Mapping for a Sustainable World

NEW YORK, 25 January (Office of Information and Communications Technology) — On 24 January 2021, to celebrate the International Day of Education and to contribute to free and accessible education towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations and the International Cartographic Association released a joint publication entitled "Mapping for a Sustainable World".

The publication aims to share best practices, conventions, and explaining how different mapping techniques reveal spatio-temporal patterns, such as global population growth, socioeconomic disparities, and climate change, to understanding challenges and achievements towards the Sustainable Development GoalsExternal link. 

By integrating geospatial and statistical data of the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator DatabaseExternal link, cartography can support decision-making and promote public awareness on the Sustainable Goals.  The publication introduces the SDGs and their relation to data, describes foundational design decisions in cartography, introduces common map types and diagrams for representing the SDG indicators and discusses consideration for map use environments.

This article originally appeared on the United Nations Geospatial website. United Nations Geospatial is comprised of a team of geospatial experts in OICT, the Global Service Centre and further offices in peace operations and their field missions.