ISO 37122-2019 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 37122:2019 — Sustainable cities and communities — Indicators for smart cities. Defines a standardized set of indicators, definitions and methodologies intended to help cities measure, compare and improve their smart-city performance and service delivery.

Abstract

This standard specifies and establishes definitions and methodologies for a set of indicators for smart cities. It is intended to complement ISO 37120 (indicators for city services and quality of life) to provide a complete, comparable framework for measuring progress toward a smart city.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed at systematic review).
• Publication date: May 2019 (Edition 1, 2019).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.020.20 (Environmental economics; sustainability).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2019).
• Number of pages: 95 pages (ISO published text).

Details above are taken from the ISO record for ISO 37122:2019 (systematic review confirmed in 2024).

Scope

ISO 37122 establishes a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, together with definitions and measurement methodologies, that cities can use to assess “smart” aspects of urban services, infrastructure and governance. The scope covers indicator selection and measurement approaches intended to be used alongside ISO 37120 and within the broader ISO 37100 family to give cities a harmonized view of smart-city performance.

Key topics and requirements

• Standardized definitions and measurement methodologies for smart-city indicators (to ensure comparability between cities).
• Indicator themes aligned with the ISO city indicators family — economy, education, energy, environment & climate change, finance, governance, health, housing, population & social conditions, recreation, safety, solid waste, sport & culture, telecommunications, transportation, urban/local agriculture & food security, urban planning, wastewater and water, and related topics.
• Guidance on data sources, units of measure and reporting conventions for each indicator to enable consistent city-level reporting.
• Recommendations for using the indicators with ISO 37120 (city services & quality of life) and ISO 37101 (management systems for sustainable development in communities), and for cross-theme analysis with ISO 37123 (resilient cities).
• Support for alignment with Sustainable Development Goals and for tracking climate and resilience-related outcomes.

Typical use and users

Primary users include municipal governments and city administrations, urban planners, sustainability and smart-city programme managers, consultants, academics, and organisations benchmarking city performance. The standard is used to select measurable indicators for strategy, to monitor progress, and to enable inter-city comparison and reporting.

Related standards

ISO 37122 is part of the ISO 37100 series (standards for sustainable cities and communities). Key related documents include ISO 37120 (Indicators for city services and quality of life), ISO 37101 (management systems for sustainable development in communities), ISO 37123 (Indicators for resilient cities) and ISO 37124/37124-series guidance which maps indicators across the themes. These documents are intended to be used together for comprehensive measurement and management.

Keywords

smart city, indicators, measurement, urban sustainability, ISO 37120, ISO 37101, city benchmarking, urban indicators, governance, mobility, energy, environment.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 37122:2019 is an international standard that specifies definitions and methodologies for a set of indicators designed to measure smart-city performance.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers indicator definitions, measurement methods and reporting conventions across multiple smart-city themes (economy, governance, environment, energy, transport, water, waste, telecommunication, etc.) and is intended to be used with related ISO city standards for a complete performance framework.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: City governments, municipal planners, smart-city programme teams, consultants, researchers and organisations that benchmark or report on urban services and smart-city initiatives.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2019 edition (Edition 1) is published and was systematically reviewed and confirmed in 2024, so it remains the current version as of the latest ISO record.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 37122 is part of the ISO 37100 family for sustainable cities and communities and is designed to work alongside ISO 37120, ISO 37101, ISO 37123 and related guidance documents.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Smart city, indicators, urban sustainability, benchmarking, measurement methodology, city services, governance, resilience, ISO 37120, ISO 37101.