Vaughan recognized for high standards in data collection

Sept. 28, 2022 3:15 p.m.
​Vaughan achieves Platinum and Smart Cities Early Adopter certifications from the World Council on City Data


During a ceremonial presentation at the Sept. 28 Council meeting, Mayor and Members of Council announced the City of Vaughan has achieved three International Organization of Standardization (ISO) certifications from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) – a Platinum ISO 37120 certification for 2020 and 2021, and the ISO 37122 Early Adopter Smart Cities certification.

Platinum is the highest certification offered by the WCCD, a global leader in standardized data that helps create smart, sustainable, resilient and prosperous cities. ISO 37120 is the first international standard for cities. The platinum certifications are the sixth and seventh that Vaughan has received. Each is a testament to the City's commitment to advancing purposeful Smart City initiatives that align with the organization’s goal of achieving the highest standards.  

To attain WCCD platinum certification, cities report key performance indicators across 19 themes that measure City services and quality of life. Year-over-year benchmarking establishes a baseline that will allow Vaughan to assess service delivery and drive decision-making and data-driven policies forward.

In addition to the platinum certifications, the City has also become an early adopter of ISO 37122 – Indicators for Smart Cities. Vaughan is among the first cities in the world to be certified under this new Smart City standard, joining an early adopter cohort of 10 cities globally.

The City of Vaughan has a robust Smart City agenda that contributes to the WCCD’s ISO indicators such as:

  • the LED streetlight retrofit program that replaced 24,000 lights and includes Smart City technology integration, giving improved control and saving $1 million per year.
  • a digital portal that allows citizens and industry professionals to apply, track and pay for building permits online.
  • the introduction of electric vehicles into the City fleet and the development of charging infrastructure at public facilities, with more coming soon.
  • the City's commitment to creating an accessible community by 2025 by undertaking 57 initiatives – with six completed, 16 in progress and 35 ongoing.
  • the City's support for innovation, with an impressive number of new patents per 100,000 residents per year; new ventureLAB space at Pierre Berton Resource Library; the student entrepreneurship program; Activate!Vaughan innovation challenges and more.

These Smart City initiatives and many others are improving the quality of life for residents across the city.

Soon Vaughan will begin collecting data for ISO 37123 – Indicators for Resilient Cities – becoming a global early adopter of that certification as well. More importantly, the City will be among only a handful worldwide that have obtained a "triple certification" under the ISO 37120 Series. 

These accomplishments reflect the City's commitment to a culture of knowledge and continuous improvement. In 2018, Vaughan established the Smart City Task Force to create enhanced opportunities by improving how data is collected, understood and utilized to safeguard and elevate the quality of life for all citizens. The task force provided suggestions to increase economic competitiveness, advance data initiatives, foster innovation, and improve engagement with stakeholders, community groups and citizens. Following careful research, consideration and dedication to this mandate, the appointed members developed the Smart City Task Force Report, which was presented to Council on June 28, 2022.

Vaughan is ambitious and transformative. The City is committed to finding new and meaningful ways to incorporate Smart City solutions into ongoing city-building efforts while ensuring it continues to put citizens first through Service Excellence.

About the World Council on City Data

Founded in Canada in 2014, the World Council on City Data works to help cities and communities embrace ISO standardized city data that is independently verified and globally comparable to make data-driven decisions. Having standardized data enables any city of any size to measure and compare its social, economic, and environmental progress year over year and compared to other local and global peer cities.

The World Council on City Data champions the belief that globally comparable data is the essential starting point for innovation, widespread information exchange and smart, sustainable and resilient city development.

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