SID Countries Empowered with Big Earth Data Tech to Combat Climate Change via Training in Beijing

The Small Island Developing States Capacity Building Workshop on Utilizing Big Earth Data for SDGs in Beijing Photo: Courtesy of CBAS

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are harnessing global cooperation and advanced technologies to strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable development.

A training course, the Small Island Developing States Capacity Building Workshop on Utilizing Big Earth Data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was launched in Beijing in early September.

Nearly 20 representatives from SIDS participated in the training program, which aims to enhance the digital innovation capabilities of young scholars from SIDS and promote the application and dissemination of relevant technological capacities.

Co-hosted by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the eight-day training aims to improve SIDS' capacity for monitoring SDGs through Big Earth Data technology, focusing on disaster risk management and AI-powered decision support systems.

These efforts are expected to equip SIDS with knowledge to be able to tackle climate change and achieve their SDGs.

China has long been committed to addressing global climate change and promoting sustainable development through technological innovation and international cooperation. This training program has garnered significant attention, attracting active participation from government officials and scholars from various island nations who shared their experiences and hopes for the future.

A practical training

The eight-day training course covers key topics closely related to sustainable development and climate change response. The core objective is to enhance the ability of SIDS to monitor and evaluate their SDGs through Big Earth Data technology.

The workshop combines theoretical lectures, technical operations, and case studies to ensure participants can thoroughly understand and master the application of Big Data in the field of sustainable development.

Participants from various island nations praised the training.

Chandranee Bhujoo Rughoobur from Mauritius found the courses highly inspiring and left with great expectations for applying the knowledge gained in her country's sustainable development efforts.

She told the Global Times with excitement that "I am from Mauritius. I work for the statistics department. We are responsible for compiling and analyzing SDG indicators, and this training provides the tools and methodologies we need to monitor progress and address climate change."

She added that this real-time data analysis capability could significantly enhance her country's decision-making in response to climate change and environmental management.

Similarly, Pero Lawrence Duguman from the Department of National Planning and Monitoring in Papua New Guinea expresses gratitude for the Chinese government's support and the opportunity to learn and scale the use of technology, particularly Big Data, which can help visualize important sectors like climate, forests, oceans, towns, and cities.

The Small Island Developing States Capacity Building Workshop on Utilizing Big Earth Data for SDGs in Beijing Photo: Courtesy of CBAS

"The data enables clearer visualization and supports analysis when combined with administrative and survey data. This helps create a more accurate picture of the situation, allowing for better decision-making, planning, and resource allocation," Duguman said.

According to the CBAS, the workshop included hands-on technical sessions, social events, and online practice for simulation result analysis and visualization. Highlights include policies and governance for SDGs, knowledge lectures, applications of images from the SDGSAT-1 satellite, data resources and online platforms for SDGs, and interdisciplinary methods for SDGs monitoring and evaluation.

The goal is to strengthen national research capacities for informed decision-making on various aspects of the SDGs, providing Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) participants with practical guidance to mitigate threats to the physical and economic security of small islands, the Global Times learned from the CBAS.

Apart from the CBAS and the UN DESA, the workshop is also co-hosted by the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre (UN-GGKIC), Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR, CAS), CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence on Space Technology for Disaster Mitigation (SDIM), and the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE).

Answering the call

Small island countries face unique sustainable development challenges, often determined by their geographical environment, economic structures, and climate conditions. While SIDS share common difficulties in combating climate change and achieving SDGs, each country's priorities and needs differ. This eight-day training is designed to help SIDS effectively use Big Earth Data technology to tackle these specific challenges.

Later in May, nearly 4,000 delegates from over 100 countries attended the Fourth International Conference on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda, which adopted the "Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States" as the action plan for the next 10 years.

The training program in Beijing was a key response to this agenda, aimed at helping SIDS enhance their capacity to address sustainable development and disaster risk challenges.

Rughoobur said, "Mauritius is a small island country, and we are vulnerable to climate change. Tourism is a key driver of our economy, but environmental degradation and coastal erosion have impacted our development."

"Through this training, I've learned how Big Data and satellite data can help us monitor environmental changes in real-time, providing us with critical tools for better planning and targeted responses," she said.

Meanwhile, other countries like Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, which rely heavily on agriculture, are facing increasing threats from land degradation and extreme weather that affect food production and infrastructure.

Martinho Da Cruz Lopes, a participant of the workshop from Timor-Leste explained that climate change has brought frequent droughts and floods, severely impacting his country's food security. He noted, "climate change is mostly affecting our country's agriculture and infrastructure. This training has provided us with tools to better monitor these changes and plan for disaster response and future needs."

Lopez said the workshop marked the beginning of learning about Big Data and advanced technologies. He highlighted that the topics covered were highly relevant to the conditions in Timor-Leste and its future development.

Although the country faces challenges such as a lack of infrastructure and tools, Lopez emphasized the importance of building human resources and using the knowledge gained to support sustainable development. He also stressed the value of collaboration with other participants, noting that many SIDS share similar challenges.

SIDS consist of 37 UN member states and 20 associate members of regional commissions, representing about 28 percent of developing countries and 20 percent of UN member states. Facing dual challenges of significant environmental changes and economic development difficulties, SIDS receive special attention within the UN system.

To support their development, the UN has adopted the Barbados Programme of Action (1994), the Mauritius Strategy (2005), and the Samoa Pathway (2014), urging the international community to provide technical, financial, and capacity-building support to help these nations address global challenges and achieve sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.

China as contributor

China's contribution to global climate change response and sustainable development is evident not only in its domestic policies, but also through extensive international cooperation.

In recent years, China has played a vital role in helping developing countries, including the SIDS, build capacity in achieving SDGs by leveraging technological innovation and data sharing.

The workshop in Beijing serves as a prime example of China's commitment to global cooperation in sustainable development.

As China continues its pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it has been sharing technological and data resources through international collaboration.

In the interview with the Global Times, Guo Huadong, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Director-General of the CBAS, said "By integrating various data sources such as satellite remote sensing, meteorological, and ecological data, we can provide comprehensive, timely, and macroscopic precision methods for monitoring and analyzing ecological environments and natural disasters."

"This further contributes to the construction of sustainable development goals. Especially for SIDS facing environmental development challenges like climate warming and rising sea levels, as well as frequent natural disasters and changing resources, the application of big data and earth data science is particularly significant," he said.

In March 2024, UN DESA organized a "Technical Workshop for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States," which focused on developing an SDG indicator monitoring framework for SIDS for the upcoming decade.

Guo led a delegation to the workshop and delivered a keynote address. After the meeting, CBAS suggested to UN DESA that a "Capacity Building Workshop on Leveraging Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals" be held in Beijing. CBAS' researchers would design the curriculum around "Big Data Supporting Sustainable Development," using technical lectures, practical operations, and discussions to enhance intuitive understanding of how digital technologies support decision-making and the achievement of the SDGs, assisting SIDS in addressing sustainable development challenges. The proposal was highly welcomed by UN DESA which later invited personnel from relevant fields of government and scientific institutions in SIDS to participate in this event.

Guo further pointed out that the core aim of this training was to enhance the monitoring capabilities of SIDS through Big Data, enabling them to better respond to the challenges of climate change. Through the application of SDGSAT-1 satellite data, participants were taught how to integrate satellite data with their national monitoring needs, such as ocean resource management and land use assessments. These technologies provide not only better insights into environmental changes, but also the scientific basis for developing long-term strategies.

In addition to satellite data, China has established an open data-sharing platform that has provided free data to 103 countries and regions worldwide. This global data-sharing system allows developing countries, particularly SIDS, to access the latest and most precise scientific data for use in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

"We have abundant Big Earth Data resources and satellite capabilities that we are sharing globally. This data-sharing approach plays a crucial role in helping developing countries monitor their environment and make better decisions for sustainable development," Guo noted.

Besides data sharing, China has supported the implementation of technology in developing countries through various international cooperation projects.

Duguman of Papua New Guinea expressed his appreciation for China's role in supporting SIDS, stating that "China's satellite data and Big Data technology have been a tremendous help for us. With these technologies, we can better understand land changes and carry out more precise planning and management, especially with our limited resources."

Through its global sustainable development efforts, China emphasizes international cooperation and resource sharing. By partnering with organizations like the United Nations, China not only offers technical support, but also helps developing nations build the capacity to make independent decisions using these tools.

"The training program focuses on capacity building and localized technology application. Participants not only learned how to use Big Earth Data tools, but also how to adapt these technologies to their country's specific conditions. This tailored experience can be shared and applied in other nations facing similar challenges," Guo said.

"By collaborating globally, we can share data, knowledge, and technology, enhancing our collective ability to address climate challenges. This experience is valuable for other nations, especially those lacking technical and financial resources, as regional and global cooperation can provide essential support," he noted.

Source: Global Times