View from the Sky - The contribution of EO to the SDGs

This week, GeoVille and its partners UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), DHI-UNEP and DHI-GRAS are meeting with Marc Paganini at ESA-ESRIN to discuss the latest updates and developments of the ESA-funded “Earth Observation for the Sustainable Development Goals” project.

This week, GeoVille and its partners UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), DHI-UNEP  and DHI-GRAS are meeting with Marc Paganini at ESA-ESRIN to discuss the latest updates and developments of the ESA-funded “Earth Observation for the Sustainable Development Goals” project. The aim of the project is to maximise the contribution of Earth Observation (EO) data to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda by producing targeted high-quality indicator monitoring guidelines and effective outreach material, and by showcasing the usability of EO data in country demonstrations studies and in dialogue with UN stakeholders.

The project is already at mid-point and has provided some essential insights on the potential of EO to contribute to improvements of the SDG monitoring framework under Agenda 2030.

A key outcome is the Policy Brief describing how EO can support the monitoring of the SDGs, which is addressed to policy makers, national statistics offices, and other SDG agencies. Among others, the Policy Brief highlights that there are 17 indicators for which EO has a definite contribution, with another 17 indicators for which EO is of minor relevance. The team further analysed these indicators in more detail developing so called Support sheets that are supposed to be addressed to the WGGI members. 

The documents will be available soon. Stay tuned for an update!