Resource Watch
Open data geospatial platform and repository addressing climate and environmental issues
Description
Resource Watch is a geospatial platform that provides access to hundreds of data sets related to the state of the planet, addressing such issues as climate change, poverty, water risk, state instability, air pollution, human migration, etc. Examples of the available datasets related to agriculture include “Crop harvested area”, “Projected sea level rise” and “Food system emissions”.
Technology
The Resource Watch geospatial platform is open to public use, presenting data from various sources, including government institutions, intergovernmental organizations, research institutions, and scientific publications. Depending on the source, data are updated every hour, every 12 hours, monthly or annually, while other data are updated less frequently, as stated on the data set detail page. Resource Watch’s underlying data infrastructure (API) is open source, meaning that other operations or individuals can build on it for the creation of custom, self-branded applications. Resource Watch is thus a global public good that allows any organization or individual to leverage the data for their own purposes.
Target
Anyone can access Resource Watch, although it was designed with government administrators, business analysts, journalists and researchers in mind.
Business model
Resource Watch data are free and open to use, as long as the user complies with the licensing and restrictions of the source data providers. Users can access links to download data and find information on the licensing of the data from the data set detail pages.
Impact
Resource Watch allows users to overlay data sets and explore the interconnectedness of the world as advocates of change. By breaking down traditional barriers and studying how issues intersect, users can more effectively understand the causes and solutions to key problems.
Partners
Atro Digital; Carto; Descartes Labs; Digital Globe; The Earth Genome; ESPA; Global Partnership For Sustainable Development data; Google; NERC; University of Maryland; UNDP; University of Edinburgh; Vizzuality; WRI; Research Into Results' (RIR); Radiant Earth Foundation; The Hague Center for Strategic Studies; Opeaq; Climate Central; Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve organization; Vienna University of Economics and Business' Institute for Ecological Economics; Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme at the University of Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment; Eye on Earth; The Crowther Lab; ISRIC - World Soil Information; The Global Environment Facility; MARS Inc.; Asset-level Data Initiative; the Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness; The Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems (iMHEA); The Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment Lab (CREATE Lab); Bloomberg; Institute on the Environment (IonE); National Geographic Society; The Group on Earth Observations; Global Fishing Watch; North American Association for Environmental Education (NAEE); FMO, the Dutch development bank.
Four Betters
Better production
Better nutrition
Better environment
Better life
