Decision-makers from urban planners to corporate executives are grappling with tough questions in a changing climate. Should city officials in the Caribbean update building codes to climate-proof infrastructure against storm surges from monster hurricanes like Maria or move to higher ground? Should farmers in drought-prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa adopt more efficient irrigation systems or switch to climate-resilient seeds? Should an Indian company facing high energy costs triggered by rising temperatures invest in more affordable renewable energy systems or relocate its factory to a cooler climate?

To begin answering these questions, decision-makers need reliable, comprehensive data. But a confusing, oftentimes overwhelming array of datasets, platforms and tools frustrate their efforts to plan for climate change. While navigating the many resources available, users typically encounter information that is too complex or technical to understand, conflicting datasets, inconsistent time frames and formats, or outdated static, PDF-style reports. As more and more platforms come online, there is a growing disconnect between data providers and users, meaning that the data adaptation practitioners need is not always collected or readily available.

PREPdata, an open-source data platform, provides access to the curated data that decision-makers need to analyze vulnerability and build climate resilience. It allows users to easily find highly credible climate, physical and socioeconomic datasets from sources like NASA, NOAA, USGS, ESA and more; map them to visualize a specific region’s vulnerability; track the indicators most relevant to their work on customizable dashboards; and share their stories with adaptation professionals around the world. The platform’s wide-ranging datasets include temperature, precipitation, drought and flood risk, social vulnerability, coastal energy facilities, landslides, sea level rise, global urban heat island effect, reservoirs and dams, global cropland extent and more.

 

PREPdata is an initiative of The Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREP), which was formed in 2016 around a simple principle — the belief that everyone should have access to actionable climate, physical and socioeconomic data. As a network of public, private and civil society stakeholders, the Partnership supports the adaptation community by:

  • Providing access to resources like data, data storage, apps and technical expertise to adaptation practitioners around the world
  • Bringing together adaptation-focused research experts, practitioners, data providers and decision-makers across sectors to better understand their information needs and the challenges they face
  • Working with different data providers to improve interoperability, such as different data platforms’ ability to communicate with one another, exchange data and use that information seamlessly
  • Developing products, creating guidance and supporting PREPdata applications to build capacity for adaptation planning

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