City assessment
How smart is AlUla?
AlUla scores 36.2% against the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework in 2026, ranked #375 of 386 by smart reach and #350 on the evidence alone, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Each criterion counts in full where the evidence shows it present, half where partial and nothing where absent, weighted by its category. 27 of 86 are not yet assessed and count as nothing until a finding is made either way. Last assessed 24 Oct 2026.
Smart reach rank
#375 / 386
Smart score
36.2%
Evidenced rank
#350 / 387
Criteria present
25 / 86
Evidence coverage
46.5%
AlUla's smart city score by area
6 present · 1 partial · 8 absent
2 present · 1 partial · 3 absent · 6 not yet assessed
3 present · 1 partial · 2 absent · 7 not yet assessed
2 present · 4 partial · 1 absent · 4 not yet assessed
4 present · 2 partial · 3 absent · 4 not yet assessed
3 present · 4 partial · 1 absent
5 present · 2 partial · 1 absent · 6 not yet assessed
Where AlUla is strong
- ▸Green Space & Biodiversity
- ▸Digital Government Services
- ▸Culture, Tourism & Recreation
- ▸Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
- ▸Education & Digital Skills
Where the evidence shows gaps
- ▸Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · 4 absent
- ▸Climate Action & Emissions · 2 absent, 1 partial
- ▸Health & Digital Health · 2 absent, 1 partial
- ▸Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin · 2 absent
- ▸Public Transport & Real-Time Information · 2 absent
Not yet assessed
27 of 86 criteria have no finding yet, either way. They count as nothing in the score until one is made, and they are not gaps.
- Energy & Smart Grid4 of 4
- Air Quality & Monitoring3 of 3
- Disaster Risk & Resilience3 of 4
- Public Safety & Emergency3 of 4
- Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles3 of 4
- Critical Infrastructure Resilience2 of 3
- Public Transport & Real-Time Information2 of 4
- Solid Waste & Circular Economy2 of 4
- Water & Sanitation2 of 4
- Active & Shared Mobility1 of 4
- Climate Adaptation & Heat1 of 3
- Education & Digital Skills1 of 3
Evidence highlights
Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) provides an "Open Data Library" on its official website, which is part of a national initiative for a central public data hub that publishes datasets from government agencies in open, usable formats.
https://www.rcu.gov.sa/en/open-data-library/Open Data & Transparency · High-value datasets published
The Royal Commission for AlUla publishes high-value datasets, including an "AlUla Plants Dataset" which explores plant species and their historical uses, categorized under Wildlife & Natural Heritage.
https://www.rcu.gov.sa/en/open-data-library/alula-plants/Digital Government Services · Unified online services portal
The Tawakkalna application is described as a comprehensive national application that unifies government services, information, documents, and publications in one place, covering various sectors including general services.
https://ta.sdaia.gov.sa/Digital Government Services · Digital identity / single sign-on
Users can log in to the Tawakkalna national application using "Nafath," which serves as a digital identity for accessing various government services.
https://ta.sdaia.gov.sa/About this assessment
AlUla was assessed against the 86 criteria of the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework on 24 Oct 2026 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, or left not yet assessed, and every finding links to where it was found. Cities are re-assessed in runs, not continuously: the latest finished on 24 Oct 2026.