Side Event during 5th High Level Forum on UN-GGIM

On November 27, 2017, UN Environment will host a side meeting, “Geospatial Monitoring of the SDGs: Sharing experiences on indicator 6.6.1 on freshwater related ecosystems, and exploring opportunities for better monitoring of the land-water-ocean nexus”.

This side event, which is part of the Fifth High Level Forum on the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, will be convened in partnership with UN-GGIM, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) of Mexico, the European Space Agency (ESA), the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Background

Decisions on the management of water resources often do not occur at the national level, but at the local or basin level. Monitoring SDG indicator 6.6.1, which includes elements related to water quantity, water quality, freshwater related ecosystem extent and fresh water ecosystem health, is only useful for national decision-making if the information is disaggregated geospatially. Additionally, to identify appropriate policy interventions requires analysis that links agriculture, water-related ecosystems, waste and wastewater management, water quality and coastal eutrophication. Such analysis is only possible with high quality geospatial information providing the anchoring framework.

This Side Event will:

• Demonstrate national experiences in geospatial monitoring of water quality and water-related ecosystems;
• Provide an overview of recent developments toward using Earth Observation data for monitoring SDG indicator 6.6.1;
• Discuss the use of geospatially disaggregated information and Earth Observations for better monitoring of coastal eutrophication and the linkage between land use, inland water quality and coastal eutrophication; and
• Engage participants in a discussion around improving global monitoring of the land-water-ocean nexus.

 

Motivation

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have elevated the importance of integrated monitoring of the environment, including the linkages between people, the economy and the environment. The SDGs include a dedicated goal on Water (Goal 6); however, identifying best practices in terms of monitoring water related issues remains a challenge.

This Side Event will include presentations of national best practices, global developments and current methodologies.

The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion.

• UN Environment will provide an overview of SDG indicator 6.6.1 and serve as the Moderator.
• Representatives from ESA and JRC will present findings on using globally available satellite imagery for monitoring open water bodies.
• Representatives from NASA / GEO EO4SDG will present experiences in using medium to high resolution imagery to monitor SDG 6.6.1 in select pilot countries
• Two national delegates will present their experiences in monitoring and reporting on SDG 6.6.1 (to be determined).
• One national delegate will provide an overview of the possibility of using satellite data for improved monitoring of water quality, including in coastal waters (eutrophication) (to be determined).
• The moderator will facilitate a discussion around the importance of geospatial information for improved national and global and national monitoring.

 

Venue

National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) of Mexico

Dirección Regional Centro

Balderas 71

Col. Centro C.P. 06040

Delegación Cuauhtémoc

Ciudad de México

http://www.beta.inegi.org.mx/app/oficinas/

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