CITYMIRROR

BY DATACORRIDOR

City assessment

How smart is Cardiff?

Cardiff, United Kingdom, scores 80.7% against the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework in 2026, ranked #68 of 386 by smart reach and #44 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. 5 of 86 are not yet assessed and count as nothing until a finding is made either way. Last assessed 22 Oct 2026.

Smart reach rank

#68 / 386

Smart score

80.7%

Evidenced rank

#44 / 387

Criteria present

61 / 86

Evidence coverage

90.7%

Cardiff's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation62%

7 present · 5 partial · 2 absent · 1 not yet assessed

Mobility & Transport88%

10 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate93%

12 present · 0 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste68%

5 present · 5 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion89%

11 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment100%

8 present · 0 partial · 0 absent

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model76%

8 present · 5 partial · 1 absent

Where Cardiff is strong

  • ▸Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin
  • ▸Public Transport & Real-Time Information
  • ▸Air Quality & Monitoring
  • ▸Climate Action & Emissions
  • ▸Green Space & Biodiversity

Where the evidence shows gaps

  • ▸Open Data & Transparency · 2 absent
  • ▸Digital Government Services · 3 partial
  • ▸Water & Sanitation · 3 partial
  • ▸Climate Adaptation & Heat · 1 absent
  • ▸Critical Infrastructure Resilience · 2 partial

Not yet assessed

5 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.

  • Active & Shared Mobility1 of 4
  • Digital Government Services1 of 4
  • Energy & Smart Grid1 of 4
  • Inclusion & Civic Participation1 of 3
  • Solid Waste & Circular Economy1 of 4

Evidence highlights

Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal

Cardiff Council operates a data sharing platform at ishare.cardiff.gov.uk, and Cardiff, as part of Wales, is served by DataMapWales, a public sector data platform providing a data catalogue for members of the public to browse and download spatial data.

https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Your-Council/Data-protection-and-freedom-of-information/Open-data/Pages/default.aspx

Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · Public Wi-Fi network

The UK government invested in transforming thirty public buildings in Cardiff into free Wi-Fi hotspots.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-to-bring-free-wi-fi-to-public-buildings-across-cardiff

Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin · Live city data dashboard

The Cardiff Harbour Authority continuously monitors chemical water quality parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, and pH, from nine locations in Cardiff Bay, with readings taken every 15 minutes and viewable on the Hydrosphere website.

https://www.cardiffharbour.com/environmental-monitoring

Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin · 3D digital twin / city model

AccuCities provides a "3D Model of Cardiff" as indicated by the page title.

https://accucities.com/3d-model-of-cardiff/

Funding Cardiff can bid for

63 open calls: grants, tenders and innovation competitions Cardiff is eligible for, including UK-wide schemes any place can apply to. Every entry links to its source.

Showing 12 of 63; see them all in the explorer.

About this assessment

Cardiff was assessed against the 86 criteria of the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework on 22 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.

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