NTR: Infrastructure

[pbuttigieg]

Issue transferred from https://github.com/SDG-InterfaceOntology/sdgio/issues/90#issuecomment-185569454 From @pdez90

OECD has defined this as :The system of public works in a country, state or region, including roads, utility lines and public buildings. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=4511

This is related to Goal 9 of the SDGs

[pbuttigieg]

@pdez90 @mark-jensen

Given the OECD definition, I'll relabel this as "public infrastructure" with a broad synonym "infrastructure"

I've also added public road, public building, and public utility line with a part of relation to public infrastructure.

The OECD definition of utility is not really about public utilities, but the feeling of utility:

Often defined as the satisfaction derived from consumption of a good or service.

The OECD definition of public utility refers to 'undertakings', which complicates matters a little, and seems to be concerned only with electricity:

Public utilities comprise the undertakings whose essential purpose is the production, transmission and distribution of electric energy, primarily for use by the public. These may be private companies, co-operative organisations, local or regional authorities, nationalised undertakings or governmental organisations.

I've thus added utility line and public utility line to support public infrastructure.

[pbuttigieg]

Note that the OECD definition is not exhaustive, and many other entities are part of a region's infrastructure. These should be itemised with reference to some official or standard definitions. @pdez90 can you supply these?

[pdez90]

This is what the World Bank says: There is no universally accepted definition of what comprises infrastructure. According to Wikipedia the term infrastructure usually refers to “the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, and so forth.” (Emphasis added.) For the World Bank infrastructure is transport, water, energy and information and communications technology (World Bank, 2011) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/730infrastructure.pdf

http://data.worldbank.org/topic/infrastructure has some data that may give an idea of the facets of infrastructure

The following paper also provides more information: http://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-5905 'Infrastructure is defined to cover six sectors: irrigation, energy (primarily power), transport, communication, wastewater management, and water supply.'

On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 6:55 PM, Pier Luigi Buttigieg < notifications@github.com> wrote:

Note that the OECD definition is not exhaustive, and many other entities are part of a region's infrastructure. These should be itemised with reference to some official or standard definitions. @pdez90 https://github.com/pdez90 can you supply these?

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/envo/issues/298#issuecomment-185787777 .

Yours Sincerely, Priyanka deSouza

[pbuttigieg]

@pdez90 many thanks. We'll keep it as is, but if UNEP wishes for a specific rendition of infrastructure to be used, comment on (and reopen if needed) this issue so we can add more 'linkages' or axioms in ENVO.