ISO 37122 / 37120 · Indicators for smart and sustainable cities
ISO 37122 and ISO 37120 smart city indicators, measured so the results stand up to comparison.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants help cities, municipalities and the organisations that serve them decide which indicators to report, assign the data owners and build the routine that produces comparable figures year after year, in 60+ countries. We help our clients put it into practice and prove it.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced consultants, supporting management systems for public bodies and service organisations since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. ISO issues no certificate for these indicator standards, and Sterling issues none either
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Why city teams choose Sterling
What it is
What are ISO 37120 and ISO 37122?
ISO 37120 defines a set of indicators, and the methods for calculating them, to steer and measure the performance of city services and quality of life. ISO states that it follows the principles of ISO 37101 and applies to any city, municipality or local government that wants to measure its performance in a comparable and verifiable way, whatever its size or location.
ISO 37122 adds indicators for smart cities. Used together with ISO 37120, it is intended to give a complete set of measures for progress towards a smart city. ISO 37123 covers resilient cities, and ISO 37124:2024 gives guidance on using the three together. All come from ISO/TC 268.
Current status. ISO 37122:2019 is the first edition and was reviewed and confirmed by ISO in 2024. ISO 37120:2018 is the second edition; ISO shows it as under revision, with a new working draft in development. We check the status on iso.org when your engagement starts.
Who it is for
Who uses ISO 37120 and ISO 37122?
The indicators are written for local government, but the work of producing them reaches every department and partner that holds city data. We usually meet three situations:
- A city wants a performance baseline. Leaders need one set of figures, calculated the same way each year, to plan services and report progress.
- A smart city programme needs proof of progress. Investment in digital services and infrastructure has to show measurable results, not only projects delivered.
- External reporting or certification is planned. The city intends to publish its indicators or seek certification of its data, and wants the numbers to survive scrutiny first.
Requirements
What do ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 require?
Both standards define indicators and the method for each one; they do not set management system requirements. The indicator lists sit in the standards themselves and are not reproduced here, so the list below shows what Sterling's work covers rather than a summary of the standards' structure.
- Indicator selection: which ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 indicators the city will report, and the reasons for any it leaves out.
- Data owners and sources: the department, utility or partner responsible for each figure, named and agreed.
- Method alignment: each indicator calculated the way the standard defines it, with the calculation written down.
- Data checks and sign-off: review, correction and approval before any figure is published.
- Reporting routine: an annual cycle, dashboards and year-on-year comparison that survive staff changes.
What does useful indicator evidence look like?
A register of indicators with owners and sources, a written method note for each calculation, raw data files with dates, a record of the checks made and who approved the final figures. When a reviewer asks how a number was reached, the answer should take minutes, not a search through email.
Your engagement
What your ISO 37122 / 37120 engagement includes
Route: guidance. The standards define what to measure; your engagement builds the people, data and routine that measure it well. Choose one of two support levels under Sterling OS™: Design™ (guided), where your team does the work with our method and reviews, or Drive™ (managed), where our consultants carry more of it. Sustain™ keeps the cycle running; Automate™ is Effivity.
Scope and baseline review
Which indicators apply, what data exists and where the gaps are.
Data ownership and method notes
Owners agreed and a method note written for each indicator.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Indicator register, data collection and actions in one place, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for your people
Internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Internal data review
An independent check of the figures and methods before they are published.
Reporting and certification support
Help with the first report and, where the city chooses, preparation for an external data certification.
ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 carry no ISO certificate, and Sterling issues none; where a city seeks certification of its data, the organisation running that programme makes its own decision.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with ISO 37122 / 37120
- API Spec Q1API Spec Q1 certification consulting for oil and gas suppliers: contract review, design, purchasing and release controlled, prepared for the APIQR audit.
- AWS StandardAWS water stewardship certification to the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard: what it is, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares your site for audit.
- CHAS, SafeContractor and AchillesCHAS, SafeContractor and Achilles accreditation for UK contractors: what each scheme is, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares your evidence.
- COPC CX StandardCOPC CX Standard certification readiness for contact centres and CX operations: gap assessment, metrics, processes and people, with Sterling's support.
- GRESBGRESB assessment explained: Real Estate, Infrastructure and Development components, the annual cycle, validation and ratings, and how Sterling prepares you.
- IEC 61511IEC 61511 compliance for process plants: the safety instrumented system lifecycle, functional safety management and the evidence your assessors expect.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you run, automate and simplify ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 reporting.
Every Sterling ISO 37122 / 37120 engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant sets up the workspace within the agreed scope, so the indicator register, data requests, method notes, review records and improvement actions sit together and the reporting cycle runs in daily work instead of a scramble before each report. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Indicators and owners
Every indicator the city reports, with its owner, source and reporting frequency.
Collection forms and requests
Scheduled requests to departments and partners, with reminders and a record of what arrived.
Method notes
Versions and approvals for each calculation method, so this year matches last year.
Training and competence
Who has been trained on data handling and review, linked to Sterling Academy.
Data review
Review steps and approvals recorded before figures are released.
Improvement actions
Gaps and targets turned into actions with owners and due dates.
Internal audit and management review
Reviews of the programme, findings and decisions recorded in one place.
Your own forms and reports
Fields, workflows and reports shaped to your city, without code.
What this means when someone asks where a number came from
Council members, partners and reviewers ask the same things: who supplied this figure, how was it calculated and who checked it. In Effivity each answer is a screen with dates, owners and files attached. After the first cycle, Sustain™ runs in the same workspace, so next year's report starts from a working routine.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Set up by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Existing data registers migrated, not retyped
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS and more when you integrate other standards
Sterling Academy · e-learning for city teams
Help every department understand why its data matters.
Sterling Academy provides e-learning for whole teams and for the people who run the system: video lessons, practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online. Sterling consulting clients receive preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Awareness training for staff who supply or use city data, with completion records
- Internal auditor training for the people who review the programme, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Progress by department and a training status report for management
- New staff trained as they join, so the routine does not depend on one person
- A Sterling consultant available when a learner has a question
Keep exploring
Explore more about ISO 37122 / 37120
ISO 37120 series resources
Services for ISO 37122 / 37120
Why Sterling
Why choose Sterling for ISO 37122 / 37120?
City indicators are only as good as the routine behind them. Sterling treats ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 reporting as a managed process with owners, methods, checks and review, so the figures hold up when a council, a partner or a certification programme looks closely.
60+ countries since 2003
Management system consulting across sectors and regions, with offices in 21 countries and one engagement team accountable for your programme.
All-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal, with any third-party fees shown separately. No surprises, ever.
A routine that outlasts staff changes
Owners, method notes and software keep the reporting cycle running when people move on.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who have built management systems for public bodies and service organisations since 2003, working with your planning and data teams.
The Sterling Promise
What the Sterling Promise means for ISO 37122 / 37120
We stay with you until the agreed ISO 37122 / 37120 outcome is reached: indicators selected, methods written, data checked and the first report produced, with support through any external review the city chooses. Clear explanations, practical delivery, included software and staff learning leave your city with lasting capability.
The engagement identifies the standards, scope, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate data and puts the agreed routine into use. ISO issues no certificate for these standards; any external certification programme makes its own decisions. Our commitment concerns the agreed support, not a promise about the values the indicators will show.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about ISO 37122 / 37120
Can a city be certified to ISO 37120 or ISO 37122?
Not by ISO, which publishes the standards but certifies no one. The World Council on City Data runs its own certification programme for cities reporting to the ISO 37120 series; its rules, levels and fees are set by that organisation and should be confirmed with it directly.
What is the difference between ISO 37120 and ISO 37122?
ISO 37120 covers indicators for city services and quality of life, while ISO 37122 adds indicators for smart cities. ISO intends the two to be used together, and ISO 37124:2024 gives guidance on using them alongside ISO 37123 for resilient cities.
Do we have to report every indicator?
That depends on your purpose and on any certification programme you choose, which may set its own minimum. We help you decide which indicators to report, record why any are left out and plan how to close data gaps over time.
Keep exploring
More on ISO 37122 / 37120 and related standards
More in Construction, energy, oil & gas
Talk to a consultant
Plan your ISO 37120 and ISO 37122 reporting with confidence.
Tell us about your city, the indicators you have in mind and your reporting date. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
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