Big Earth Data, digital indicators, and systems transformation for the SDGs

The Special Session aimed to explore a complementary and standardized SDG indicator framework by harnessing the unique strengths of Big Earth Data. The outcome of the special session is expected to be integrated into the 2026 Report on Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Global SDG monitoring has long relied on statistical reporting, facing three structural limitations: lack of spatial granularity (national averages mask subnational disparities), low update frequency (annual or quinquennial data cannot capture rapid changes), and isolated indicators (making it difficult to diagnose synergies and trade-offs). This situation is particularly acute in Global South countries, which suffer from chronic data shortages that hinder science-based decision-making. Big Earth Data, with its unique advantages of global coverage, periodic observation, and spatial explicitness, can effectively address these shortcomings.

With only four years remaining until the 2030 Agenda, there is an urgent need to introduce Big Earth Data (remote sensing, GIS, AI) to establish a complementary new monitoring paradigm. Since 2019, the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) has released the report on Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals for seven consecutive years, accumulating over 200 case studies and data products. These have demonstrated the technical feasibility of Big Earth Data for SDGs 2, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, and 15. However, the existing achievements remain fragmented, lacking a systematic, operational, and spatially explicit digital indicator framework. Bali Swain’s talk on Big Earth Data, digital indicators, and system transformation for the SDGs, contribute towards this.

Relevant Publications

Luo, L., Zhang, J., Wang, H., Chen, M., Jiang, Q., Yang, W., Wang, F., Zhang, J., Bali Swain, R., et al. (2024). Innovations in science, technology, engineering, and policy (iSTEP) for addressing environmental issues towards sustainable development. The Innovation Geoscience, 2(3), 100087 https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100087 

Huang, L., Bali Swain, R., Jeppesen, E., Cheng, H., Zhai, P., Gu, B., Barceló, D., Lu, J., Wei, K., Luo, L., Wang, F., Wang, H., Zeng, J., & Guo, H. (2024). Harnessing science, technology, and innovation to drive synergy between climate goals and the SDGs. The Innovation, 100693. https://www.cell.com/the-innovation/fulltext/S2666-6758(24)00131-0

Bali Swain, R., & Min, Y. (Eds.). (2023). Interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goals. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/interlinkages-between-the-sustainable-development-goals-9781803924939.html

Forthcoming

Huang, L., Bali Swain, R., Chen, Y., Liu, J., Li, X., Sun, Z., Lu, S., Zuo, L., Wang, F., Wu, M., Wen, C., Wang, M., & Guo, H. (2026). Data scarcity to strategic insight: Monitoring global SDG progress using Big Earth Data and AI.