CDP Cities, States andRegions Open Data Portal
User Guide

March 2022

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2
Data available on the Open Data Portal ................................................................................ 2
Where does the data come from?...................................................................................... 2
What datasets are available? ............................................................................................ 3
Different types of datasets ................................................................................................. 5
Data format .................................................................................................................... 5
Level of automation........................................................................................................ 6
How to navigate the site and download data ......................................................................... 7Open Data Portal Homepage ............................................................................................ 7
1. Header Bar ................................................................................................................ 8
2. Search Datasets ........................................................................................................ 8
3. Publications and Other Resources ............................................................................. 9
Accessing datasets through the homepage tiles .............................................................. 10
Example: Finding datasets on ‘emissions’ .................................................................... 10
Filtering the data and creating visualizations ................................................................... 14
Creating an account for the Open Data Portal ................................................................. 15
Using the data outside the Open Data Portal ...................................................................... 16
How to read the data in Excel .......................................................................................... 16
Full responses dataset ................................................................................................. 16
Topic-specific dataset .................................................................................................. 17
CDP Response Search ................................................................................................... 18
Citing the data ................................................................................................................. 19
Use of any data on the Open Data Portal ..................................................................... 19
Additional guidance for use of cities data ..................................................................... 19
Useful resources ................................................................................................................. 20
General links ................................................................................................................... 20
Past questionnaires ......................................................................................................... 20
Cities............................................................................................................................ 20
States and Regions...................................................................................................... 20
About CDP .......................................................................................................................... 21

1

Introduction
CDP’s Open Data Portal is one of the largest sources of self-reported environmental andclimate performance data from cities, states and regions worldwide. Datasets containing
publicly reported data from 2011 onwards are available to access and download for free. We
believe that data lies at the heart of the sustainable transition and therefore encourage theuse of this information to identify insights into local environmental and climate-related issues
and action.
CDP’s cities, states and regions data is used by a wide range of stakeholders including
governments,
academics,
researchers,
city
networks,
nongovernmental
andintergovernmental organizations, policymakers, companies and investors. The data is also
provided to the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action Portal, which helps drive negotiations at theannual international Conference of the Parties (CoP) climate summits.
This guide is for anyone looking to view or access data through the Open Data Portal. We
encourage all users to read the guide to support them in making use of the data for their own
needs.
The guide is structured as follows:
1. Data available on the Open Data Portal
2. How to navigate the site and download data
3. Using the data outside the Open Data Portal
4. Useful resources
5. About CDP

Data available on the Open Data Portal
Where does the data come from?
CDP requests environmental and climate-related data from companies, investors, cities,
states and regions, and public authorities1. The data is collected through annual
questionnaires which are available to access online (see the section on ‘Useful resources’ formore information).
The data available on the Open Data Portal includes recent data for cities, states and regions.
Find out more about how to access CDP’s corporate data here.
Please note that the Open Data Portal only contains data from cities, states and regionsthat report publicly through CDP’s reporting platform.

1 Data from public authorities is only available from 2022 onwards. Find out more about CDP’s Public

Authorities program here.

2Due to the annual questionnaires for cities, states and regions remaining open until the end ofeach year, the complete datasets for each year become available once the reporting platform
has closed, typically at the end of that year or at the start of the following year.

What datasets are available?
The Open Data Portal homepage has eight tiles each containing a key statistic based on thelatest cities, states and regions data. Each tile represents a different category covering themain areas of CDP’s work with local governments. The following table lists the datasets
available under each tile. You can use this table to help you find the data you are looking forwhen following the steps in the next section of this guide on ‘How to navigate the site anddownload data’.

Homepage tile

Category

Datasets available

Governance

Datasets containing full
responses2 to the annual
questionnaire, lists ofgovernmental organizations
reporting through CDP, anddatasets on the impact of
COVID-19 on climate action
and climate finance

EmissionsAll datasets on emissions

Opportunities

Datasets on opportunities
from addressing climatechange, collaboration withbusinesses on sustainability,and projects seeking
financing

2 The 2021 Full Cities Dataset is too large to download to Excel in a single file. Please read thedataset description for information on how to download this data to Excel.

3WaterDatasets on water security
risks and water resourcesmanagement

ClimateHazards

Datasets on environmental
and climate-related risks,climate risk and vulnerability
assessments, and socialand health-related impactsof climate risks

Adaptation

Datasets on adaptationplans and actions

Mitigation

Datasets on emissions
reductions targets, plans,
and actions

4

Energy

Datasets on energy mix andrenewable energy targets

Different types of datasets
The datasets available on the Open Data Portal vary according to•Data format•

Level of automation

These differences are explained in the following section.

Data format
There are four main types of data formats:
1. Organizations reporting to CDP
2. Full responses datasets
3. Topic-specific datasets
4. Tables and charts
These are explained below.

Data format

Dataset description

Organizations
reporting to CDP (e.g.
2021 Cities Disclosing
to CDP)

These datasets contain the names of all cities, states and regionsthat reported their sustainability data through CDP in a given year
along with summary information about these organizations. This
includes the names of both publicly and non-publicly reportingorganizations (however, note that only the responses of publicly
reporting organizations are included in the full responses
datasets). You will find information about whether the city, stateor region reported publicly or non-publicly in this dataset.

5Full responses
datasets (e.g. 2021
Full Cities Dataset,
2021 Full States andRegions Dataset)

These datasets contain all public responses to the entire CDP
Cities or CDP States and Regions questionnaire for a particular
reporting year. This type of dataset presents all questionnaire
data in one single table, meaning you will need to filter for specificsections and questions in the questionnaire to find the data you
are looking for, as well as for columns and rows within a single
question (where the question is structured as a table in thequestionnaire).
These datasets are very large (for instance, the 2021 Full Cities
Dataset is too large to download to Excel and has been divided
into three smaller datasets—read the dataset description to findout how to access these), therefore we advise users to refer tothe correct questionnaire guidance when reading the data to help
you find the information you need (see ‘Further resources’ for links
to the questionnaires).

Topic-specificdatasets (e.g. 2021
Cities Adaptation
Actions)

These datasets include responses to specific questions in thequestionnaire. The datasets are therefore smaller and moredigestible to the reader. The data is structured in a similar format
to the format in which it is presented in the questionnaire (forexample, if the question in the questionnaire is in a table format,
the data will appear in this format in the dataset, with the same
columns in the table in the questionnaire appearing as columns in
the dataset).

Tables and charts

Visualizations can be produced from datasets on the Open Data
Portal. These are in the form of tables and charts that show trends
in the data.

Level of automation
There are two types of datasets in terms of automation. These are:
1. Automated datasets
2. Static datasets
These are explained below.

Level of automation

Dataset description

Automated datasets

These datasets update on a daily basis throughout the reporting
year, meaning that new responses will appear in the dataset as
they are submitted. These datasets are live on the Open Data
Portal before the end of the reporting year. Once thequestionnaire has closed at the end of the reporting year, thedataset will stop automating as no new responses will be
submitted.

6

Static datasets

These datasets do not automatically update but instead reflect
responses to the questionnaire or specific questions within it ata moment in time. Most of these datasets are published once
the reporting platform has closed, meaning that the datacontained in the dataset is a full reflection of responses to a
specific question or questions for that reporting year. In somecases, static datasets may be published before platform closure;in this case, the date at which the dataset was published will be
noted in the dataset description.

For all types of datasets, please make sure to read the dataset description to understandif the data contained in the dataset is the best fit for your needs.
Please note that the data available on the Open Data Portal can be used for noncommercial purposes only. Use of the database for commercial purposes is not permitted.
Please read the Open Data Portal Terms of Use for more information.

How to navigate the site and download data
The following section of this guide explains how to navigate your way through the Open Data
Portal—from the homepage, to searching for and viewing datasets, to exporting data to Excel.

Open Data Portal Homepage
When you enter the homepage you will see the following screen.

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There are three main sections to the homepage:
1. Header Bar
2. Search Datasets
3. Publications and Other Resources
These are explained on the following pages.

1. Header Bar
The header bar enables you to quickly access key features on the Open Data Portal andinformation about CDP’s Cities, States and Regions program on the CDP website.

•
•

•

•

•
•
•
•
•

•

Home
o Directs you to the Open Data Portal homepage
Exploreo Browse all data, browse data for different categories such as adaptation or
mitigation, access CDP’s Open Data Portal user guide, and search past CDP
responses
Insightso View case studies of city climate action, the latest A list of cities reporting
through CDP, and news and events from CDP’s Cities program
Our Worko Find out more about CDP’s Cities, States and Regions, and Public Authorities
programs
Report to CDP
o Find out how to report through CDP as a city, state or region, or public authority
Terms of Use
o View the CDP Open Data Portal license
Twittero Directs you to CDP’s Twitter page
LinkedIno Directs you to CDP’s LinkedIn page
Searcho Search all datasets on the Open Data Portal by entering dataset names or key
words
Sign Ino Sign into the Open Data Portal

2. Search Datasets
This section of the homepage has eight tiles containing key statistics based on the most recent
cities, states and regions data. Each of these statistics represents a different category. By
selecting the tiles, the user can access datasets associated with to these categories. See the8

guide section on ‘Data available on the Open Data Portal’ for more information on the different
categories and the datasets accessible through them.

To find out how to navigate through these tiles, jump to the section on ‘Accessing datasets
through the homepage tiles’ (page 10).

3. Publications and Other Resources
This section features our latest or most relevant content from the CDP Cities, States andRegions program, such as reports, press releases, and articles.

9

Accessing datasets through the homepage tiles
Explore the data behind the statistics on the homepage by selecting any of the eight tiles
available under Search Datasets. This section uses an example to guide you through thesesteps. This guidance can be replicated for any of the tiles.

Example: Finding datasets on ‘emissions’Select the ‘emissions’ tile (below) from the homepage.

You will be directed to the following page.

10

This page includes all datasets on emissions (see below). Use the ‘Sort by’ function (top right)
to sort the datasets in order of e.g., most relevant, most recent, etc.

You can also search for datasets from this page using any of the following functions:
1. Search bar (top of page)
2. Selection panel (left of page)
3. Featured Content (top of page)The latest datasets are available under Featured Content.

11Select a dataset, e.g., ‘2021 City-wide Emissions’. This will take you to the following dataset
summary page.

Make sure to read the description of the dataset (below the heading) as this contains
important information about the data included in the dataset.
From this page, you will also find other information about the dataset, such as the date it was
created, when the data was last updated, the number of views and downloads, the dataset
category, and associated tags (select these to search for similar datasets).

12

From the dataset summary page, you can export the data to Excel by selecting ‘Export’ then
‘CSV for Excel’, as shown below.

To view the dataset online, select View Data. This will take you to the following page.

The data can be exported to Excel also from this page, following the same process.
Use the search bar above the menu to search for data in the dataset.
Other functions include filtering the data and creating data visualizations. These are coveredin the next section.

13

Filtering the data and creating visualizations
Using the Filter function in the menu, filter data in any of the columns in the dataset by selecting
the column you wish to filter and the blue tick box (see example below).

Users can also create visualizations of the data by selecting Launch New Visualization under
the Visualize function in the menu.

14When you select this feature, you will be directed to the following page where you will see amessage prompting you to sign in or create an account in order to save any visualizations you
create.

If you are interested in creating visualizations, Socrata, the website provider for the Open Data
Portal, has many useful resources to support users. Visit their page on Data Visualization and
Exploration for more information.

Creating an account for the Open Data Portal
It is possible to create an account for the Open Data Portal. This enables users to save filteredviews of datasets or data visualizations.
You can create an account by selecting Sign In from the far right of the header bar and then
Sign Up from the sign in page.

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Using the data outside the Open Data Portal
How to read the data in Excel
There are two formats of datasets on the Open Data Portal that include response data from
cities, states and regions. These are:1. Full responses datasets
2. Topic-specific datasets
These two types of datasets are explained in the guide section on ‘Data format’ under ‘Data
available on the Open Data Portal’. An example of each dataset once downloaded to Excel isprovided below.

Full responses dataset
This dataset contains all responses to a particular questionnaire, e.g., Cities 2021, and is
structured as follows (dataset columns continued below).

You will find response data in the following columns:•

Response Answer•

Comments•

File Name

Because the dataset contains all response data for a particular questionnaire, the file is verylarge and all questions that were structured in a table format in the questionnaire have been
flattened into one single table. We advise users to refer to the correct questionnaire in thesection of this guide on ‘Past questionnaires’ under ‘Useful resources’, then filter for one ormore of the following to find the data you are looking for:16•

Parent Section•

Section•Question Number•

Question Name•

Column Number•

Column Name•

Row Number•

Row Name

These refer to the columns androws in questions formatted asa table in the questionnaire.
See the example below ofquestion 4.6a in the 2021 Cities
Questionnaire.

This data can be sorted into a table format either by using pivot tables or by filtering thecolumns for a particular question and sorting the row numbers in order so the question data
can be reformatted as it appears in the questionnaire.
Example: Question 4.6a in the Cities 2021 Questionnaire, structured as a table. The data
under the columns and rows in this question can be found in the dataset by filtering for Column
Number or Column Name (e.g., column 1, Direct emissions (metric tonnes CO2e)) and also
Row Number and Row Name (e.g., row 1, Stationary energy > Residential buildings).

Topic-specific dataset
These datasets are in a more readable format to the full responses datasets as they containdata only for one or a small number of questions. For example, the 2021 Cities Adaptation

17

Actions dataset (see screenshots below) contains responses only to question 3.0 in the Cities
2021 Questionnaire.

In this type of dataset, the data is formatted in the same layout that the question is presented
in the questionnaire. Response data can therefore be found under all columns found in thetable for that particular question. Using the same example, see below the format of question
3.0 in the questionnaire to demonstrate. (Note that, in this example, an additional column,
Currency used for reported financial information, has been added to the dataset that does notappear in this question in the questionnaire. This data is from question 0.4 in the Cities 2021
Questionnaire and is included to add context to the financial information reported.)

We also recommend referring to the correct cities or states and regions questionnaire whenreading these datasets.

CDP Response Search
CDP’s response search feature on the CDP website allows you to search and download
publicly reported responses to all CDP’s annual cities, states and regions, and corporates
questionnaires. These downloadable responses enable you to read and understand the
response of a particular reporting organization in a particular reporting year, which may
support your analysis of the data.

18

Attachments uploaded as part of a response, such as a climate risk and vulnerability
assessment or an adaptation plan, can also be accessed through these downloadable PDF
responses.
To find a city, state or region’s full questionnaire response, type a name into the search tooland select the response you wish to view.

Citing the data
Any use of Open Data Portal data in a publication or other output must be referenced. The
following guidance explains how to do this. Depending on the type of data you are using,please refer to the correct section below to find out how to reference the data.

Use of any data on the Open Data Portal
Please cite CDP as the data source in one of the following ways:•

Include the Powered by CDP Data logo on the publication or output. The logo can befound in section 3.3 of the Open Data Portal Terms of Use•

Cite ‘Powered by CDP Data’ with a hyperlink or plaintext URL to the Open Data Portal
website: https://data.cdp.net/

Use of the database for commercial purposes is not permitted. Please read the Terms of Use
to find out more about CDP’s Open Data Portal License.

Additional guidance for use of cities data
Cities data on the Open Data Portal is collected through CDP-ICLEI Track, which is the global
environmental reporting platform for cities. When using this data, please cite bothorganizations using the following logos and wording:‘This data was collected in partnership by CDP and ICLEI – Local Governments for
Sustainability’19Useful resources
General links
CDP Cities Program
CDP Response Search
CDP States and Regions Program
Live CDP Cities Questionnaire
Live CDP States and Regions Questionnaire
Open Data Portal Terms of Use
The Open Data Portal is powered by Socrata. Socrata has lots of useful resources on its
website providing guidance on how to navigate the site and use certain features of the site.
All of these resources are available to access here for free.
If you require further assistance, please visit our Help Center.

Past questionnaires
CitiesStates and Regions

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2011

Questionnaire launched in 2014

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2012

Questionnaire launched in 2014

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2013

Questionnaire launched in 2014

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2014

CDP States and Regions 2014

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2015

CDP States and Regions 2015

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2016

CDP States and Regions 2016

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2017

CDP States and Regions 2017

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2018

CDP States and Regions 2018

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2019

CDP States and Regions 2019

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2020

CDP States and Regions 2020

CDP Cities Questionnaire 2021

CDP States and Regions 2021

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About CDP
CDP is a global environmental non-profit organization that helps investors, companies, cities,
states and regions assess their environmental impact and take urgent action to build asustainable economy. We aim to make environmental reporting mainstream and provide
detailed insights to drive action for a climate-safe, water-secure, deforestation-free world.
CDP’s cities program was launched in 2011, with the states and regions program launchedthree years later in 2014. Since then, the number of cities reporting has increased 23-fold, andthe number of states and regions reporting has increased eight-fold, amounting to more than
1200 cities, states and regions reporting their environmental and climate data through CDP in
2021.
Growth in cities, states and regions reporting, 2011 – 2021
1400
1224
1200
985

1000

943

750

800
633

674

600
380

400
219
200
48

73

2011

2012

110

0

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

21