A key performance indicator (KPI) is a specific metric that organizations use to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations in relation to established strategic objectives. These indicators offer a high-level view of performance in areas crucial to the organization’s success, allowing for systematic and regular monitoring, whether daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.
Emerging areas such as digital marketing and smart cities also rely on KPIs to ensure they are progressing towards their strategic objectives.
Digital marketing, with its dynamic and data-driven nature, uses KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of online campaigns, user engagement on social platforms, and the effectiveness of content strategies. These indicators help companies understand how consumers are interacting with their brands in the digital world, allowing them to optimize their strategies and ensure a higher return on their digital marketing investment.
On the other hand, the U4SSC (United for Smart and Sustainable Cities), a UN (United Nations) initiative, creates these Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the context of smart and sustainable cities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Each indicator forms part of a holistic view of a city’s performance in three dimensions: Economy, Environment and Society and Culture. Each of these dimensions provides a separate view of progress and when reported together provide a holistic view of a smart sustainable city. These indicators can address topics such as energy efficiency, waste management, mobility and transportation, or air quality.
The indicators will enable cities to measure their progress over time, compare their performance to other cities and through analysis and sharing allow for the dissemination of best practices and set standards for progress in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the city level.
