Big Data and Environmental Protection: An Initial Survey of Public and Private Initiatives

Author
Linda K. Breggin and Judith Amsalem
Date Released
July 2014
Big Data and Environmental Protection

Big data sets and analytics increasingly are being used by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private firms to forward environmental protection. Improving energy efficiency, promoting environmental justice, tracking climate change, and monitoring water quality are just a few of the objectives being furthered by the use of big data. This paper provides examples of the many ways big data sets and analytics are being used to achieve environmental and sustainability goals. These examples are not intended to provide a comprehensive list of all efforts underway, but rather to illustrate the range of initiatives and approaches being used by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private firms.

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