New Research Tools: Introducing Resource Watch, a New Data Platform to Monitor the “Planet’s Pulse”; API Also Available

From the World Resources Institute (WRI):

World Resources Institute and more than 30 partners are launching Resource Watch, a platform that provides trusted and timely data for a sustainable future. It leverages technology and near-real-time data to bring much-needed transparency on the state of the planet’s people, resources and commerce all in one place.

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Resource Watch was created in the face of two global challenges: a proliferation of data, and declining trust in institutions. Decision-makers are drowning in a sea of data yet can’t find the information they need. That’s where Resource Watch comes in: an easy-to-use monitoring tool that curates and visualizes reliable data. Now, users can see where shrinking reservoirs could cause instability, which cities’ air pollution levels pose a serious threat to their residents’ health, and watch a coral reef transform from bleaching over time.
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Resource Watch features hundreds of data sets on the challenges facing human society and the environment. Users can explore and overlay datasets on climate change, poverty, state instability, urban infrastructure and more. They can also download, analyze and visualize the data in countless ways, and share their insights.
Today marks the first day that Resource Watch open to the public – the platform is free for all users and will continue to grow stronger and smarter as WRI adds new data layers and functionality every week.
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Resource Watch’s underlying data infrastructure (API) is open source, meaning that others can build on it to create their own custom, self-branded applications. In this way, Resource Watch is a global public good, enabling any organization to leverage the data revolution for their own causes. The Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREPdata) is the first example of a custom interface to improve access to climate data and help communities build climate resilience, and others are being developed.

Read the Complete Announcement
Direct to Resource Watch
Direct to List of Project Partners

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