The City of Ottawa has been awarded Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the gold level for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs and engage residents. Ottawa and Calgary are the only two Canadian cities to have achieved gold certification.

The What Works Cities Certification standard reflects the practices, policies, and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making.

A notable example of Ottawa's exceptional use of data is its digital twin not simply a 3D map, but an intelligent platform that integrates planning policy and infrastructure to accelerate housing development. As the City works to ensure every resident has access to a safe and affordable home, the digital twin helps speed up approvals by integrating multiple data sources to show how proposed developments align with neighbourhoods, zoning and the Ontario Building Code. It also helps residents visualize new projects and better collaborate to shape the future of their communities. With this technology, Ottawa is better positioned to deliver thousands of new affordable homes.

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the international standard of data excellence in city governance. The Standard measures a city's use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51 to 67 per cent of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, 68 to 84 per cent is required to achieve Gold, and 85 per cent or more is required to reach Platinum. The program is open to any city in North, Central, or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.

To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification visit whatworkscities.bloomberg.org.