Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

Big Data on the Environment InitiativeWorld Environment Situation Room

Concept note on Strategy and Action Plan

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Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

1. Big Data and Science Strategy: Impacting on People and on the Ground in Countries

Harnessing Big Data on the Environment for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Action Science is fundamental for UN Environment’s role as a global United Nations agency for policy and action on the Environment and its foundational mandate to keep the Environment under review. In today’s times of transition from industrial societies to knowledge societies, policy and action on the environment is dependent upon the capacity of countries, regions and globally to collect, manage and deliver Big Data. The United Nations Secretary-General raises, at the highest level, in his latest report of 2018, on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, “… The availability of high-quality, timely and disaggregated data is vital for evidence-based decision-making and to ensure accountability for implementation of the 2030 Agenda...” Environmental policies at the global, regional and country levels depend on the timely and reliable availability of useful and integrated geospatial, earth observation and remote sensing, real-time satellite imagery data, information and knowledge. However, the availability of data is not sufficient. The Big Data, through the World Environment Situation Room, supports Environmental Foresight for analysis of data, mapping trends, creating scenarios and identifying emerging issues on a permanent basis, at the frontier of Environmental knowledge. Foresight provides a systemic process, to highlight a hotspot of environmental change, to feature an emerging science topic or provide early warning for identifying the future environmental trends. The Big Data revolution for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized by Big Science.Tackling Big Data and Science challenges requires innovative partnerships with private sector (technology), and active engagement of our Global Resource Information (GRID) networks as well as scientific collaborating UN Environment Centers of excellence worldwide (capacity and human capital). The provision of Big Data and Big Science create the foundation for Green Solutions, with impact on billions of people, on the ground, effective solutions for big challenges and priorities on the Environment, from Pollution to Biodiversity and Climate Change, or Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Countries have consistently requested UN Environment to provide streamlined access to data, integrating the Internationally agreed environmental goals with the follow up and review of the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals, through open data platforms as Un Environment Live as well as other technologies and knowledge systems.

There should be two fundamental criteria in the collection, management and access to this data. First, the impact on people and secondly, the impact on the ground, supporting policy and action in countries.

The UN Environment Big Data strategy delivered worldwide, at the global, regional and national levels, is organized through different and complementary processes, involving huge volumes of data, with high velocity of transformation and a variety of types of data, some more static (indicators and statistics) and some almost real time or near real time, such as earth observation data, remote sensing and digital imagery, as well as global environmental monitoring systems..

2. Integrating a Variety of Types of Environmental Data

Foresight Analyses and World Environment Situation RoomThe World Environment Situation Room through the open data platform Environment Live provides the UN Member States open access to information and knowledge on the environment at the global, regional and national levels. It supports Environmental Policy through Foresight, Outlooks and Assessments and providing Capacity Building for countries to achieve the Goals of Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development. The World Environment Situation Room provides up-to-date information for citizen science, communities of practice and impact stories and case studies on the environment and people. It is impacting people and livelihoods across countries, regions and the world.

Library and Knowledge ServicesProvides UN Environment support to the library function and interlinks Knowledge management tools and services with network partners in Knowledge Management, such as the OARE, Online Access to Research on

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Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

the Environment supporting more than 40 developing countries worldwide. Supports the Knowledge management Committee towards a UN Environment Knowledge Strategy.

SDG Indicators and Environmental StatisticsThe SDG unit provides data on SDG indicators to the IAEG-SDG/UN Statistical Division as input into the Secretary General Progress report on SDG’s. The unit also provides data and information analysis for policy/briefing notes, meetings or reports (e.g. Global Sustainable Development report). It is responsible for updating UN Environment Live Global Database (ULGDB) is used to store national, regional and global data on SDGs, the data is also used to populate Charts, Maps and datasets on the World Environment Situation Room and to report to UN Statistics Division on the 26 environmental-related SDGs indicators for which UNEP is a custodian agency. The SDG unit ensures the Quality Assurance of the collected data

It is also responsible for the development of the metadata and methodology for Tier III SDG environmental indicators. Through capacity development, assistance is provided to developing countries in preparing the metadata and methodology for the SDG national indicators, data collection and reporting.

Global Environmental MonitoringThe Global Environment Monitoring System for freshwater (GEMS/Water) provides the world community with sound data on fresh water quality to support scientific assessments and decision-making on the subject. Surface and ground water quality monitoring data collected from the global GEMS/Water monitoring network is shared through the GEMStat information system. GEMS/Water supports the Sustainable Development Goal for Water (SDG 6) with methodology support, data management, quality assurance, indicator calculation and capacity development. Similar global environmental monitoring systems are being implemented by this Unit for monitoring at the global, regional and national levels Air Quality, Biota, Land and Oceans.

Global Environmental Outlook, Scientific Assessments and other Thematic AssessmentsThe Global Environment Outlook is UN Environment flagship initiative providing an overall scientific assessment of the environment as well as an Outlook of scenarios for the evolution of the environment. GEO live provides a permanent repository of consolidate data resulting from these assessments. On the other hand, Frontiers reports provide an attentive look into emerging issues trough a periodic revision of substantive literature in identified topics. Thematic assessments such as the Emissions Gap Report provide a systematic thematic analysis of important impacts and issues on the environment, people and countries.

Private Data and Citizen ScienceThere is a substantive enormous of environmental data managed by private institutions, business and other non-governmental organizations. More recently, citizen science data with relevance in e.g. environment and health, such as such Global Forest Watch, the Global Mosquito Alert Consortium, or City planning, have revealed the global importance of citizen science for sustainable development and humanitarian action. Only a truly partnership strategy, and a distributed approach to access to data can provide the mechanisms for real time or near real time systems and monitoring.

Technical Note on Earth Observation, Remote sensing and Geospatial data

The World Environment Situation Room will be able to interact with all usual data standards and format. Earth Observation data can be coming from in situ stations, remote sensing (satellites sensors, aerial photos or drones), field measurements (surveying), statistics data coming from reporting, census and other surveys. Other geospatial data, coming from models and interpolated data. It will also include publications. Each of this type of content needs its dedicated tool to transform data into information. E.g. Maps, graphs, trend analysis, change detection, story maps, …

By definition:- Earth observation is the general overarching category which can be split into in situ data (stations, field, surveys), geospatial

interpolated data and remote sensing.- Remote sensing includes aerial photo, balloon measurements, drones and satellite images (this later is what we will consume

mostly).- Geospatial (vector (points, lines, polygons, tin), raster (pixels) formats) includes many subdivisions: models, observations,

interpolated data, digitized data, basically all geo-referenced data (address, post code, country or provinces names, can lead to georeferenced information...).

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Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

Remote sensing data (drones, aerial photos and satellite data): Remote sensing data will be primarily focusing on satellite data: satellite imagery is now numerous, and many are made freely available. Landsat data (30 meters resolution every 2 weeks, since 1984 and 60 m resolution since 1973) are now free without any limitations of use as in-kind contributions from United States Geological Survey (USGS). The sentinel 1 (radar images) and sentinel 2 (10 m resolution, revisiting every 5 days with same angle) satellites images are also provided for free as in-kind contribution from ESA. These efforts are long-term commitments from several governments to support high quality monitoring. The World Environment Situation Room will make best use of these contributions and will build services around these for earth monitoring. On top of this, other satellite owned by private companies at higher resolution (e.g. 0.35 m) can also be incorporated but with a cost.

Geospatial data: coming from various sources and data providers, using different technologies. The World Environment Situation Room will also use, along a variety of other technologies, a tool called MapX for displaying, accessing, interrogating and distributing geospatial data. MapX is developed in-house as a collaborating effort between the Crisis Management Branch (CMB) and the UNEP/GRID-Geneva. This tool also features the possibility to intersect data and to generate story maps. It is fully interoperable with data standards and webservices, thus allowing automatizing data update and machine to machine data exchange.

3. Integrating Data and Environmental Priorities and Thematics into a single Framework

The different types of data need to be integrated with a conceptual data framework which can be broad enough to work across environmental topics, priorities and the overall achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

4. Long-Term Process and Resources

It should be underline that the Big data Initiative is an integral part of a long-term process for the provision of environmental data and related services. The various cycles of the evolution of this process intertwin to give rise to a strategic approach for the use of modern technology, such as artificial intelligence (e.g . Global Fishing Watch), digital companions and the Internet of Things but as well as novel transformation pathways for the organization and access and use of environmental information.

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P o l l u t i o nSustainable Consumption and Production

Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

The following diagram summarizes the long-term process as well as provides a substantive strategic vision for the future.

On the other hand, it should be clear that this Initiative should entail a sustainable number of resources, financial, human and organizational resources over the course of the coming years. The following figures provide a rough estimate for the initial four year’s period, fully aligned with the UN Environment work plan and medium-term strategy (2018 – 2022).

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Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

5. One Global Partnership including the Private Sector

The decision to support this initiative based upon a distributed model to access information was a fundamental one. No Big Data programme would be successful without a business partnership model, integrating a variety of institutions as well as technologies and models for organization and access to data.

A Consortium of international partners, from the private sector, non-governmental organizations and public and international institutions, endorses the long-term development of the World Environment Situation Room. Through financial and in-kind contributions, as well as expertise, competence and technology infrastructure and services in their own areas of expertise, world Partners contribute to the research, development and impact of this Programme and initiatives.

Starting with the initial core of 7 GRID Centers (Global Resource Information Database) network. And growing solidly to a global partnership of around 40 data and knowledge centers distributed worldwide.

A Consortium fund is needed to sustain the long-term development of the Partnership.

A Hub of Competence and Collaboration Centers distributed Worldwide

Roadmap for the evolution of Partnerships

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Partnerships in 2018/9

Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

6. Initial 4 Years Implementation Plan

The initial four years implementation plan contains the following milestones and objectives.

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Partnerships in 2019-2020

Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

The initial activities will be focused on delivering the best available Environmental information using the best available technology, using the following strategy: 1) a Single-Entry Door to integrate all information; 2) Using novel ways to communicate, Story maps; 3) Data and Information with business intelligence supporting Decision Making.

Single Entry Door for Data Novel Ways to Communicate Supporting Decision Making

The use of artificial intelligence and best combination of technology will be supporting the user experience accessing and using Environmental Data.

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Big Data on the Environment Initiative - World Environment Situation RoomStrategy and Action Plan

This will include physical spaces for demonstrating the World Environment Situation Room in China (Shenzhen), New York, Geneva and Nairobi, as well as other locations worldwide.

7. Acting as One across UN Environment, Governance and Organization for Delivery

The attached document establishes the roles and responsibilities of the different divisions and regions of the United Nations Environment (UNEP), herein referred as UN Environment regarding the ‘Acting as One’ active engagement and participation in the Delivery of its Big Data flagship Initiative, the World Environment Situation Room.

Under the overall coordination of the UN Environment Executive Director, UN Environment should ‘act as one’ across the Divisions and Regional Offices as well as any other partnering agencies to provide an effective participation in the UN System activities’ towards Harnessing Big Data on the Environment for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Action.

A Governing Council, chaired by the Executive Director of UN Environment, and co-chaired by two external entities invited by the Executive Director will provide overall strategic guidance to the Initiative. This Governing Council will have representation of at least three institutions from the private sector.

The Science Division leads the overall implementation of the Initiative in close coordination across UN Environment with all other Divisions and Regional Offices.

The Global Resource Information Database (GRIDS) network of partners provides overa+ll technology support and content delivery for the Initiative under the strategic coordination of the Chief of Branch Country Outreach, Technology and Innovation and the project coordination of the Project Manager of this Initiative.

The Regional Offices lead the liaison with Member States as well as partnership facilitation, outreach and mobilization of resources activities focusing on regional and country levels.

Finally, the Secretariat of the Governing Bodies leads all aspects of liaison with the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) and the United Nations Environmental Assembly.

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