Produce and disseminate open, global groundwater datasets
International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC)
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Scientific community
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#SDGAction50252
Description
Groundwater management is very dependent on the local context: the hydrogeology, the level of development and the specific challenges of an aquifer. At the same time, national and international policies also have an impact on groundwater management. For instance, a large part of groundwater abstraction and contamination is embedded in goods and services that are internationally traded (virtual groundwater). Therefore, there is a need for groundwater data and information to be produced and shared at all levels, including at the regional and global levels. Unfortunately, regional and global groundwater datasets are currently limited. This has to do with the limited availability of in-situ groundwater data, such as borehole data and monitoring data, in particular in low-income countries, and with the limited sharing of existing data.
As a UNESCO and WMO-affiliated centre, IGRAC is committed to produce global groundwater datasets and to provide an unrestricted access to these data, according to open data principles put forth by UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (2021) and WMO Unified Data Policy Resolution (2021). These datasets will offer a reliable basis for regional and global assessments of groundwater resources, groundwater management, and the socio-economic and environmental processes involving groundwater. Among others, these datasets will support the reporting on SDG water indicators 6.3.2, 6.4.2 and 6.5.2. Open groundwater datasets will also improve the transparency and the inclusiveness of decision-making (indicators 16.6, 16.7 and 16.10).
Regional and global datasets will rely on in-situ or expert knowledge, not on modelling or earth observations as it is often the case with global datasets. Data will be collected from governmental institutions, literature reviews (also including grey literature), as well as national and regional experts. This will require intensive and ongoing efforts. One particular challenge will be to engage with data-owning institutions and convince them to disclose the data. Original references of the data will be captured in the datasets for the sake of ownership and transparency. All datasets will be made available for visualization and download in IGRAC’s data sharing platform, the Global Groundwater Information System (GGIS): https://ggis.un-igrac.org/
This patient work of data collection, compilation and dissemination will prove useful for a wide range of applications and users who are in need of such regional and global groundwater datasets. The primary use of groundwater data will be to support the reporting of SDG indicators, in particular indicators 6.3.2, 6.4.2 and 6.5.2. More generally, regional and global datasets will allow a wide range of regional and global assessments, not only of groundwater resources and their management, but also of socio-economic and environmental issues where groundwater is entangled. As such, they will promote the integration of groundwater into global and regional societal questions (e.g. climate change, economic development, health, food security, migrations), which is currently lacking. Regional groundwater datasets will also support cooperation between countries in transboundary aquifers and river/lake basins. Moreover, global datasets will support global hydrologic models, as well as satellite-based assessments (e.g. GRACE), which require more groundwater data than what is currently available for calibration and testing. Furthermore, our efforts will hopefully inspire data-owning institutions and organizations to adopt open data policies.
Funding partner: Dutch government
Institutional partners: WMO and UNESCO
Collaborating partners: Data-owning institutions, in particular public authorities in charge of groundwater data collection and management, and groundwater research institutions.
GGIS: https://ggis.un-igrac.org/
IGRAC website: https://www.un-igrac.org/
SDGS & Targets
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 16
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
16.1
Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
16.1.1
16.1.2
16.1.3
Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months
16.1.4
Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark
16.2
End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
16.2.1
Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month
16.2.2
16.2.3
Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18
16.3
Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
16.3.1
Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms
16.3.2
16.3.3
Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism
16.4
By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime
16.4.1
16.4.2
16.5
Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
16.5.1
16.5.2
16.6
Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.6.1
16.6.2
Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services
16.7
Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.7.1
Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups
16.7.2
16.8
Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
16.8.1
Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations
16.9
By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration
16.9.1
16.10
Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
16.10.1
16.10.2
16.a
Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
16.a.1
16.b
Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
16.b.1
SDG 14 targets covered
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Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
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| Produce and disseminate open, global groundwater datasets - Tue, 06/18/2024 - 10:37 | On track |
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People and organizations engaged in policy-making at the global and regional levels.
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Contact Information
Elisabeth, Director