GEO Data. An Introductory Users Guide

Transcription

1 GEO Data An Introductory Users Guide PORTAL The (global) GEO Data Portal was initiated in 2000, just after the start of the third Global Environmental Outlook assessment (GEO-3), to improve the empirical base of the GEO and harmonize the data that are used for analysis and illustrations. The Data Portal has matured into a unique data collection, and has become the authoritative source of data used by UNEP and its partners in the GEO reporting process and other integrated environment assessments. The Data Portal gives access to a broad collection of harmonized environmental and socio-economic data sets from authoritative sources at global, regional, sub-regional and national levels, and allows basic data analysis and creation of maps and graphics. Its on-line database currently holds more than 450 variables that can be analysed and displayed as maps, graphs or tables. The data sets can also be downloaded in a variety of formats, supporting further analysis and processing by the user. The contents of the GEO Data Portal cover a broad range of environmental themes such as Climate, Disasters, Forests, Freshwater, as well as categories in the socio-economic domain, including Education, Health, Economy, Population and Environmental Policies. The on-line Data Portal has been designed as an easy and light system that can run on most platforms and does not need very extensive Internet bandwidth. Although primarily targeting the GEO user community (UNEP offices, GEO Collaborating Centres), extensive use of the Portal is also made by other (UN) agencies, universities, schools, civil society and the general public. The GEO Data Portal homepage, entry-point into a wealth of data for any IEA report! Search, access, display & analyze data on-line!

2 The data providers include many primary datacollection agencies among the UN system and other key partners, including FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, UN Statistical Division, WHO, World Bank and OECD. The sources of all data are fully acknowledged. All data can be freely displayed and explored on-line. Although nearly all data sets are in the public domain and freely accessible to all, due to copyright reasons, a small portion of the data can only be downloaded by the formally named GEO user community of UNEP offices and GEO Collaborating Centres. The statistical data variables are available not just for all countries of the world, but also for the GEO regions and sub-regions, and the world as a whole. In certain cases, the aggregated figures cannot be given due to lack of underlying data at the country level. To the extent possible, the data cover the period 1970 up to now, and are constantly being kept up-to-date. Apart from statistical data sets, a good selection of geo-spatial data (maps) is also available, usually at global and regional scales. New data are added on the basis of needs stemming from practical use in GEO reporting and based on priorities discussed in the GEO Data Working Group (DWG) and reflected in the the GEO Data/Indicator matrix, as well as their being available from several UN agencies and other authoritative data providers. The global GEO Data Portal is now being supplemented with regional versions, starting in Latin America and Africa. and to follow in Asia and Pacific and West Asian regions. The Global GEO Data Portal is available on the Internet at which also gives information on updates, new items etc. A CD-ROM version has also been produced recently. After the publication of GEO-3 in 2002, the Data Portal has been extensively used to prepare the first GEO Yearbook (2003). Below are some examples of graphics from these reports which were created by using the GEO Data Portal: Source: GEO-3, p.221 Source: GEO Year Book 2003, p.71 Source: GEO Year Book 2003, p.70

3 Source: GEO Year Book 2003, p.71 Source: GEO-3, p.211 Thus, in short the GEO Data Portal has been designed to give easy access to a wealth of relevant core data sets and indicators for use in the GEO process and beyond. The basic steps are: 1) select a data variable; 2) select a time period and/or region; 3) choose among map, graph or table, and 4) optionally, read the documentation, 5) download the data set, or 6) copy & paste into a text processor or other tool. The following pages explain and elaborate these basic steps and provide additional information on how to use the system and what can be achieved. For further information, please contact: Stefan Schwarzer or Jaap van Woerden UNEP/DEWA~Europe/GRID-Geneva International Environment House 11 Chemin des Anémones 1219 Châtelaine Switzerland Phone: (+41 22) /95 Fax: (+41 22) geo@grid.unep.ch URL: The Homepage The homepage offers access to a wealth of information. In principle, one can divide it into three main areas of interest: The search is simple and straightforward: Type in a free (thematic) keyword, such as emission, waste, forest. Click on Search ; or Use the Advanced Search for more specific search options. Limit your search to a GEO Theme, a GEO region or a scale/resolution (national, regional, geospatial). In the section links one will find some interesting links to, for instance, the list of GEO Collaborating Centres, the complete list of data variables offered by the Portal and a dozen screenshots of the possible use of the Portal, i.e. the Gallery. The block announcements helps you to keep up-to-date with the latest GEO Data Portal developments. What data sets have recently been added or updated? What new functionality has been developed?

4 The search is an easy-to-use interface, which will query different fields of the meta-data catalogue for the entered keyword(s). All words contained in the variable name or in the description or definition fields will be searched. However, a search for geographical names is not yet possible. Just enter any thematic keyword such as water, forest, population, emission, trade etc. The use of the Advanced Search is recommended for experienced users or if the search gives too many results to handle. Click on the Advanced Search instead and specify a predefined scale/resolution, GEO theme or GEO region, or search only for data that have been updated in the last 3, 6 or 12 months. For French-speaking users, most of the Portal has been translated into French. Just click on the button indicated below the search screen. Search Variable Selection

5 The keyword entered on the homepage is searched through various of fields of the metadata catalogue, such as the variable name, the definition, the (GEMET) keywords, etc. The number of results of the search are displayed in the first line. One can try to limit the number by specifiying several or more precise keywords, in order to avoid long lists of variables. One can also use the Advanced Search instead, to specify a defined GEO theme, a GEO region or a scale/resolution. A variable can be selected by clicking on a circle in front of each data set name and then clicking on the continue -button at the top or bottom of the page. A helpful feature in order to better understand the meaning of a variable, is the view of a small window which displays the definition of the variable. This can be triggered by clicking on the name of the variable. The different columns of the search result screen give the following information about the dataset: the name of the variable, the scale/resolution (national, sub-regional, regional, geospatial), the covered region, the covered time period, if the download requires a password (which is distributed only to GEO CCs), the name of the data provider and when the data was last updated. Time Period Selection After having selected a specific variable, one has to choose the desired time period. The years as displayed in the box, are always ordered descending, so that one has the most recent year at the top of the list. By clicking on the checkbox Select all one will automatically select all available years. One can also select only a single year or, by holding down the Ctrl-button on the keybord, select multiple years. The availability of years for different data sets varies considerably. Where possible, data are available for a period of 30 or more years, but sometimes there are only a few years available. Even though years are displayed in this box, it doesn t mean that the data are really available for all countries/sub-regions/regions. Missing values may occur occasionally.

6 Module Selection The Select an Option page is the hub for all further actions. It offers one access to different display and analysis modules, as well as to the download and metadata modules. Dynamic mapping: The selected variable can be displayed using Internet Map Server (IMS) technology in the form of dynamically generated maps. One can, for instance, zoom into the map to get more details, query names and values, analyze trends, add more layers and print the customized map. Customized graphing: The Portal also enables one to produce graphs for the selected data set. This helps to explore trends and analyze changes over time. The values of several countries or regions can be compared to each other, and one can also show the value for the world as a whole. Generating data tables: One can display the selected variable in a data sheet, with various possibilities for sorting, generating line- and bar-charts, or displaying histograms and extreme values. Data download: The Portal offers six different formats for the download of statistical and up to five for the geospatial data sets. Displaying metadata: This module offers detailed background information for the selected data set, such as its definition, the spatial and temporal reference, data provider, source, footnotes etc. If one wants to switch from one into anothe module, than there are two possibilities to do this: By clicking on the Back button of one s browser until the Module Selection appears again. By clicking on the specific tab at the top of each page. The module one is using at the moment is highlighted in a blue color. Any other module can be accessed at any time.

7 Dynamic Mapping The mapping module lets one interactively work with the selected data set in cartographic format. Statistical data displayed in the form of maps are often much easier to understand than the raw data tables. The GIS interface offers four different menus to choose from: navigation: This bar is for basic utilities such as zooming, panning, refreshing. Select, for instance, the icon Zoom In and then either click on the map or draw a rectangle to zoom into the selected area. query: select options such as querying (click on the icon, then either click on a country/subregion/region or draw a rectangle to select multiple countries/sub-regions/regions), drawing a graph for a given country (select icon and click on a specific country), etc. thematic layers: choose between the selected years, display the real data values on the map (see graphic below), change color symbology, classification method, etc. view layers: add additional layers, such as the national, sub-regional or regional boundaries, the country names, rivers, cities, etc. or change the size of map, etc.

8 Customized Graphing The graph module offers extensive functionality, including the following options: Select Module: Display one variable with multiple countries/regions/ subregions. Or display multiple variables for one country. Or calculate the difference for one variable and a given country. Select Graph Type: Select among line, accumulated or bar graph. Select X-Axis: Display the graph with the years or the selected countries on the X-axis, or the selected countries on the Y-axis (see graphics at right). Select Countries/Regions/Subregions: The selection box offers, no matter what scale/ resolution (national, sub-regional, regional) one has selected, always the complete list of countries, sub-regions and regions. It thus allows the graphical display of a combination of countries, sub-regions and regions. Select Years: Select all years for a line graph. Select only a reduced number for the display of bar graphs. Additional Options: Add the global value, move the legend or change the size of the graph. data, the graphs can simply be copied & pasted from the web browser into any document (e.g. Word). The generation of the graphs is easy to customize. Besides enabling a quick overview of the

9 Generating Data Tables The most traditional form of display of statistical data is the table format. This enables the display of the exact values. Although it is more difficult to discover trends and compare selected countries/sub-region/regions, this module offers some interesting sorting and analysing capabilities. If a specific region has been selected beforehand (see Advanced Search ), only countries belonging to this region will be displayed. Here are some of the functions this module offers: Sort the values ascending or descending for any selected year. Display the five highest and lowest values ( Extremes ). (see Analyzing Statistics ) Display a histogram. (see Analyzing Statistics ) Display a line- or bar-chart for a selected country. To avoid long processing delays and difficult horizontal scrolling, one can select only specific years, such as every 5 or 10 years, instead of all individual years. Analyzing Statistics A histogram groups individual data points together in classes, so that one can get an idea of how frequently data in each class occur. It thus provides an easy-to-read picture of the location and variation in a data set. Another option is to display the extreme - maximum and minimum - values of a given data set, i.e. the five highest and five lowest countries or sub-regions of the world.

10 Displaying Metadata Metadata or "data about data" describe the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. One can find detailed background information for the selected data set, such as its definition, the spatial and temporal reference, data provider, source, footnotes, statistical methods applied, etc. Metadata help users of geospatial data to find the data they need and determine how best to use them. Metadata benefit the data-producing organization as well. As personnel change in an organization, institutional knowledge leaves the organization. Undocumented data can lose their value. The GEO Data Portal is currently changing its catalogue to the ISO metadata standard, a world-wide recognized format. Downloading Data All data sets that can be selected via the Internet can be downloaded as well. The download option is an important function of the GEO Data Portal, as it enables the users to further process the selected variable on its PC. The Portal offers six different formats for the download of statistical and up to five for the geospatial data sets, namely: for the statistical data sets: Adobe PDF, Comma Deliminated CSV, ESRI Shapefile, Microsoft Excel and XML for the geospatial data sets: Adobe PDF, ArcInfo Export File, ASCII Grid, BIL Image, ESRI Shapefile, Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), TIF Image. Not all formats are available for all data sets. A small portion of the data can only be downloaded by the GEO user community. These are protected by a password, available from DEWA- Europe/GRID-Genva.

11 Current Data Providers Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center Center for International Earth Science Information Network CITES Secretariat UNEP/WMO Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change / Data Distribution Centre (DDC) / CRU University of East Anglia Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations Environmental Systems Research Institute Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Forest Stewardship Council International Labour Organization Interim Secretariat for the Rotterdam Convention Interim Secretariat for the Stockholm Convention Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change/Data Distribution Center International Union for the Conservation of Nature/Species Survival Commission National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Geophysical Data Center Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development International Energy Agency Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance/The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters Ramsar Convention on Wetlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment University of Maryland at College Park United Nations Population Division United Nations Statistics Division Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity United Nations Environment Programme Convention on Migratory Species Secretariat United Nations Environment Programme/Division of Early Warning and Assessment/Global Resource Information Database-Geneva United Nations Environment Programme/Global Environment Monitoring System United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat United Nations Environment Programme Secretariat of the Basel Convention United Nations Environment Programme/World Conservation Monitoring Center United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change United States Geological Survey/EROS Data Center United States Geological Survey/Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center Veridian World Energy Council World Glacier Monitoring Service World Health Organization World Health Organization/United Nations Children s Fund World Bank World Heritage World Resources Institute World Wildlife Fund

12 freshwater biodiversity air pollution fish catch land cover gdp arable land caloric intake population growth rate global data sets CO2 emissions food supply data forest cover endangered species temperature energy consumption vegetation statistics food production soil climate water use precipitation agricultural production emissions protected areas migration vegetation land energy soil climate agriculture cereals digital elevation model biosphere reserves fish catch fertilizer production & consumption mangroves development aid water resources & recharge school enrolment desalinated water global burnt area forest cover gdp electricity soil aquaculture permanent crops tree cover fertility birth & death rate drainage basins natural hazards freshwater biodiversity air pollution fish catch land cover gdp arable land caloric intake population growth rate global data sets CO2 emissions food supply data forest cover endangered species temperature energy consumption vegetation statistics food production soil climate water use precipitation agricultural production emissions protected areas migration vegetation land energy soil climate agriculture cereals digital elevation model biosphere reserves fish catch fertilizer production & consumption mangroves development aid water resources & recharge school enrolment desalinated water global burnt area forest cover gdp electricity soil aquaculture permanent crops tree cover fertility birth & death rate drainage basins natural hazards freshwater biodiversity air pollution fish catch land cover gdp arable land caloric intake population growth rate global data sets CO2 emissions food supply data forest cover endangered species temperature energy consumption vegetation statistics food production soil climate water use precipitation agricultural production emissions protected areas migration vegetation land energy soil climate agriculture cereals digital elevation model biosphere reserves fish catch fertilizer production & consumption mangroves development aid water resources & recharge school enrolment desalinated water global burnt area forest cover gdp electricity soil aquaculture permanent crops tree cover fertility birth & death rate drainage basins natural hazards United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya Tel.: (254 2) Fax: (254 2) Web: