Activities  Assessments  Global Environment Outlook (GEO)

Reviewing the state of the global environment and assessing environmental trends is the main focus of UNEP/DEWA work. The realisation of this mandate came to fruition with the launching of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Project in 1995, and which is evolving towards a self-standing, long-term programme. GEO outputs are the final product of an extensive cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder global process that is future-oriented and policy-based in approach. They provide a comprehensive review of the planet's state of the environment, identify major concerns, trends and emerging issues together with their causes and their social and economic impacts.

GRID~Europe has been closely involved in the GEO process since the publication of the first issue in 1997. It provides wide-ranging support by way of core data set's collection, synthesis and on-line dissemination; training in relevant areas such as data management, GIS, Internet-based applications and State of the Environment Reporting for GEO Collaborating Centres and other partners; and contributes to the methodological development of the reporting process.

In collaboration with partner institutions, GRID-Europe is supporting the UNEP/GEO assessment and production work by providing the UNEP network (of some 35) Collaborating Centres (CCs) and other GEO partners with access to a wide variety of "core data sets" from internationally recognized sources. In order to harmonize and streamline the reporting process, a common data and information platform has been developed using innovative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Internet Map Server (IMS) technology. The "GEO Data Portal" gives easy access to major global and regional statistical and geo-spatial data sets, thus providing a more harmonised base to underpin the GEO-4 report.

GEO report webpage: http://www.unep.org/GEO/
GEO Data Portal: http://geodata.grid.unep.ch
GEO-1 report: http://www.unep.org/GEO/geo1/
GEO-2000 report: http://www.unep.org/GEO/geo2000/
GEO-3 report: http://www.unep.org/GEO/geo3/
GEO-4 report http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
GEO Yearbook: http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2007/
KEO report: http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/assessment/geo/KEO/index.php
UNEP Yearboook 2008: http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3980