Calculating Indicators From Global Geospatial Data Sets for Benchmarking and Tracking Change in the Urban Environment

This technical note describes a methodology for calculating urban indicators by combining global geospatial datasets with local jurisdictional boundaries to support urban decision-making and benchmarking.

• The World Resources Institute developed a methodology using geospatial analysis and zonal statistics applied to published geospatial datasets and city boundaries to calculate indicators for any urban area on Earth. These indicators cover themes such as air quality, biodiversity, flooding, heat, climate change mitigation, land protection and restoration, and access to urban amenities.
• The indicators were prioritized through consultations with stakeholders from several global sustainable urban development initiatives, including UrbanShift, Cities4Forests, Transformative Urban Coalitions, and Deep Dive Cities. These metrics allow policymakers and civil society to perform internal city assessments, compare different cities, and measure progress against self-defined metrics or global benchmarks like the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The approach relies primarily on open-source data, which facilitates the replication and scaling of analyses at a low marginal cost, although the document notes there are limitations to using this approach for decision-making.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Calculating Indicators From Global Geospatial Data Sets for Benchmarking and Tracking Change in the Urban Environment. https://www.wri.org/research/calculating-indicators-global-geospatial-datasets-urban-environment

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Calculating Indicators From Global Geospatial Data Sets for Benchmarking and Tracking Change in the Urban Environment. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/calculating-indicators-global-geospatial-datasets-urban-environment.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Calculating Indicators From Global Geospatial Data Sets for Benchmarking and Tracking Change in the Urban Environment |url=https://www.wri.org/research/calculating-indicators-global-geospatial-datasets-urban-environment |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcalculating, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Calculating Indicators From Global Geospatial Data Sets for Benchmarking and Tracking Change in the Urban Environment}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/calculating-indicators-global-geospatial-datasets-urban-environment}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }