Social Impact Measurement (SIM)

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved by 2030, unless there are improved technical mechanisms for collaboration and coordination, including teamwork, learning and sharing, intelligence gathering and accelerating knowledge and scientific breakthroughs. The lack of comparable social impact measurement systems is a major roadblock for unifying activities, investments and analysis of progress towards the UN SDGs.

This activity focuses on a formula/calculator repository for measuring the carbon/climate impacts of actions/projects. To facilitate this, we aim to track project inputs and outputs more transparently, in ways that can be audited, with a focus, especially on projects with sustainable outcomes. One of the potential outcomes of this effort is a new proposal for a standard for issuing carbon credits.

SIM will provide an open, neutral environment for interested parties to collaborate and deliver the following outcomes:

• A nomenclature approach to data and algorithms that enables interoperability between different impact ecosystems and allows rigorous citation of sources.
• A case-law tracking approach to data usage, with “use-case” precedents cited as in law precedents.
• A “due-diligence” approach for verifying the content of structured data sets with the unstructured online sources like the dark web, social media and others.

The ICSIM citation system we propose has 2 parts:

1. Hyper Catalog for Data and Algorithms
2. Categorized list of usage principles for the application of algorithms to data.

A citation system for these critical areas enables open review, discussion and critique.

We invite stakeholders to share their expertise in this Activity and welcome all individuals and representatives of organizations, such as:

• Social investing/grant making platform operators
• Sustainability-focused/Impact investors
• Climate action project developers
• Carbon removal/sequestration technologists
• Sustainability-minded Technology Corporations
• Foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Financial Institutions
• Think tanks
• Grantors and investors

To learn more about the program and how to join the Social Impact Measurement Framework activity, please express your interest by sending an inquiry to the activity chair whose information can be found in the Contacts section.