leveraging globally standardized, comparable, and independently verified city data, that will drive a more prosperous, sustainable, resilient and inclusive future for the City’s residents.”
“All communities, large and small, need good data to plan and build modern public infrastructure. Meeting global data standards is critical. Through the Data for Canadian Cities Project, in partnership with the World Council on City Data, we’ve been helping municipal leaders in a number of communities across Canada do just that,” stated The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “I am delighted that Edmonton has obtained the ISO standard for municipal data. This will help the City plan projects with quality data and will help guide evidence-based decision-making. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds stronger communities.”
Data for participating Canadian cities will be publicly available in early 2021 on the WCCD website, following the relaunch of the WCCD Visualization Portal. Data compiled through this project supports municipalities to better plan and implement infrastructure investments and measure the impacts of those investments on economic prosperity and the quality of life of their residents.
The WCCD administered ISO 37120 is a globally standardized data set that measures quality of life and delivery of municipal services. As part of a funded agreement with the Government of Canada, the WCCD is working with fifteen municipalities across Canada to help them become certified under ISO 37120, doubling the number of WCCD ISO Certified Canadian municipalities to thirty. This three-year project assists the participating cities in obtaining WCCD’s ISO 37120 Certification, as well as leveraging the data to drive insights, build capacity, and monitor trends.
For more information: www.dataforcities.org
