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Open SDG Engagement Platform
Description/achievement of initiative

The Open SDGs Engagement Platform will allow access to new and existing sources of data and information and help to identify and address requirements for dis-aggregated indicators. It will also help foster new ideas and strengthen a data-driven dialogue to support required institutional arrangements and capacity building interventions. This overall effort represents the partnership between private and public, Esri and new and existing actors to support data-driven decision-making by initiating more open, new, and usable data to help end extreme poverty, combat climate change, and ensure a healthy life for all.

Implementation methodologies

With the recommended resource team, this platform can be enabled to support the next phase of SDG development data challenges in the following two phases. Phase 1 - Platform for monitoring the SDGs Setup This phase involves planning for and preparing the necessary, software, data, and resource support for the foundational geographic platform by standing up an initial prototype and identifying and implementing the plan for strengthening, improving, and extending the platform to be sufficiently robust on both the collection, data management, and visualization components. This activity would be supported by a Senior GIS Systems Architect, who will define the hardware and software architecture for the GIS implementation. This individual will support the application of sound software engineering principles and life cycle methodologies to the project. The Architect will support the systems architecture design, application software design, database process design, and the directing of coding development including the supervision of design and code reviews where necessary. This activity will require deploying a quick, integrated, platform capability for sustainable development data capture. This will require the configuration of an initial operating capability for the SDGs Engagement Platform for specific goals, targets, and indicators. Analysts will also supports this activity to identify the GIS support resources necessary for maintenance of the Platform and transfer operational support to the organizations support teams.

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

Esri will work with our existing statistics counterparts and all key stakeholders to determine user needs, system architecture, and capacity building and technology transfer requirements. This will result in a roadmap for deploying all necessary components of the Platform. This will set a foundation for sustained growth and supportable services for all partners. SDG data mobilization will be dependent on the implementation and collection agencies’ ability and the scale and extent of each operational capability. Capacity building, through use of existing expertise and recruitment of new staff, establishing local partnerships, mutual aid agreements, and proper training is essential to being ready to scale in response to concurrent large-scale challenges and timelines of specific data efforts.

Coordination mechanisms/governance structure

Based on the successful efforts and lessons learned in establishing enterprise platforms for the development community, the solution for monitoring the SDGs will initially require a dedicated team of individuals with various technical skills to plan, implement, operate, and support the foundational spatial and statistical data platform. This resource requirement will likely grow as the number of personnel within various development programs requiring direct assistance for GIS implementation expands. Once the platform capability is deployed, the dedicated team of individuals will support the generation of information products, coordinating the efforts as far down as the local project level of field personnel collecting SDG data, etc. with appropriate guiding Government and Implementing partner, development headquarters and country counterparts. Assuming adequate capability, these agency team members will transition, through technical transfer, the responsibility for operation and management of the deployed activity. SDG data mobilization will be dependent on the implementation and collection agencies’ ability the scale and extent of each operational capability.

Partner(s)

Esri, World Bank, US State Department, Deputy Presidents Office of Kenya, World Council On cities Data, Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Progress reports
Goal 17
17.2 - Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.3 - Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.4 - Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.5 - Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.6 - Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.7 - Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.8 - Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Data, monitoring and accountability
17.18 - By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.19 - By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
July 2016
a data model with the ability to deploy content on SDG indicators globally, nationally, and sub-nationally
June 2016
an open enterprise solution architecture that would transform global geospatial information and statistical data into open web services
March 2017
the resource capacity to implement, support and operate the system on an on-going basis, including developing local capacity to sustainably institutionalize this infrastructure
September 2016
a series of specific information products and applications based on a needs assessment of key decision-makers at international and country level
In-kind contribution
Esri will extend professional service rate structures under the nonprofit and global organization program
In-kind contribution
Esri will provide a donation of technology for a 2 year duration
Staff / Technical expertise
Esri would support the development of an operational prototype Open SDGs Engagement platform leveraging continued development of SDGs Dashboard
Staff / Technical expertise
Professional Servioces development of 2-3 Information Products

Basic information
Time-frame: June 2016 - March 2017
Partners
Esri, World Bank, US State Department, Deputy Presidents Office of Kenya, World Council On cities Data, Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Countries
Contact information
Charles Brigham, Account Executive, cbrigham@esri.com
United Nations