Selection Criteria for Candidate SDI

A Candidate Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI) is an indicator identified as related to or relevant to sustainable development. The Candidate SDI List is the total set of indicators that meet the selection criteria for a Candidate SDI. The Candidate SDI List can contain any number of indicators. A Candidate SDI must relate to the SDI Framework, measure an issue of concern, and meet form and format requirements.

Relate to SDI Framework and Issues of Concern

To truly understand the relationship between the Candidate SDI and the SDI Framework, one must consider the underlying needs, goals, issues, and element characteristics defined below. Each Candidate SDI directly measures a specific characteristic of an SDI Framework element. The element characteristic itself directly relates to a specific problem or issue. Each issue typically has a corresponding goal or target. Such goals support fundamental human needs. The issues and associated element characteristics are the most crucial parts of the Candidate SDI List.

• Needs: Basic human requirements such as food, shelter, nurturing, and raw materials.
• Goals: Specific targets set politically to reach a desired end. In terms of sustainable Development, goals represent levels or types of benefits that we would like future generations to enjoy.
• Problems and Issues: Key areas of an endowment about which we have concerns regarding the maintenance of capacities for future generations.
• Characteristics: Distinguishing attributes of an SDI Framework elements relevant to sustainable development.
• Candidate SDI: an indicator identified as related to or relevant to sustainable development.

Using the technique outlined above allows the SDI Group to start with any goal, issue, or existing SDI to identify the crucial endowment characteristics. If you start with an existing indicator already identified by another Federal agency, then work backwards to characteristic, issue, and goal. If you start with a known goal (such as one defined by international treaty), then work forwards to issue, characteristic, and Candidate SDI. A single characteristic can have multiple Candidate SDI. A single issue can relate to many characteristics and often to many elements.

The element characteristic provides the crucial link between the Candidate SDI and the SDI Framework. Each Candidate SDI must measure a single characteristic of a one element of the SDI Framework. The Candidate SDI can link to any element within the SDI Framework: endowments, driving forces, or outputs and results. These characteristics represent the features and capacities for each endowment that future generations should enjoy. Sample characteristics include quantity, area, quality, constituent breakdown, stock, number, rate, status, etc. If a Candidate SDI links multiple SDI Framework elements, then use the closest common parent. Aggregated and broader Candidate SDI will appear at higher levels in the SDI Framework hierarchy. Detailed and narrower Candidate SDI will appear at lower levels in the hierarchy.