Overview
ISO 37179:2024 - Smart community infrastructures - Disaster risk reduction - Basic framework for implementation defines principles and general requirements for using smart community infrastructures to support disaster risk reduction (DRR) and enhance community resilience. Intended for community managers, planners, funders and infrastructure providers, the standard offers a high-level, implementation-focused framework that aligns with the UN Sendai Framework priorities (understanding risk, governance, investment and preparedness).
Key topics and technical requirements
The document sets out ten principles and associated general requirements that guide DRR implementation using smart infrastructure. Core topics include:
- Stakeholder inclusiveness - roles and collaboration across public, private and community actors.
- Optimized resource allocation for operations - prioritizing resources for critical services and continuity.
- Harmonization and dissemination of technology for DRR - common approaches to tech adoption, data sharing and interoperability.
- Robustness and redundancy - design measures to maintain critical functions under stress.
- Science-based approach - using hazard, exposure and vulnerability data in planning.
- Critical function focus - identifying and protecting functions whose loss would cause catastrophic impacts.
- Structural and non-structural measures - integrating physical infrastructure, nature-based solutions and policies (e.g., land-use, codes, awareness).
- Investment in advance - prioritizing prevention and resilient design over reactive spending.
- Response preparedness - systems and procedures for timely response and recovery.
- Continuous improvement - monitoring, lessons learned and iterative enhancement of infrastructure resilience.
ISO 37179:2024 specifies general requirements (not prescriptive technical specs) to be applied by stakeholders when designing, operating and maintaining smart community infrastructure for DRR.
Practical applications
Organizations can apply ISO 37179 to:
- Integrate DRR into smart-city projects (energy, water, transport, ICT).
- Design redundancy and failover for critical infrastructure services.
- Align investments with risk-informed priorities and Sendai Framework goals.
- Develop cross-sector governance arrangements and data-sharing protocols for emergency response.
- Combine structural upgrades with non-structural measures (policies, awareness, training).
Who should use this standard
- Community and city managers
- Urban and infrastructure planners
- Public sector DRR and emergency management agencies
- Private infrastructure operators and technology providers
- Funders, investors and development agencies engaged in resilience projects
Related standards
Using ISO 37179:2024 helps organizations embed DRR into smart infrastructure planning and operations, improving community resilience and reducing disaster-related losses.