UN-GGIM: Europe research identifies 14 ‘core’ INSPIRE themes for global SDGs

The scope of geospatial data extends far beyond environmental, social and economic analysis, a study by UN-GIMM: Europe has found.

Research by the regional committee of experts shows that information about location also plays a key role in implementing policy to help address a wide range of concerns at regional, national and global level.

The report, which is the first deliverable of the Working Group on core data, has identified 14 INSPIRE themes which can support the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) and meet user needs for authoritative, harmonized and homogeneous framework core data.

UN-GGIM: Europe will now contribute its findings to help establish an agreed set of global fundamental geospatial data themes to meet the need for harmonised transboundary and transnational information.

“We know that many of the SDGs require dependable geographic information to measure, monitor and manage sustainable development,” says Chair of the UN-GGIM: Europe Executive Committee, Bengt Kjellson from Sweden.

“Core data may be used as a framework on which other richer, more detailed, thematic geospatial and statistical data rely. UN-GGIM: Europe believes that it should be produced once for national and regional uses with maximum resolution, and then provided to international users if necessary through generalising and aggregating processes.”

“Our research has focused on determining which themes within INSPIRE are useful for this process using case studies from Member States. We have also found substantial agreement in the definitions of fundamental data used by a number of projects from across the world.”

“By cross-referencing these findings, we conclude that there are 14 reference data and thematic INSPIRE themes that can help to unleash the power of where to help make the world a better place.”

The INSPIRE themes identified as ‘core’ for the SDGs are: ​Administrative themes that provide a hook for integration with other data; namely administrative units, statistical units, geographical names, addresses, cadastral parcels, area management/restriction/regulation and reporting units, and governmental services. Themes that provide a topographic description of a territory: elevation, land cover, land use, orthoimagery, buildings, transport networks and hydrography. The report is available at www.un-ggim-europe.org.

Notes to Editors UN-GGIM: Europe is a regional committee of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). It has two working groups, one focusing on core data and the other on data integration.

Drawing on the national capacities and capabilities of Member States, UN-GGIM was established in 2011. It takes a leading role in setting the agenda for global geospatial information development as well as in promoting its benefits for addressing both national policy and key global challenges.