World Environment Situation Room: Global Environmental Data Strategy - Big Data Platform on the Environment for Sustainable Development, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action

Science is fundamental for UN Environment’s role as a global United Nations agency for policy and action on the Environment and its foundational mandate to keep the Environment under review. In today’s times of transition from industrial societies to knowledge societies, policy and action on the environment is dependent upon the capacity of countries, regions and globally, to collect, manage and deliver Big Data. The United Nations Secretary-General raises, at the highest level, in his latest report of 2018, on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, “… The availability of high-quality, timely and disaggregated data is vital for evidence-based decision-making and to ensure accountability for implementation of the 2030 Agenda...” Environmental policies at the global, regional and country levels depend on the timely and reliable availability of useful and integrated geospatial, earth observation and remote sensing, real-time satellite imagery data, information and knowledge. However, the availability of data is not sufficient.