Article: Analysing the critical role of data governance in shaping Iraq's smart city future Journal: International Journal of Business Information Systems (IJBIS) 2026 Vol.51 No.8 pp.1 - 18 Abstract: The discussion around smart cities in Iraq usually emphasises the issue of infrastructure barriers, while, in the opinion of this paper, the most important challenge in this case is the lack of a National Big Data Governance framework. In the absence of this framework, even the best of IoT and AI technology will remain redundant. The research intends to Iraq's data environment within a qualitative critical analysis framework and sees a 'data chasm' in the contemporary terrain of Iraq emerging out of the digitised, siloed, and policy-deficient records. This chasm prevents the integration of urban digital systems into a single operational intelligence network. The paper attempts to bridge this gap and, based on recent research, outlines a sustainable data governance framework for Iraq, advocating for minimum standards and inter-ministerial cross-border data flow. Data investment governance actually supports sustainable infrastructure development and makes technology work for urban development. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Analysing the critical role of data governance in shaping Iraq's smart city future

Authors: Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Jebur; Salsal Sadek Kanaan; Ali Saad Assaad

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering – Project Management, University of Ashur, Iraq ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economy, AL-Ma'moon University, Iraq ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Administration and Economy, Farqadein University, Iraq

Abstract: The discussion around smart cities in Iraq usually emphasises the issue of infrastructure barriers, while, in the opinion of this paper, the most important challenge in this case is the lack of a National Big Data Governance framework. In the absence of this framework, even the best of IoT and AI technology will remain redundant. The research intends to Iraq's data environment within a qualitative critical analysis framework and sees a 'data chasm' in the contemporary terrain of Iraq emerging out of the digitised, siloed, and policy-deficient records. This chasm prevents the integration of urban digital systems into a single operational intelligence network. The paper attempts to bridge this gap and, based on recent research, outlines a sustainable data governance framework for Iraq, advocating for minimum standards and inter-ministerial cross-border data flow. Data investment governance actually supports sustainable infrastructure development and makes technology work for urban development.

Keywords: smart cities; big data governance; data policy; urban informatics; digital transformation; IoT; public policy; Iraq.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2026.153752

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2026 Vol.51 No.8, pp.1 - 18

Received: 09 Sep 2025
Accepted: 01 Dec 2025
Published online: 22 May 2026 *

Title: Analysing the critical role of data governance in shaping Iraq's smart city future

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