For the first time, a unified system will be set up to measure the progress on the implementation of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Esri, the global leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology and spatial analytics, works together with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) towards the implementation of an utilized data hub called the Federated System for the SDGs. The system will allow the UN members to measure, monitor, and report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a geographic context while at the same time contributing to more effective cooperation between the countries.

This new hub is based on Esri’s ArcGIS platform and will use the principles of location intelligence to create models, extract patterns and relationships when working with geospatial data.

First introduced as a research project with the participation of six countries: Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, and Senegal, the early steps in the development of the Federal System are now a reality. The results from the research part of the project were announced by Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond during the High-Level Forum on UN Global Geospatial Information Management in Mexico City. The participants in the forum published a declaration that affirms the significant contribution of geospatial technologies, processes and innovation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development and the SDGs.

“The Federated System for the SDGs leverages enabling technologies and capabilities to strengthen the ability of the national and global statistical systems to manage and share data and good practices for the SDGs,” said Gregg Scott, Inter-Regional Advisor, UNSD Global Geospatial Information Management. “This has already provided the opportunity for National Statistical Offices to condition and structure data so that it can be portrayed in a geographic context and provide more insights and enable us to look at dependencies and interdependencies across SDG indicators.”

The SDGs are a set of 17 global goals part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are developed in response to the global challenges that our planet is facing and serve as an action plan to the global community in addressing issues such as poverty eradication, access to clean drinking water, clean oceans, hunger elimination, gender equality, climate change, peace and justice, education and many others.

Check out  this interactive Story Map developed by Esri for more information on the SDGs:

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