The UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) released the report of a working group tasked with considering a Global Map for Sustainable Development (GM4SD), the “Development of a Global Map for Sustainable Development” (E/C.20/2013/6/Add.1).
The report describes the working group's progress, proposes a road map for consideration and highlights disaster and urban hazard mapping as a key input into the GM4SD.
The GM4SD is also anticipated to be applicable to biodiversity and forest conservation, disaster mitigation and water resources management.
June 2013: The UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) released the report of a working group tasked with considering a Global Map for Sustainable Development (GM4SD), the ‘Development of a Global Map for Sustainable Developmen’” (E/C.20/2013/6/Add.1). The report describes the working group’s progress, proposes a road map for consideration and highlights disaster and urban hazard mapping as a key input into the GM4SD.
According to the report, the GM4SD is intended to provide an authoritative, reliable and trusted information base of geospatial data to inform sustainable development, based on the existing Global Map project. At the Second High Level Forum on GGIM in Doha, Qatar, in February 2013, the working group agreed the GM4SD should initially focus on using geospatial information to map urban hazards, natural disaster risks and mitigation strategies. The GM4SD is also anticipated to be applicable to biodiversity and forest conservation, disaster mitigation and water resources management. The group’s next steps include: engaging with national geospatial information agencies to understand sustainable development user requirements; and completing a peer review and data validation process of the Global Map project and other global data projects.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the UN-GGIM in July 2011 as a forum for dialogue and coordination on geospatial data and services. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) Outcome Document recognizes the importance of “reliable geospatial information” for national disaster risk reduction (DRR) and sustainable development programmes and strategies. Similarly, the report of the High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP) supports a data revolution for sustainable development. The working group report also notes that further work should be guided by the future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will depend on geospatial data and information to measure progress. [Development of a Global Map for Sustainable Development] [GGIM Website]