Data & Analytics

Data and analytics are increasingly recognized as fundamental elements in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, aim to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Each goal is interconnected, requiring a holistic approach to achieve sustainable development by 2030. Within this framework, SDG 17, "Partnerships for the Goals," is particularly crucial as it highlights the need for high-quality, timely, and reliable data to drive progress across all goals.

The importance of data and analytics in realizing the SDGs cannot be overstated. Accurate and insightful data is necessary for several key aspects: assessing current progress, identifying existing gaps, informing policy-making, and guiding the allocation of resources. For instance, in addressing SDG 1, "No Poverty," data helps in understanding the demographics of poverty, allowing for targeted interventions. Similarly, for SDG 3, "Good Health and Well-being," data analytics play a crucial role in tracking disease outbreaks, understanding health trends, and improving healthcare delivery.

In the education sector, under SDG 4, "Quality Education," data can inform about areas where educational resources are lacking or where dropout rates are high, guiding efforts to enhance education systems. Additionally, for SDG 13, "Climate Action," data is indispensable for understanding climate patterns, predicting future scenarios, and formulating strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Advancements in data collection and analytics methods have opened up new possibilities. Mobile technology, for example, has revolutionized data collection, enabling real-time gathering and dissemination of information even in remote areas. Remote sensing technologies, such as satellite imagery, provide critical data on environmental changes, agricultural patterns, and urban development. These methods not only expand the scope of data collection but also enhance its accuracy and timeliness.

However, challenges remain in harnessing the full potential of data for the SDGs. These include issues related to data availability, quality, accessibility, and interoperability. In many parts of the world, especially in developing countries, there is a significant data deficit. This gap hinders the ability to make informed decisions and effectively address the SDGs. Moreover, data collected must be reliable and relevant to be useful in policy formulation and implementation.

To overcome these challenges, partnerships between governments, private sector, academia, and civil society are vital. These collaborations can foster innovation in data collection and analytics, ensure data sharing, and build capacities for data analysis. Furthermore, there is a need for a global framework to standardize data collection and reporting methods, which will facilitate comparison and aggregation of data across regions and countries.

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 8, 9, and 11 by exploring how AI can be utilized by city officials to improve quality of life in sustainable cities.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 7, Issue 2, February 2023, Pages e147-e154

This Article supports SDGs 3 and 13 by estimating how global income inequality might have to be reduced in order to ensure both decent living standards and reductions in global energy use for planetary health.
Elsevier,

Non-Destructive Testing and Condition Monitoring Techniques in Wind Energy, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter supports UN SDGs 7 and 13 by reviewing condition monitoring technologies and current research challenges and opportunities, enabling improved performance and durability of wind turbines, and supporting energy transition of which wind power is a key component.
As growing coastal societies and projected high population densities predict a larger demand for marine ecosystem services in the future, jellyfish may affect the fulfillment of such needs, thus becoming prominent players in provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. Hence, our results advocate for their inclusion in multidisciplinary research beyond regional scales and call for investing in this group through systematic surveys.
Elsevier,

Intelligent Environments: Advanced Systems for a Healthy Planet, Second Edition, 2023, pp 475-497

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 9 and 11 by discussing the growing field of Digital City Science and the convergence of digital cities and sustainable urban development.
This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 9 and 12 by considering the benefits of digitizing food supply chains using Internet of Things, blockchain, and AI.
Elsevier,

Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, Volume 5, January 2023

This paper is about how cultural values predict levels of climate complacency, or a relative lack of concern about climate change across different nations.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2022, Pages e941-e948

This Article supports SDGs 3 and 13 by estimating cost and benefits of climate change mitigation, focussing on heat-related labour losses and considering current mitigation pledges.
This Climate Countdown paper supports SDGs 3 and 13 by summarising procress through 27 climate indicators in China from 2021 to 2022.
This report supports SDGs 3 and 13 by monitoring and evaluating the effects of climate change on health in Europe, and the benefits to health of climate action. By tracking 33 indicators in a variety of domains, the report shows that climate-related health risks in Europe are accelerating, and current adapation and mitigation strategies are insufficient. Ambitious strategies are required to prevent worsening harms to human health.

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