Accessing and Integrating Multidisciplinary Global Change Data

1. Accessing and Integrating Multidisciplinary Global Change Data Dr. Robert S. ChenDr. Deborah L. Balk Center for International Earth Science Information NetworkSocioeconomic Data and Applications Center Columbia UniversityPalisades, New York USA http://www.ciesin.org http://sedac.ciesin.org

2. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) • Established in 1989 in Michigan as a Consortium; became a Center in the Columbia Earth Institute in July 1998 • Based at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades NY • World Data Center for Human Interactions in the Environment • Registered UN nongovernmental organization • Interdisciplinary staff from social, natural, and computer sciences Home page athttp://www.ciesin.org

3. CIESIN Mission and Activities CIESIN Mission • To provide access to and enhance the use of information worldwide, advancing understanding of human interactions in the environment and serving the needs of science and public and private decision making. Major Programs and Projects • NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) • U.S. Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO) • World Data Center for Human Interactions in the Environment • World Bank development information systems

4. Example CIESIN Data and Services • Major Data Products and Interactive Applications • Gridded Population of the World; China, Mexico data collections • DDViewer (U.S., U.S.-Mexico); Geocorr; DDCarto; ACRP • online Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators database • Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health WWW site • IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios Open Process WWW site • CIESIN Gateway Search System (implements Z39.50 protocol and various metadata standards) • Land and Water Knowledge Management Node • Pilot Environmental Sustainability Index (Yale, World Economic Forum) • Other Services • Email-to-WWW access • User Services office (business hours) • Ask Dr. Global Change • GCRIO document distribution

5. Challenges in Integrating Global Socioeconomic Data • Spatial consistency • Same set of countries? Same “definition” for each country? • Are there gaps or biases in spatial coverage? • Multiple counting of people/activities across countries? Important omissions? • Temporal consistency • Same underlying temporal unit? (e.g., total or average for year, month, day vs. instantaneous value) • Do variable definitions and/or underlying spatial units vary over time? • Are updates and corrections to historical data handled consistently? • “Conversion” consistency • What conversion factor, common units, international standard, and/or subcategories are most appropriate? (e.g., exchange rate adjusted by purchasing power; energy or carbon content; economic sector definitions)

6. Spatial and Temporal Consistency: China Boundary Data • CIESIN’s China data • Boundaries different even between July and December 1990 to correspond to 2 different datasets • Continual changes in subnational boundaries over time • PRC view of China, including disputed territories • Available through China Dimensions WWW site and developed through lengthy collaboration with China in Time and Space Project and various Chinese organizations http://sedac.ciesin.org/china

7. Conversion Consistency:Integrated Assessment Model Data • Computer Model Data • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) commissioned a Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) as input to IPCC Third Assessment • Needed Open Process to ensure wide international input and review; CIESIN Open Process site created to share model scenarios during 1999 • Focused working group required much time and effort to reconcile model differences and produce comparable scenarios and data for comparable regions and variables For further details, see http://www.ciesin.org/SRES_fullsize.pdf

8. Challenges in Integrating Global Socio-economic with Environmental Data (1) • Spatial Integration: Three Approaches • Aggregate environmental data to administrative units • Need georeferenced boundaries, weights (e.g., for affected population) • Disaggregate socioeconomic data to “grid” • Need georeferenced boundaries, disaggregation method with assumptions or model regarding distribution of population and associated characteristics • Overlay georeferenced data • Intersect underlying geographies (e.g., administrative units with watersheds, population distribution with measurement station locations, urban lifelines with earthquake faults)

9. Disaggregate Socioeconomic Data to Grid: Gridded Population of the World Dataset • Created in 1994-95 • Collaboration with NCGIA (W. Tobler and U. Deichmann) • 19,000 administrative units used • Estimated 1994 populations • Total population of 5.6 billion • 5’ x 5’ lat-lon spherical quadrilaterals • 6.7 million cells • Unsmoothed and smoothed versions (Tobler’s pycnophylactic algorithm) • Regional and global coverages • Uses have included: • Comparison with OLS data • Vulnerability to hazards • Land use classification • Human stress on environment http://www.ciesin.org/datasets/gpw/globldem.doc.html

10. Updated Gridded Population of the World Dataset • Undergoing testing • Collaboration with WRI and IFPRI (U. Deichmann) with regional inputs from UNEP-GRID, CIAT, others • ~121,000 administrative units used • Estimated 1990 and 1995 pops • Total 1995 population of 5.7 Billion • 2.5’ x 2.5’ lat-lon quadrilaterals • ~29 million cells • Unsmoothed version only • Regional and global coverages • Changes in technique • Proportional allocation • DCW as base • Populations consistent with UN 1995 national totals • Easier to update by country

11. Gridded Population of the World, Version 2: 1995 Robinson Projection

12. Database of Country Boundaries and Ancillary Data • Technical documentation of methodology and error • Summary of data utilized by world region • Live links to country summary pages

13. Example Country Summary Page • Summary of data and sources, including links to sources • GIFs of each country’s boundaries

14. Test Version Now Available! • Via CD-ROM or ftp. Contact: • SEDAC User Services Greg Yetmane-mail ciesin.info@ciesin.org gyetman@ciesin.orgtel. 914-365-8922 914-365-8982 • Testers welcome! • Final release expected May/June • Redistribution of ORNL Landscan dataset also planned • 2-3 May 2000 workshop on gridding population planned, including participation by UNEP-GRID, ORNL, WRI, others; contactauthors if interested.

15. Spatial Integration at the Global Scale: Key Issues • Much boundary data are proprietary and cannot be redistributed or are restricted to non-commercial uses • Major problem with disputed boundaries, including countries that object even to calling a boundary disputed • Quality of spatial data and attributes (e.g., census data) quite varied • Difficult to identify and access many datasets, due to scattered institutional sources, limited cataloging and documentation, problems of conversion and integration • Integration of even a basic dataset like population density requires significant effort, expertise, and resources

16. Challenges in Integrating Global Socio-economic with Environmental Data (2) • Temporal Integration • Temporal characteristics of socioeconomic data • Day vs. night; commuting vs. non-commuting times; weekday vs. weekend; seasonal fluctuations in tourism, recreation • Temporal aspects of environmental data • Peak vs. average values; return periods; frequency distributions • Biases due to observational limitations (e.g., clouds) • “Conceptual” Integration • Influence of mediating factors • e.g., exposure to environmental pollution mediated by built infrastructure, occupation, commuting patterns, age structure, income, behavior

17. Conceptual Integration:The ENTRI Database • CIESIN’s ENTRI database • Includes treaty status, treaty text, national-level resource and environmental indicators from multiple sources, e.g., IUCN, UNEP, World Resources Institute • Nation-state as common variable • Permits relational queries across treaties and indicators • Does not address gap between national treaty participation and actual implementation of national/ subnational policies leading to environmental improvement http://sedac.ciesin.org/entri/

18. Conceptual Integration: The Pilot Environmental Sustainability Index • Pilot Environmental Sustainability Index • Developed with Yale University under the auspices of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Leaders for Tomorrow Environment Task Force • Integrates a wide range of environmental and socioeconomic data (64 variables) into an “illustrative” index of sustainability for 56 economies • Attempts to focus attention of policy makers and the public on relative progress towards improved environmental sustainability • Concepts are evolving and the index still very much under development For further details, see http://www.ciesin.org/indicators/ESI/pilot_esi.html

19. Summary and Observations • Considerable work in progress around the world in data management, development, and integration, e.g., in developing international spatially referenced data bases and distributed data catalogs • UN coordination of its own data development and integration efforts would be extremely beneficial • The UN’s efforts may also be able to benefit substantially from approaches, technologies, and projects developed in the non-governmental sector • CIESIN as a university-based NGO is very interested in working with this UN Working Group on these issues