There is more data available today than ever before thanks to rapid advances in technology, satellites, on-the-ground monitoring, and engaged communities recording information about the world around them. Yet, too often policymakers, business leaders, and analysts cannot access the data they need to make informed decisions about the environment and human well-being. 

That’s why WRI and more than 30 partners built Resource Watch, a free, open data visualization platform that serves as a repository for the world's best available data. The platform hosts over 300 trusted and timely datasets covering climate change, human health, air quality, energy, water, and more. 

Resource Watch data is:

  • Trustworthy: The data sets are curated by WRI’s independent, non-partisan experts and draw from peer reviewed and verified sources. Resource Watch is leading the way in creating a standardized system for preparing open data and metadata for public consumption.

  • Accessible: All the data is open and free - making it available to people around the world.

  • Easy to use: Resource Watch makes it easy to overlay, visualize, and share data sets from various sources all in one place.

Resource Watch is growing every day and creating a community of data providers & users which are now better equipped to act on challenges facing humanity & the planet. New datasets are being added all the time, curated based on our high standards for quality which raises the bar for the growing world of open data. 

Users have the ability to dive into curated topic pages of data, explore near real-time visualizations and create and share their own unique data visualizations by overlaying individual data sets. They can also create dashboards, explore their own areas of interest, and download data directly from the original source.
 

Photo credit: NASA/Unsplash