Dive Brief:

Gallup CEO Jim Clifton and Tulsa, OK Mayor G. T. Bynum announced this week the Gallup-Tulsa CitiVoice Index, an assessment that will allow Tulsa to measure 45 key indicators of overall city vitality. This index will identify key citizen needs that can better direct city projects and initiatives.

Through the CitiVoice Index, Gallup will analyze data based on " cohesion in neighborhoods, hope for Tulsa’s future, vocational pride, economic competitiveness and the Birth to Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST), which focuses on early childhood development and education."

Tulsa is the first city to roll out this analytic measurement system with Gallup. It is intended that this "first-of-its-kind" initiative will soon be spread to other U.S. cities.

Dive Insight:

In August, Gallup partnered with living lab Urbanova on a "people-centered analysis" initiative to help cities identify projects that are meaningful to their citizens. Curt Kirkeby, a fellow engineer at Avista — one of the Urbanova companies — told Smart Cities Dive at the time, "the cost of tech is dropping and capability is increasing so dramatically that there's really so much opportunity to do so many things." However rolling out many projects is meaningless if those projects do not fit the needs of city residents, which is where the CitiVoice Index comes in.

If this pilot in Tulsa sees success, it is very likely that other cities will adopt the index in their own assessments and plans for a smart future. As AT&T Smart Cities Director of Sales Jori Mendel once said in a panel discussion, "You have to engage the entire community to successfully enable a smart city." Understanding the local, personal needs of residents is crucial for governance. Just because one project works in one city does not mean it will work elsewhere, and this Index is likely to address those contrasts while also saving cities money and time.

Earlier this year, Gallup also partnered with Sharecare for a well-being index that analyzes clinical research, health care leadership and behavioral economics. Gallup's entry into the smart cities space is a natural fit for its expertise and goals for people-centric solutions.