Page 52 - Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Dubai

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities – The Case of Dubai

Methodological improvement for the data collection process: Insights for future
pilot projects

Dubai has embraced ICT-driven urban transformation to meet its social, financial, and
sustainability goals as outlined in the UAE’s Vision 2021. This smart city transformation
integrates technologies and business/operational processes for the improvement of the lives of
its people.

As an advanced technology driven city, Dubai was able to report upon a meaningful number of
the ITU smart sustainable cities KPIs from the total of 108 KPIs defined in Recommendations
ITU-T L.1601 and ITU-T L.1602 (78 core and 30 additional).
Annex 1 presents the summary of the KPIs reported and verified by Dubai during 2014 (the first
collection period). The analysis presented in the Annex is only for the first year of the pilot
project. As the pilot project continues, these inferences and findings may be altered in keeping
with the situation in Dubai.

During the KPI collection and verification process, it was also acknowledged that some data that
was needed to measure the KPIs was not traceable or accounted for by the participating
agencies in Dubai for the stipulated period. However, on a positive note, the preliminary results
of the assessment and verification processes for the first year revealed that Dubai had a proper
understanding of the aim of KPIs that involved focusing on the use of information
communication technologies to improve urban services. Based on this experience, Box 11
summarizes the key actions and policy recommendations to improve the KPI Collection phase
for future cities aiming to collect data for their smart city assessment and verification.

Box 11 – Key policy actions and recommendations to improve the KPI collection process
for cities aiming to become smarter and more sustainable

▪ Cities should define and continually update their city profile and boundaries in order to
facilitate the scope of the KPI analysis to a homogeneous city model.
▪ Cities should reinforce the process of clarification of the boundaries of the KPIs reported on
a national or city level to avoid data deviations.
▪ Cities should work in coordination with different entities and facilitate interaction between
those institutions responsible for KPIs that could influence a particular dimension or sub
dimension.
▪ Cities should work closely with the relevant entities to ensure that the aim of the KPI is
mutually understood. This will help with the overall collection process and improvement of
future KPIs.
▪ Cities should suitably adapt the ITU KPIs collection process to their requirements and
procedures and to the mechanisms used by the entities to collect primary data.
▪ Cities should develop and implement internal quality control mechanisms to ensure the
consistency of the data reported.
▪ Cities should identify and differentiate the data sources and data owners of the different KPIs
and establish required procedures. This will allow for the identification of data gaps, avoid
duplication, and help improve the data quality.

▪ Cities should determine the frequency of data collection for the KPIs and try to standardize
and coordinate the deadlines with the different entities for the reporting process.

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