As Cities rise in importance as an economic entity, the need to understand cities comparative performance also increases.

2thinknow City Benchmarking Data on 162 Indicators is a snapshot of a city. 2thinknow City Benchmarking Data covers 256 cities from all major global regions.

The most comprehensive data set available, covering the broadest range of 31 innovation segments, 2thinknow City Benchmarking Data is available in a number of product formats for worldwide electronic delivery.

If your city is listed in our Index of 256 cities, purchase:

• Single City Data-set [SCD] for a comprehensive view of your city. Includes 34 graphs for use in your presentations.
• Comparative City Data-set [CCD] is a view of your city on 162 indicators as part of a set of 3, 5, 8, 12 or 15 cities.

Delivery times are around 7-10 days, as all data is cross-checked by innovation analysts prior to dispatch. So you always get the most current data. However, you can request an express dispatch, for an additional fee, based on loading.

ORDER ONLINE NOW: Order immediately online from our secure Innovation Cities Store:

EUROPE, ASIA, AUSTRALIA/NZ, NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA, MID-EAST & AFRICA

MORE PRODUCT INFORMATION: Or read more on > Single City Data-sets.

Frequently Asked Questions.

What format do you ship in?

Microsoft Excel format XP/2003/2007. The files should also be readable in 97/2000, if not you can request a special version, at no charge.

What makes City Benchmarking Data different?

The breadth of indicators – covering arts, music, sports, medicine, industry among 31 segments. We measure the difficult to measure aspects of innovation, so we measure opportunities by segment.  CBD gives a clear picture of the strengths of a city – which represent, when used with appropriate planning, opportunities for innovation.

Not all cities are the same, nor should they be. some cities are manufacturing cities, some are sports cities, some arts and culture capitals. All cities could benefit from broadening their economic and social opportunities, within the focus of their strengths.

2thinknow City Benchmarking Data is the only product offering with such a complete view of innovation that is compiled by analysts, consistently and with the consistency across cities.

How do you keep the data scoring consistent?

Each indicator has scoring guidelines, that are continually reviewed against the current out-performing and under-performing cities on that indicator.

In addition, scoring is always reviewed by a 2thinknow innovation analysts, and there is no ’survey’. Many citizens within a city are either overly critical or not critical enough of a cities performance. The key to a true global benchmark is to fairly and accurately compare cities – only innovation analysts using scoring guidelines can achieve that.

How is the data gathered?

In 2009 a scoring spreadsheet was designed with abbreviated instructions for each of the 162 indicators. Existing 2007-2008 data was transferred into this format. A fuller set of guidelines were developed for the more subjective city scoring indicators, as the scoring evolved. Major cities were contacted and asked to provide scores for cross-checking. Around 30% of those responded, and 20% provided data.

Can you explain the pricing?

The CBD was launched in 2009, based on data and information collected by 2thinknow since 2005. Initial pricing was introductory pricing, and we are currently reviewing pricing based on how much assistance City Governments provide. More assistance from City Government means lower prices, less assistance means higher prices.

The City Data Collection program closed on July 21, for 2009. There was a low level of assistance, including some major cities that promised data, but did not provide it. We have adjusted pricing to allow for increased costs.