Geospatial Value Study Inventory
Welcome
Welcome to the Geospatial Value Study Inventory (GeoVSI). The GeoVSI is an online searchable collection of geospatial value studies developed by Member States and industry experts to help justify investments in geospatial data and systems. The site provides a summary of each study, search facilities and links to the full studies.
The accompanying user guide provides advice on the facilities supported.
This is an open resource, and there is no charge for its use. We welcome the submission of other studies which we will publish subject to certain conditions set out below.
Background
During the annual session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) held in New York in August 2022, two side events independently recognised the need for a resource that compiled the published studies concerning the value of geospatial information to make is easier for the community to access and utilise.
Part of the outcome of these events was the conclusion that, “an increasing number of studies based on different use cases, techniques and geographies now exist. Curating an inventory of Geospatial Socio-economic impact Assessments, would minimize duplication of effort and facilitate good practice.”
The GeoVSI is a direct response to this conclusion.
Scope
The Geo Value Study Inventory (GeoVSI) is a searchable collection of summaries of geospatial value studies. The title is designed to be reflect the intent:
Geo – related to Geospatial information and its use.
Value – principally focused on estimating socioeconomic impacts, both economic and social.
Study – derived from professionally authored published works.
Inventory – a searchable list, referencing the source of studies.
Enhancing the Inventory
GeoVSI is not designed to replace necessary research to establish the value of geospatial in a country or sector but to make it easier for users to find relevant information.
As such, the editors welcome the submission of new studies that enhance the depth and width of coverage, for inclusion in the inventory.
Suggestions on how to improve the structure or other aspects of the inventory are also welcome.
Please submit all feedback and additional studies to: in**@****SI.org
Editorial Control
The editors of GeoVSI reserve the right to exclude material if it is viewed to be of limited relevance or beyond the inventory’s intended scope.
Additional Resources
To optimise the range of studies shared, we have referenced two other related inventories that we have found to be useful information sources in compiling the GeoVSI:
SeBS
The Sentinel Benefits Study SeBS is undertaken by the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), under contract to the European Space Agency. SeBS aims to gather quantitative evidence that the usage of Copernicus Sentinel data provides an effective and convenient support to various market applications.
Each case study analysed in SEBS, focuses on products and services which use data coming from Sentinel satellites, measuring the impact of that product or service throughout the value chain. The starting point is the primary user of the satellite data, followed by a step-by-step analysis whereby the operations of beneficiaries in each subsequent link of the value chain are analysed, all the way down to citizens and society.
To find out more visit: https://earsc.org/sebs
Environmental Valuation Reference Inventory (EVRI)
The EVRI is a searchable compendium of summaries of environmental and health valuation studies. The summaries provide detailed information about the study location, the specific environmental assets being valued, the methodological approaches and the estimated monetary values along with contextualization. The EVRI database contains over 5,000 summaries of valuation studies and information from new studies is added on an ongoing basis. The central purpose of the online database is to facilitate literature review and the application of value transfer techniques for research and policy analysis.
To find out more visit: https://evri.ca/en
Content
Each summary provides information structured as follows:
- Abstract – context and scope of the study
- Location – geographical extent
- Sectors – the specific areas of the economy covered.
- Type – the valuation approaches used.
- Non-quantified Impacts – brief narrative description of selected use cases where monetary value was not assessed.
- Quantified Impacts – the estimated net positive or negative monetary values for the main use cases assessed.
- Reference –publicly accessible URL from where the full contents of the study can be viewed or contact for further information.
Uses
Over the past decade, the volume of literature on the socio-economic value of geospatial products and services has significantly expanded. It is consequently a challenge for geospatial professionals, academic researchers, economists, and other analysts is to find relevant studies quickly and efficiently.
Under increasingly difficult financial and resource constraints, value transfer (using values from a previous valuation study to apply them to another analytical context, with appropriate scaling) may be a cost-effective way to derive defensible value estimates.
The inventory is designed to support users to:
- Quickly find socio-economic impact values of geospatial products and services
- Identify studies to apply value transfer and generate defensible estimates of value.
- Compile information for meta-analysis – using data from single, independent studies of the same topic area to determine overall trends.
- Conduct literature reviews.
- Explore and compare valuation techniques.
A Community Resource
The value study inventory is designed to be an open resource for use by the community of professionals engaged in establishing the value of geospatial data, its management and analysis.
There is no charge for its use, however, to protect the integrity of the resource, users are required to register. Users are required to create a username and password to register, and will be able to access the site once registration is confirmed by the site administrator. Personal information will only be used for the express purpose of administering the inventory and conforms to the requirements of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
