Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals (2020) was released on September 26, 2020, by the Chinese government at the "Poverty Eradication and South-South Cooperation" High-level Video Conference, on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
Drafted by the Big Earth Data Science Engineering Program (CASEarth) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the report showcases China's efforts to implement Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular, the prospect of utilizing Big Earth Data for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report focuses on six SDGs including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The case studies present the use of Big Earth Data to develop data products, monitor progress, and inform policy-making at local, national, regional, and global scales.
It opens a new avenue of integrating advanced technologies and methods such as big data and artificial intelligence to facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM).
Prof. Guo Huadong, Director General of CBAS, said that the SDG indicator system covers a wide range of topics and requires a long period of study, and the indicators are interdependent and integrated. "To clarify the relationships between the SDG indicators, it is necessary to establish objective and effective indicator monitoring and evaluation models, as well as technical methods", he said.
Prof. Zhang Yaping, Vice President of CAS, said that CAS has been committed to leveraging the science and technology workforce through CASEarth to explore how Big Earth Data can be utilized for the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda within TFM. He affirmed that CAS, along with international science communities, will continue to address the new demands and challenges faced by humankind in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.
Download Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals (2020)