Developing Integrated Indicators to Support Climate Adaptation and Sustainability Decision MakingRobert S. Chen, Alex de Sherbinin, and Marc LevyCenter for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)The Earth Institute, Columbia University

Our Common Future Under Climate ChangeParis, 7-10 July 2015Session 1105(b) – Quality and availability of data for global sustainability

Why Do We Need Integrated Indicators?

Indicators are stepping stones between data and knowledge

Indicators anchor discourse and action around common metrics Indicators provide

beacons in stormy seas of complexity and rapid change

“How’m I doin’?”

Getting indicators right requires ability to navigate across disciplinary, stakeholder and data format divides

Consumer Price Index Unemployment Rate US Federal Debt Human Development Report Health/Medical indicators World Economic Forum Competitiveness Index Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock

Indicators Are Essential to Monitoring and Decision Making in Many Realms

2005 Environmental Sustainability Index Ranked countries by

progress towards environmental sustainability

http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/collection/esi

2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and Pilot Trend EPI (2000-2010)

Narrower focus on performance—factors under the control of governments

Used remote sensing and other geospatial data for key indicators, e.g., estimates of forest loss and particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure

http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/epi-environmental-performance-index-pilot-trend-2012

2014 Environmental Performance Index

Released in Davos, Switzerland at the 2014 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum

http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/epi-environmental-performance-index-2014

http://ciesin.columbia.edu/binaries/web/global/news/2013/indicatorsinpractice.pdf

Millennium Challenge Corporation Selection Indicators

Natural Resource Protection Indicator◦ Measure of level of protection

afforded to a country’s biomes

Child Health Indicator◦ Measure of a government’s

commitment to child health as indicated by child mortality, sound management of water resources and water systems, and proper sewage disposal and sanitary control

http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/nrmi-natural-resource-protection-child-health-indicators-2013

Climate Vulnerability Mapping for Mali Spatial vulnerability index

comprised of 18 indicators grouped into three vulnerability components◦ Exposure indicators include average

precipitation, interannual variation in precipitation and NDVI, flood frequency

◦ Sensitivity indicators include poverty measures, conflict, soil quality

◦ Adaptive capacity indicators include education, health, biome type, market access, irrigated area

Changes in index estimated under future climate scenarios

Developed for the USAID African and Latin American Resilience to Climate Change (ARCC) project

http://ciesin.columbia.edu/documents/Mali-CV-Mapping.pdf

Report to the UN Secretary-General delivered in November 2014:A World That Counts: Mobilising the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development

Key issues:◦ Accessibility and accountability◦ Expanded set of sustainable development

Indicators◦ Data innovation◦ Data landscape

UN Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development

http://www.undatarevolution.org/

Needs Assessment of SDG Monitoring and Data for Development

Recommends a typology for Development Data

Provides estimates of envelope costs for sustainable development data production for 77 IDA countries

The global community should mobilize to collectively fund $1billion per annum in monitoring systems.

Innovations for cost reductions should be systematically integrated into broader data systems. This includes geospatial data, satellite data, crowd-sourcing, smart-meters, mobile phone data collection and data mining.

http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/a-needs-assessment-for-sdg-monitoring-and-statistical-capacity-development/

SDG Goals and Geospatial Data (1)• Proposed indicator on losses from natural

disasters• Poverty maps

Goal 1 | End Poverty

• Crop yield estimates, soil characteristics, crop water productivity, irrigation

• Nutritional status maps

Goal 2 | Hunger and Food Security

• Health facility maps• Disease incidence and risk maps

Goal 3 | Health and Well-being

• School facility maps• Literacy and educational achievement mapsGoal 4 | Education

• Water resources • Water and sanitation access maps

Goal 6 | Water and Sanitation

• Roads, Public transportation• Mobility maps• Facilities inventories

Goal 9 | Access to Infrastructure

SDG Goals and Geospatial Data (2)• Access to public green space• Substandard housing mapsGoal 11 | Cities

• Energy productivity maps• Pollution maps

Goal 12 | Sustainable

Consumption• CO2 emissions• Exposure to extreme storms and droughts

Goal 13 | Combating Climate Change

• Coastal/Marine protected areas• Harmful algal blooms• Eutrophication

Goal 14 | Marine and coastal ecosystems

• Land cover, land degradation, bio-diversity• Protected areas

Goal 15 | Terrestrial ecosystems

• Maps of political violence• Crime maps• Refugee and IDP movement

Goal 16 | Peaceful and inclusive

societies

SDG Indicator Development Needs at the National Level

Core National Geospatial Data Capacity• Critical for numerous

indicator visualization and analysis

National Facilities and Infrastructure Inventories• 10 specific facility types

mentioned in SDG targets

National Medium Resolution Satellite Imagery at National Scale• Forests, land degradation,

soils, air, urban extents

Geo-referenced Population Data• Census data, built structures

Global Environmental Monitoring Systems• Water resources, air quality,

land degradation

For further information:http://www.ciesin.columbia.eduhttp://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu

Thank You!

Author unknownhttp://weknowmemes.com/2012/06/the-credible-hulk/