Today at the opening of the National League of Cities (NLC) event, "Big Ideas for Cities", the World Council on City Data (WCCD) President and University of Toronto Global Cities Institute Director, Dr. Patricia McCarney launched the WCCD Open Data Portal, the world's first open, online platform for globally standardised, verified and comparable city data.
The WCCD Data Portal is the exciting next step in the open data agenda, enabling cities to compare and benchmark their performance across 100 indicators in the ISO 37120 standard. The WCCD Open Data Portal, developed by U of T's Global Cities Institute and the WCCD, and built by Canadian start-up Focus21 Inc., can be used by mayors, city managers, chief innovation officers, chief data officers, city planners, community groups, citizens, industry leaders and researchers and is positioned to become a global catalyst for innovation and sharing.
Dr. McCarney said, "The launch of the WCCD Open Data Portal is the next step in leveraging the true power of globally comparable, standardized city data. The WCCD is extremely proud to be able to launch this ground-breaking tool at the "Big Ideas for Cities Event", highlighting how important the WCCD Open Data Portal can be for American cities, regardless of size. That we are launching in Los Angeles also allows us to officially welcome LA as a WCCD ISO 37120 platinum certified city, and as a WCCD Foundation City. To have [Los Angeles] Mayor Garcetti join our Global City Leaders Advisory Board to help guide the open city data agenda into the future demonstrates his tremendous commitment to data informed leadership in city building."
Los Angeles will be joining a group of "Foundation Cities" in the WCCD Open Data Portal including Boston, Toronto, London, Barcelona, Dubai, Buenos Aires and Shanghai, amongst others. Los Angeles achieved the highest-level Platinum WCCD certification for ISO 37120, the first international standard on city indicators for sustainable development. Under the leadership of Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles has become a shining example of the importance of city data in planning for sustainability and inclusive prosperity, and harnessing open data for innovation.
The WCCD is forging new partnerships with UNEP, UNISDR, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and several national governments that will bring some 100 new cities onto the WCCD Open Data Platform in the coming months, and see them certified as WCCD ISO 37120 cities at the upcoming Global Cities Summit in Dubai in 2016.
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