As part of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, Google and the United Nations Environment have unveiled a new platform that allows all countries to freely measure and monitor when and where water is changing.
The Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.6 –sdg661.app. provides statistics for every country’s annual surface water (like lakes and rivers).
It also shows changes from 1984 through 2018 through interactive maps, graphs and full-data downloads.
“Working with member countries to understand their needs, it features smaller, more easily manageable tables and maps at national and water body levels,” says Brian SullivanSenior Program Manager, Google Earth Outreach.
“Countries can compare data with one another, and for the first time gain greater understanding of the effects of water policy, and infrastructure like dams, diversions, and irrigation practices on water bodies that are shared across borders.”
The app provides free, scientifically validated data, that will now inform their environmental policies for countries that have never had this information
It provides a globally consistent way of measuring water and its changes over time, and is accessible to everyone.