DSS5101 Chap.8 Measuring Progress: Indicators, Tiers and Data
Measuring Progress: Indicators, Tiers and Data
How the goals are counted
Each goal is divided into targets and each target into indicators, numbered goal, target, indicator. Indicator 11.6.2, for instance, measures the annual mean level of fine particulate matter in cities, weighted by population. The indicators are what any comparison of progress actually uses, and the UN classifies them by how dependable their data are.
A Tier I indicator has a clear concept, an established method and data regularly produced for at least half of countries and of the population in each relevant region. A Tier II indicator has the concept and method but not regular data. Tier III, with no established method, no longer appears in the framework.
As of 13 December 2023 the classification listed 157 indicators in Tier I, 66 in Tier II and 8 split across tiers.
The data project
CA2, worth 30 per cent, asks your group of four or five to choose one goal, pose a research question, frame it as null and alternative hypotheses and analyse available data.
The brief suggests comparing countries, correlating goals or contrasting the Global North and Global South, and names simple correlation, generalised linear models and multivariate analysis as possible methods. It gives a deliberately loose example about sustainability and HDI and asks how it could be made more specific.
The report has nine set sections, runs to no more than 1,500 words excluding references and appendix, and must include the data table and any R code.
Checks before analysis
The brief asks whether the data are reliable, whether there are gaps across years or countries, and whether the indicator is Tier I or Tier II.
Those checks matter unevenly across goals: the leading ocean indicators are Tier II, while the core forest indicators are Tier I. A Nature editorial set for the course reports that internationally comparable data exist for under half of countries on climate action, on gender equality and on peace and justice.
The progress reports cited in the Week 3 lecture show why the effort is worth it: in the 2025 report only 15 per cent of the 139 targets with trend data were on track.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Goal, target and indicator numbering
- 02
Tier I and Tier II and what each allows
- 03
Choosing one goal and one question for CA2
- 04
Writing null and alternative hypotheses
- 05
Reliability, gaps and tiers as required checks
- 06
The nine-section report and its appendix
Worked example · free
Sharpening a loose research question
- 2Replace the vague outcome with a named indicator.
- 2Write the null and alternative hypotheses.
- 2Name two required data checks.
Key terms
- Tier I Indicator
- An indicator with a clear concept, an established method and data regularly produced for at least half of countries and of the population in each relevant region.
- Tier II Indicator
- An indicator with a clear concept and an established method but without regularly produced data, so comparisons face gaps.
- Null Hypothesis
- The statement of no difference or no association that a statistical test tries to reject, written as H0.
- Alternative Hypothesis
- The statement of the difference or association the researcher expects, written as HA and accepted only if the null is rejected.
- Custodian Agency
- The international organisation responsible for compiling an indicator's global data, such as the WHO for urban air quality.
- Data Gap
- Missing values across years or countries that limit what a comparison can show and may be concentrated in the groups most left behind.
Measuring Progress: Indicators, Tiers and Data FAQ
What is the difference between Tier I and Tier II indicators?
Both have a clear concept and an established method. Tier I indicators also have data regularly produced for at least half of countries and population in each relevant region, while Tier II indicators do not, so comparisons using them face more gaps.
How many SDG indicators are in each tier?
The classification the CA2 brief links to places 157 indicators in Tier I, 66 in Tier II and 8 across more than one tier, as of 13 December 2023, with refinements to six indicators added in March 2024.
How should the hypotheses for the data project be written?
Name a measurable indicator, then write the null hypothesis as no difference or no association and the alternative as the difference you expect. The brief's own example about sustainability and HDI is deliberately loose and asks you to make it more specific.
Which statistical methods does the brief suggest?
It names simple correlation, generalised linear models and multivariate analysis, and asks the group to decide which suits its question. Whatever the choice, the data table used and any R code belong in the appendix.
How long can the CA2 report be?
No more than 1,500 words, not counting references and the appendix. The report follows nine sections from title to appendix, so the method and results need most of the space.
Where should a group look for data?
The brief lists the UN SDG data portal and UNdata, the World Bank, Our World in Data, the IMF, the OECD, the WHO, Eurostat and others. The Week 2 lecture recommends starting with the UN data portal.
Assessment move
Pick your indicator before your countries and check its tier and coverage the same day. Groups that choose a question first often discover the data do not exist; groups that start from a Tier I indicator with long series can spend their word limit on analysis instead of apology.
Working through Measuring Progress: Indicators, Tiers and Data in DSS5101? Sia is AskSia’s AI Environmental Science tutor — ask any DSS5101 Measuring Progress: Indicators, Tiers and Data question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how DSS5101 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
