The year 2026 begins with a historic achievement for Brazilian public management: the city of Recife, Brazil, has just maintained the prestigious ABNT NBR ISO 37120 Platinum Level seal. This is the highest level of international certification for sustainable cities and communities, reaffirming the Pernambuco state capital as a global reference in evidence-based management.+3
The maintenance of this achievement, officialized in December 2025, was the result of intensive consultancy work carried out by Bright Cities throughout the previous year, featuring a cutting-edge technological differentiator: support from Google.+1
Innovation: Google Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) in the ISO Audit
For the first time in a recertification process of this magnitude, Bright Cities, in a strategic partnership with Google, utilized the Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) platform as a data source to calculate fundamental indicators.+1
The use of this technology allowed for the overcoming of historical urban data collection challenges, validating the technical acceptance of satellite and artificial intelligence information by ABNT auditors. The platform was essential for measuring areas where municipal data is often scarce, such as:+2
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: Google EIE transportation data was used to calculate emissions per capita (Indicator 8.3), a methodology fully accepted by the audit.+1
- Active Mobility and Transport: The platform provided precise data on alternative travel to cars (Indicator 19.3), filling gaps regarding individual transport and cycling.+2
- Energy Efficiency: EIE allowed for the estimation of building energy consumption based on floor area, compensating for the lack of centralized data (Indicators 7.1 and 7.2).+1
The Role of Bright Cities and EMPREL
The recertification was coordinated by EMPREL (Recife’s Municipal Informatics Company), under the leadership of President Bernardo Almeida and the technical dedication of public servants Breno Alencar and Moisés Batista. The Bright Cities consultancy worked on the technical front, processing complex Google data and ensuring every metric met the rigorous criteria of the ISO standard.+2
By reaching the Platinum Level, Recife proved its performance in at least 45 core indicators and 45 supporting indicators, totaling more than 90 audited metrics reflecting the quality of public services and urban infrastructure.
Why is this achievement a milestone?
The case of Recife, Brazil, establishes a global technical precedent. Utilizing tools like Google EIE for official ABNT certification purposes proves that cities can:
- Reduce costs of manual data collection.
- Increase monitoring frequency of sustainability indicators.
- Ensure transparency and confidence to attract new international investments.
Transform Your City in 2026
Recife’s trajectory shows that urban intelligence is built with strong partnerships and data technology. Bright Cities has the expertise to guide your city hall on the journey toward ISO certification, using the most modern spatial and environmental data analysis available.+1
Your city can be the next global reference in sustainability and efficiency.
www.brightcities.city
