Abstract
This paper reviews the key role that Earth Observations (EO) play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as articulated in the 2030 Agenda document and in monitoring, measuring, and reporting on progress towards the associated targets. This paper also highlights how the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) would contribute to ensure the actual use of EO in support of the 2030 Agenda; and how the Global Earth Observations System of Systems meets requirements for efficient investments in science and technology and a good return on investment, which is elaborated in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on development financing. Through a number of examples, we first discuss how extensive EO use would: provide a substantial contribution to the achievements of the SDGs by enabling informed decision-making and by allowing monitoring of the expected results; improve national statistics for greater accuracy, by ensuring that the data are “spatially-explicit” and directly contribute to calculate the agreed SDG Targets and Indicators support the fostering of synergy between the SDGs and multilateral environmental agreements by addressing cross-cutting themes such as climate and energy; and facilitate countries’ approaches for working across different development sectors, which is, according to the special adviser on the 2030 Agenda, a key challenge to achieve the SDGs. We then focus on the role that GEO could play in enabling actual use of EO in support of the 2030 Agenda by directly addressing the Strategic Development Goal 17 on partnerships.
Highlights
Earth observation (EO) data informs our daily lives and all geophysical and atmospheric sciences
The Initiative aims to achieve these goals via four implementation mechanisms: a portfolio of national pilot projects in one or more Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Member countries focused on integrating EO with national statistical accounts to better measure, monitor and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); capacity building activities that aim to provide support to institutions and individuals in the formation, development, and implementation of EO methods and data to achieve the SDG; identify data and information products to advance the provision, access, discoverability, and applicability of EO for use with the SDG; and a portfolio of outreach and engagement activities to promote the consideration and adoption of EO4SDG by nations and stakeholders
The UN Secretariat on Global Geospatial Information Management (UNGGIM) is leading the IAEG-SDG Working Group on Geospatial Information (WGGI) efforts to integrate Geographic Information System (GIS) data and EO data – for the purposes of this article collectively known as EO data − into statistical data that are essential for the production of a number of Indicators
Summary
Earth observation (EO) data informs our daily lives and all geophysical and atmospheric sciences. Anticipating General Assembly action, in March 2015, the IAEG-SDG, to develop an indicator framework for the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda at the global level, and to support its implementation. The Initiative aims to achieve these goals via four implementation mechanisms: a portfolio of national pilot projects in one or more GEO Member countries focused on integrating EO with national statistical accounts to better measure, monitor and achieve the SDG; capacity building activities that aim to provide support to institutions and individuals in the formation, development, and implementation of EO methods and data to achieve the SDG; identify data and information products to advance the provision, access, discoverability, and applicability of EO for use with the SDG; and a portfolio of outreach and engagement activities to promote the consideration and adoption of EO4SDG by nations and stakeholders
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