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GCRISociety and Human DevelopmentIn development
STEM foundation

STEM foundation of Society and Human Development

The science, technology, engineering and mathematics Society and Human Development rests on. Each method has a canonical page in the STEM Commons, hosted by GCRI, and a page here on how it is applied in this field.

Open Social science methods Back to Society and Human Development
Society and Human DevelopmentRegister
  1. 01MethodSocial science methods
  2. 02MethodImpact evaluation for human development
  3. 03MethodSpatial statistics for social data
  4. 04MethodEconometrics for social outcomes

GCRI · In development · service level R0

01In brief

The short answer.

The Society and Human Development STEM foundation is the set of canonical methods its findings depend on, from social and behavioural science to econometrics. For the Consortium, Society and Human Development stewards social and behavioural science. Each method has a canonical STEM Commons page and a page here on its use in the society and human development field.

02Canvas

Methods feeding this platform.

Canvas · methods feeding this platformDesign, not a record
STEM foundation of Society and Human Development: from needs assessment to accountable responseA joint needs assessment estimates people in need and severity; a response plan sets targets by sector; funding and delivery follow; monitoring and feedback from affected people adjust the response. Design of the process, not a record of a run.

Fig.The methods this platform draws on and what each one feeds. Design, not a record.

03Geography

People and exposure in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For STEM foundation of society and human development, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on population density and true-colour imagery, framed on Latin America and the Caribbean; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 2

People and exposure, for this page

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

For STEM foundation of society and human development, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on population density and true-colour imagery, framed on Latin America and the Caribbean; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2ASources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). ODbL
  • Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
  • Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.
  • Observed (EO): Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026), Microsoft Planetary Computer
  • Optional layers (35 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.

Layers and dates

  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
  • Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026

04Methods

The methods behind the field.

  1. Social and behavioural scienceSurvey design for hard-to-reach groups · Qualitative and participatory researchSteward · Society and Human DevelopmentApplied here
    Canonical · STEM Commons
  2. Causal inference and impact evaluationEvaluating cash transfers · Effects of disasters on households · Education programme evaluationSteward · Economic DevelopmentApplied here
    Canonical · STEM Commons
  3. Spatial statistics and geostatisticsSmall-area poverty estimation · Vulnerability and hazard overlaySteward · Space and Earth ObservationApplied here
    Canonical · STEM Commons
  4. EconometricsPoverty dynamics with panel data · Price shock incidence · Inequality decompositionSteward · Economic DevelopmentApplied here
    Canonical · STEM Commons
05Method mix

Why human development needs this combination of methods.

Human development work combines social science for measurement and meaning, causal inference for what interventions changed, spatial statistics for small-area estimates and econometrics for welfare effects. Combined, they let the platform say not only who is vulnerable but why, and which policies reduced vulnerability in comparable places.

Human development work combines social science with causal inference, spatial statistics and econometrics.

06Why it matters

Grounding makes claims checkable.

When a finding names the methods it depends on, a reader can see its assumptions and limits, and an expert in that method can challenge it.

07Key terms

Terms used on this page.

Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.

TermDefinition
STEM CommonsThe shared reference of science, technology, engineering and mathematics methods for the Nexus network, hosted by GCRI, with one canonical page per method and a named steward platform.
Steward platformThe platform that maintains the canonical description of a method in the STEM Commons and reviews how other platforms apply it.
Social and behavioural scienceSocial and behavioural science studies how individuals, groups and institutions think, act and organise.
Causal inference and impact evaluationCausal inference and impact evaluation develop methods to determine whether and how interventions or exposures cause outcomes.
08Sources

Where this page's references lead.

The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.

09Pages

Pages in STEM foundation of Society and Human Development.

Method

Social science methods

Method

Impact evaluation for human development

Method

Spatial statistics for social data

Method

Econometrics for social outcomes

10Questions

Questions and answers.

What is a steward platform?
The platform that maintains the canonical description of a method and reviews how it is applied across the Consortium.
Related

Around Society and Human Development.

Society and Human Development

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