Indicators and Indicator Framework

Question 1

Indicator

Answer 1

• quantifies and simplifies phenomena and helps understand complex realities
• aggregates of raw and processed data but can be further aggregated to form complex indices

Question 2

What do we need indicators for?

Answer 2

• defining objects
• Assessing present and future direction with respect to goals and values
• Evaluating specific program, plans, projects
• Measuring/Demonstrating progress
• Evaluating strategies and policies results against them as reference

Question 3

Musts for indicators

Answer 3

• be relevant
• be able to measure what we want to measure
• to identify key factors of phenomena; strategy, project
• give clear information on it
• quantify and simplify the complex phenomena
• be feasible and practical to be collected and/or implemented

Question 4

indicator could (be)..

Answer 4

• target reference
• qualitative / quantitative
• measure raw data or aggregated information
• political target or represent political priority
• address strategies and political targets
• evaluate or monitor effect of strategies and political actions

Question 5

DPSIR is short for…

Answer 5

• Driving Forces
• Pressures
• State
• Impacts
• Responses

Question 6

Driving forces

Answer 6

socio-economic and socio-cultural forces driving human activities

Question 7

Pressures

Answer 7

stresses that human
activities place on environment

Question 8

State

Answer 8

condition of environment

Question 9

Impacts

Answer 9

effects of environmental degradation

Question 10

Responses

Answer 10

responses by society to environmental situation

Question 11

What does it make a Good Indicator of Sustainability?

Answer 11

• Address carrying capacity
• Relevant to community
• Understandable to community
• Useable by community
• Long term view
• Show linkages

Question 12

Limits of Sustainabilty Indicators

Answer 12

• difficult to measure multidimensionality
• complexity (of technical indicators)
• far from being an effective support to policymaking
• prevents local community to identify their indicator

Question 13

Top-Down approach

Answer 13

the definition of assessment parameters with an identification of what is valuable to society

Question 14

Bottom up

Answer 14

Identifying all possible databases and data about the considered aspects

Question 15

combined approach

Answer 15

• most complete procedure
• select indicators related to meaningful topics that should be assessed for complete analysis
• identify indicators that are feasible in term of data availability

Question 16

Goal

Answer 16

description of future condition community members wish to achieve

Question 17

Principle

Answer 17

rule of conduct, esp. of right conduct

Question 18

Criterion

Answer 18

means of judging; a test by which something can be judged

Question 19

Indicator - Markus -

Answer 19

numeric measure that provides key information about a system’s
condition

Question 20

(Goals or Indicators)

Answer 20

goal- provides framework to develop indicator
indicator- clarify what goal means

Question 21

(sustainable goal)

Answer 21

• balance between economic, social, and environmental conditions
• long term limits of natural, social, and built systems
• inter- and intra-generational equity
• ‘big picture’ view

Question 22

EPI

Answer 22

• Environmental Performance Index
• ranks countries’ performance on protection of human health + protection of ecosystems
• uses a lot of indicators

Question 23

Proximity-to-Target-Method

Answer 23

• country scores are determined by how close they are to targets
• scores are standarised (scale 0 to 100)

Question 24

Data vs. Statistics

Answer 24

-Data are figures that need further processing
-Statistics are data coming from official sources

Question 25

Statistics vs. Indicators

Answer 25

-Statistics are figures describing real phenomena according to an exact definition
-Indicators , in contrast, should send correct messages without a need for further interpretation (Indicators may require adjustments)

Question 26

key definitions

Answer 26

• Goal: what you ultimately want to achieve
• Target: A specified, realistic, measurable objective
• Index: a group of indicators aggregated into a single value
• Indicator data (or raw data): values used in indicators
• Indicator framework: conceptual structure (linking indicators to a theory, purpose or planning process)
• Indicator set: a group of indicators (selected to measure comprehensive progress toward goals)
• Indicator system: a process (for defining indicators, collecting and analysing data and applying results)
• Indicator type: nature of data used by the indicator ( qualitative or quantitative, absolute or relative)

Question 27

Assessment of Data Qualtiy (3-6 davon können)

Answer 27

Relevance
Timeless
Accessibility
Clarity
Metadata
Accuracy
Completeness
Comparability
Methodological soundness
Efficiency
Coherence

Question 27

Assessment of Data Qualtiy (3-6 davon können)

Answer 27

Relevance
Timeless
Accessibility
Clarity
Metadata
Accuracy
Completeness
Comparability
Methodological soundness
Efficiency
Coherence

Question 28

Need of a combindes approach of Top-Down and bottom-up approach

Answer 28

Top-Down-Approach: this sort of approach often fails to engage local communities.
Bottom-Up-Approach: may not have capacity to accuratly monitor sustainability
–> In selection procedures all affected and affecting stakeholders should be involved

Question 29

Levels of sustainability goals

Answer 29

System: long term desired conditions at the community level
Program: medium term changes that occur through the development and/or implementation of programs or sets of activities
Action: short term desired effect of specific action or actions of individuals