How can you use geographic information systems to identify sustainability hotspots?

GIS tools are a bit like digital maps. They allow the user to layer various forms of geographic data to better visualise certain information. In sustainability, these geographic tools can particularly help us analyse environmental and social data (the E and S in ESG) to identify areas with urgent sustainability issues. A really easy to understand example is imagine a city planning department looking to develop certain areas. The planners could use GIS tools to look at factors like population density, land use, and environmental quality in more detail and find areas that are most in need of green spaces or better public transportation.

Everimpact measures physical emissions using satellites and sensors. Emissions of a city are displayed on a map to identify hotspots, as well as potential increase or decrease of emissions and sequestration over time. Cities can track the progress of their sustainably policies in real time.

I worked at the World Conservation Monitoring Soceity as a cartographer mapping the world's rainforest. I used GIS to make those maps.

Los sistemas de información geográfica son herramientas poderosas para geo posicionar información en mapas digitales que son representaciones de los territorios y te permiten mapear desde situaciones ambientales, sociales y económicos. Identifica la información que ocupas plasmar para tu proyecto y de donde puedes capturarla.

To identify hotspots using GIS, you can follow these steps: 1. **Define the phenomenon:** Decide what you want to identify as a hotspot. 2. **Collect data:** Gather relevant data related to the phenomenon. 3. **Prepare the data:** Clean and preprocess the data to ensure its quality. 4. **Choose a method:** Select an appropriate spatial analysis method for hotspot detection. 5. **Analyze the data:** Apply the chosen method to the prepared data to identify hotspots. 6. **Interpret the results:** Examine the output to understand the spatial patterns of the identified hotspots. 7. **Communicate findings:** Present the results in a clear and understandable format. 8. **Iterate and refine:** Review the analysis process and results.

As the landmark EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (or EUDR) looms, sourcing strategies for covered commodities and products must evolve quickly in 2024 to also facilitate greater supply chain engagement around traceability and transparency. The EUDR requires importers to digitally trace their supply chains down to the plot where the raw materials were grown. With millions of small farms operating in remote areas with frequent land rights disputes and weak regulatory oversight, agribusiness supply chain data remains a huge challenge. Leveraging GIS for due diligence is just the beginning. More sustainable supply chain solutions are needed to mitigate global supply chain disruption and ensure a just and equitable transition.

Para utilizar o Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) no monitoramento e relatórios de sustentabilidade, eu começo identificando os dados relevantes, como áreas de conservação, recursos hídricos e áreas urbanas. Em seguida, eu importo esses dados para o SIG e os organizo em camadas geoespaciais. Utilizando ferramentas de análise espacial, eu examino as interações entre diferentes variáveis ambientais e humanas. Por exemplo, posso analisar como o crescimento urbano afeta a qualidade da água em determinada região. Depois, eu crio mapas temáticos e relatórios que destacam tendências e padrões observados. Essas informações são cruciais para tomar decisões informadas e implementar medidas de sustentabilidade eficazes.

Landfills owners and operators are partnering with remote sensing companies to measure and monitor emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Companies deploy satellites, airplanes, drones, and ground monitors to detect so-called hot spots, where gas collection and control systems (GCCS) might not be operating at peak efficiency. These data points can be mapped with GIS to help managers visualize data and deploy corrective actions. These collaborations will be critical to efficiently allocate investments in improved GCCS across the industry.