A lack of open data standards for large infrastructure project hampers social-ecological research in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

New infrastructure projects are planned or under construction in several countries, including in the bioculturally diverse Amazon, Mekong, and Congo regions. While infrastructure development can improve human health and living standards, it may also lead to environmental degradation and social change. Accessible, high quality data about infrastructure projects is essential for both monitoring them and studying their social and environmental impacts. We investigated the availability and quality of data on infrastructure projects in the Brazilian Amazon by reviewing the academic literature and surveying researchers from the conservation and development community, then used the results of these surveys to identify critical data attributes for the gathering, organizing, and sharing of infrastructure data by social-ecological researchers and practitioners.Although data on infrastructure in the Brazilian Amazon were generally available, they were often of poor quality and lacked information critical for monitoring and research. Data were often difficult to find and reformat, resulting in loss of time and resources for researchers and other stakeholders. Discrepancies between researchers’ survey responses on data needs and the types of data used in peer-reviewed articles on infrastructure projects indicate the following information was often missing: geographic extent of the project, construction and operation dates, and project type (e.g., paved vs unpaved road). Including these data in a standardized format, along with making them more readily accessible by hosting them in public repositories and ensuring they are current and comprehensive, would facilitate research and improve planning, decision-making, and monitoring of existing and future infrastructure projects in Brazil and other developing countries.HighlightsInfrastructure projects across the globe spur economic development but also lead to social- ecological degradation.Researchers and practitioners need current and comprehensive data to better mitigate social- ecological changes from infrastructure.Infrastructure data are often unavailable, inaccessible, or incomplete.Finding and organizing datasets cost researchers hundreds of hours and may lead to abandoned projects.To promote better research outcomes, governments and NGOs should ensure datasets on infrastructure are accessible, current, comprehensive, and include such vital information as the project’s geographic extent, dates of construction and operation, project type, and essential technical data.