A Guide to Setting up an Urban Observatory – Popular Version

This guide introduces the urban observatory model and provides a summary of the key requirements and steps in setting up an urban observatory. More details for the requirements and aspects presented in this summary version are available in the full version of the guidebook titled “A Guide to Setting up an Urban Observatory”.

Recognizing the urban data challenges across the world, UN-Habitat developed the urban observatory model to assist cities and countries in strengthening their data capacities, and to guide them in collation, analysis, and translation the data into simple to understand information which would support decision making processes.

Urban observatories aim to leverage local technology, innovation and analytical capabilities while supporting capacity-building, urban data literacy and awareness. They also seek to manage local partnerships and coordination of data originating from government departments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, the media, academia, and communities at large, which in turn promotes good practices and principles in data sharing, open data, and data rights.

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