documentation/data-dictionary/data-dictionary.md

Data Dictionary

This document provides definitions for the data fields and values in the IFVI Value Factors dataset.

Value Factor Structure

Each value factor in the dataset follows this general structure:

{
  "Category": "String",         // Environmental impact category (e.g., "PM2.5", "SOx")
  "Location": "String",         // Geographic location (e.g., "Urban", "Rural")
  "Impact": "String",           // Impact type (e.g., "Primary Health", "Visibility")
  "Unit": "String",             // Measurement unit (e.g., "/metric ton", "/ha", "/kg")
  "ValueFactorKey": "String",   // Unique identifier for the value factor
  "ValueFactor": Number         // Monetary value in USD
}

Categories

The dataset includes the following main categories of environmental impacts:

Air Pollution

• PM2.5: Particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers
• SOx: Sulfur oxides
• NOx: Nitrogen oxides
• NH3: Ammonia
• VOC: Volatile organic compounds

Land Use and Conversion

• Agricultural Land Types: Various types of agricultural land (e.g., "Wheat - conventional", "Oilseeds - conventional")
• Forestry: Forest land
• Urban Land Types: Various types of urban land (e.g., "Paved", "Built")

Waste

• Hazardous: Hazardous waste
• Non-Hazardous: Non-hazardous waste

Water Pollution

• Water Consumption: Water usage and pollution impacts

Locations

Locations in the dataset can refer to:

• Geographic settings (e.g., "Urban", "Rural", "Peri-Urban")
• Specific usage contexts (e.g., "Transport", "Industry")
• "N/A" for categories where location is not applicable

Impacts

Impact types include:

• Primary Health: Direct health effects on humans
• Visibility: Effects on visibility
• Lost Ecosystem Services: Degradation of ecosystem services
• Leachate: Contamination from waste leachate
• Waste Air Pollution: Air pollution from waste
• Heavy Metals and Dioxins: Contamination by heavy metals and dioxins
• Disamenity: Reduction in amenity value
• Waste GHGs: Greenhouse gas emissions from waste

Units

Units in the dataset include:

• /metric ton: Per metric ton of emissions (for air pollutants)
• /ha: Per hectare (for land use)
• /kg: Per kilogram (for waste)
• /m³: Per cubic meter (for water)

Territories

The dataset covers 268 territories, including:

• Sovereign nations
• Dependencies
• US states (for air pollution data)

Value Factor Calculation

Value factors are calculated based on IFVI methodologies that consider:

• Local economic conditions
• Population density
• Environmental sensitivity
• Health impacts
• Ecosystem service valuation

For detailed methodology information, refer to the IFVI documentation at https://ifvi.org/methodology/environmental-topic-methodology/interim-methodologies/.