In 2024, the IMD Smart Cities Index focused on assessing residents’ perception of efforts to make their cities smarter, balancing economic and technical aspects while taking into account human dimensions. The index also targeted the use of digital technologies to improve the use of resources and reduce carbon emissions
IMD Smart Cities Index 2024 announced Joining the city of Al-Khobar To its list for the first time this year, along with other prominent Saudi cities, including Riyadh, Mecca, Jeddah, and Medina.
Several Saudi cities rose in the rankings of the global index, as Riyadh continued to rank third in the Arab world, while Mecca ranked fifth, Jeddah sixth, and Medina seventh. At the global level,
Riyadh rose to 25th place, 5 places higher than last year,
while Mecca maintained its 52nd rank, Jeddah ranked 55th, 1 place higher than last year, and Medina rose to 74th place, 11 places higher than last year. While Al Khobar ranked 99th out of 142 global cities included in the index.
The digital transformation of smart cities in the Kingdom, which is supported by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in cooperation with a number of government agencies through the use of data and artificial intelligence technologies, has contributed to the rise of Saudi cities in the ranks of the IMD Index for Smart Cities in the World for the year 2024, issued by the International Institute. For administrative development, compared to the 2023 report.
Among the pioneering efforts, a national smart cities platform has been developed that relies on advanced analytics and artificial intelligence simulation models to support future development plans.
These initiatives included technical projects aimed at improving the quality of life in cities, such as developing tools for early detection of visual distortions and applications for managing congestion using artificial intelligence in the health sector.
In the IMD Smart Cities Report for 2024, the index focused on several basic criteria, including how residents perceive the scope and impact of efforts made to make their cities smart, achieving a balance between economic and technical aspects while not forgetting the human dimensions, as well as contributing to bridging the gap between the aspirations and needs of the population and trends. Modern technologies in building smart cities and employing digital technologies to improve the use of resources and reduce carbon emissions.
Sdaya’s efforts also include creating a tool to detect visual distortion in the city of Riyadh using artificial intelligence techniques, and these efforts will extend to include 4 other cities in the Kingdom, with the aim of supporting planning work and improving urban life.
5 مدن سعودية تصعد ضمن تصنيف مؤشر (IMD) للمدن الذكية 2024.. والخبر تدخل ضمنها لأول مرة.#خمسة_مدن_سعودية_ضمن_المدن_الذكية pic.twitter.com/YbylSeCw86
— SDAIA (@SDAIA_SA) April 9, 2024
On a broader scale, Sdaya organized the first global smart cities forum in the Kingdom last February, in which experts from 40 countries participated, with the aim of enhancing understanding of smart cities and benefiting from global expertise in this field.
It is noteworthy that the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) is one of the most prestigious business administration institutes in the world, and is an important reference for other international organizations and institutions for competitiveness among countries. It is also an essential reference for decision-makers around the world to measure the impact of national strategies in enhancing levels of well-being, achieving progress, and enhancing the quality of life. .
