MapX in support to the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development

Project description

The collaboration between UNEP/GRID-Geneva, Plan Bleu/Regional Activity Center, MedWaves, and Wings of the Ocean aims to improve access to geospatial datasets essential for the Mediterranean Action Plan Secretariat (UNEP/MAP) and the contracting parties of the Barcelona Convention. This initiative supports the monitoring of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) through a sustainability dashboard featuring 28 indicators. The dashboard also includes thematic plans that illustrate the relationship between human pressures and environmental conditions.

At the core of this effort is MapX, an online, open-source platform for environmental data visualization and monitoring. MapX was chosen for its advanced GIS functions, high-quality data, open-access framework, and suitability for low-bandwidth environments. Its features include serving standardized geospatial data, visualizing and editing datasets, exporting maps, embedding them in websites, and downloading datasets in common GIS formats.

Plan Bleu and MedWaves have requested customized functionalities such as table editing and layer joining, along with technical support from UNEP/GRID-Geneva. Additionally, workshops will be organized to showcase new developments in Plan Bleu’s Regional Observatory and MapX while exploring opportunities to strengthen national capacities and observatories across Mediterranean countries.

As part of this initiative, a citizen science prototype will be launched to enable the publication of waste field-collected data on MapX.

In summary, this collaboration seeks to enhance access to geospatial data, promote regional cooperation, and build capacity for sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.