Dr. Robert S. Chen
Dr. Deborah L. Balk
Center for International Earth Science Information Network
Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center
Columbia University
Palisades, New York USA http://www.ciesin.org
http://sedac.ciesin.org
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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 at http://www.ciesin.org
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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)
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
For further details, see http://www.ciesin.org/
SRES_fullsize.pdf
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

with
 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)
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 Uses have included:
 Comparison with OLS data
 Vulnerability to hazards
 Land use classification
 Human stress on environment
 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment http://www.ciesin.org/datasets/ gpw/globldem.doc.html
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 Changes in technique
 Proportional allocation
 DCW as base
 Populations consistent with
UN 1995 national totals
 Easier to update by country
 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

Robinson Projection
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 Technical documentation of methodology and error
 Summary of data utilized by world region
 Live links to country summary pages
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 Summary of data and sources, including links to sources
 GIFs of each country’s boundaries
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 Via CD-ROM or ftp. Contact:
 SEDAC User Services e-mail ciesin.info@ciesin.org
tel. 914-365-8922
 Testers welcome!
 Final release expected May/June
Greg Yetman gyetman@ciesin.org
914-365-8982
 Redistribution of ORNL Landscan dataset also planned
 2-3 May 2000 workshop on gridding population planned, including participation by UNEP-GRID, ORNL, WRI, others; contact authors if interested.
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

with
 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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/
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

Norway
Iceland
Swit zerland
Finland
Sweden
New Zealand
Canada
Ireland
France
Aust ralia
Denmark
Unit ed Kingdom
Net herlands
Aust ria
Germany
Unit ed St at es
Port ugal
Japan
Israel
Spain
Slovak Republic
Russia
Belgium
Argent ina
It aly
Hungary
Czech Republic
Chile
Brazil
Poland
Korea
Ecuador
Cost a Rica
Venezuela
Bolivia
Greece
Colombia
M alaysia
Singapore
China
Indonesia
M aurit ius
Sout h Af rica
Bulgaria
Jordan
Thailand
Turkey
M exico
Ukraine
Peru
India
Zimbabwe
Egypt
El Salvador
Philippines
Viet nam
0
Environmental Systems
Environmental Stresses
Human Vulnerability
Social and Institutional Capacity
Global Stewardship
20 40 60
Longer bars denote greater levels of environmental sustainability
80 100
 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
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
For further details, see http://www.ciesin.org/indicators
/ESI/pilot_esi.html
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York

 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 nongovernmental sector
 CIESIN as a university-based NGO is very interested in working with this UN Working Group on these issues
World Data Center for Human
Interactions in the Environment
© 2000 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Columbia University in the City of New York