Overview
ISO 37110:2022 - "Sustainable cities and communities - Management requirements and recommendations for open data for smart cities and communities - Overview and general principles" - defines high‑level principles and management requirements for open data in urban contexts. It provides an executive overview and a base framework to guide how cities and public sector bodies plan, publish, maintain and govern open data to support smart, resilient and sustainable cities.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope & purpose: Frames open data as freely accessible, reusable information that creates value for citizens, government, researchers and the private sector.
- Management model: Uses the Plan‑Do‑Check‑Act (PDCA) cycle to organize processes: strategic planning (Plan), identification/preparation/publication/maintenance (Do), quality management (Check), and evaluation leading to continuous improvement (Act).
- Core management processes:
- Strategic management - strategic planning and evaluation of open‑data objectives.
- Operational management - identification, preparation, publication and ongoing maintenance of datasets.
- Quality management - monitoring and measurement against operational rules and legal requirements.
- Characteristics of open data (requirements/recommendations): availability (digitally modifiable), accessibility (online via validated URIs/URLs), cost (ideally free; fees limited to cost recovery if licensed), copyright compliance, distribution, informative metadata, integrity, interoperability (open formats, identifiers, schemas, APIs), licensing, ownership, privacy, restrictions, security, stakeholder engagement and usability.
- Metadata & interoperability: Datasets should include descriptive metadata (provenance, collection methods, accuracy, timestamps) and use open formats, unique identifiers and APIs to enable reuse and integration.
Applications and who should use it
ISO 37110:2022 is intended for:
- City officials and public sector agencies - to build open‑data programs that support transparency, service improvements and policy development.
- Urban planners and infrastructure managers - to integrate real‑time and historic datasets into planning and operations.
- Researchers, NGOs and civil society - to access validated datasets for analysis, monitoring and advocacy.
- Private sector and start‑ups - to develop services, apps and analytics on top of city open data.
Practical uses include enhancing open government, enabling data‑driven urban planning, supporting APIs for mobility and IoT, improving public service efficiency and fostering an ecosystem for innovation.
Related standards
- ISO 37101 (sustainable development of communities) - referenced for broader sustainability management context.
- ISO/TR 21797 - source referenced for the definition of “open data.”
Keywords: ISO 37110:2022, open data, smart cities, sustainable cities and communities, open data management, PDCA, metadata, interoperability, APIs, data governance.