Introduction
The CCG Critical Minerals Dashboard is developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge as part of the Climate Compatible Growth project, which is supported by the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics (CCG). It aims to facilitate research, policy development, and education by providing a transparent and interactive overview of the spatial dynamics of mineral resources and their wider context. The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) programme is a UK Aid-funded initiative that promotes investments in sustainable energy and transport systems to align with development priorities in the Global South. In collaboration with leading universities including UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, and the Open University, as well as organisations such as the Centre for Global Equality and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, CCG seeks to empower developing nations to establish investment cases that attract climate finance for clean energy infrastructure. By fostering partnerships and enhancing local capacity in energy modelling and analysis, CCG enables countries to make informed decisions regarding energy policies and infrastructure projects. As of June 2024, CCG has received an additional £57 million from the UK Government, extending its operations until 2030 and broadening its partnerships to encompass Nepal and Malawi. (Source)
Team:
Alexey Noskov
Philip Martin Mitchell
Amir Keshavarzzadeh
Jonathan Cullen
André Cabrera Serrenho
CCG Critical Minerals WebGIS Dashboard - User Guide
Accessing the Dashboard:
Overview
The WebGIS Dashboard is an interactive tool developed as part of the Climate Compatible project at the University of Cambridge, designed to visualise the geographic distribution of critical minerals, their geological context, and accompanying socio-environmental data layers.
It supports exploration at three levels:
World view - global distribution of lithium mines, overlaid with several thematic maps.
Regional view - static maps focused on ASEAN and Southern Africa.
Country view - detailed country-level insights with various interactive layers (e.g., copper mines, land cover, population, etc.). Additional layers have been prepared for Zambia. All available mine polygons (obtained from here) are accessible for all countries, allowing them to be overlaid with various thematic layers.
Features:
Active:
Country view implemented with mine and boundary overlays.
Layer stacking: Users can now overlay several thematic layers.
'Show Legend' button: Available for layers with legends (e.g., geology).
'Remove all layers” button: Quickly clears all active layers.
Numerous minor enhancements for usability and performance.
In Progress:
Anticipate minor improvements as deployment continues.
How to Use
Navigate to a view using the provided links. Toggle layers via the sidebar or control panel, and you can add multiple layers. Use the 'Remove all layers' button to reset the map. Click 'Show legend' (only for supported layers). Explore mines, geological features, population, and other overlays interactively.
Global View
Global View Analysis
The Global View page of the dashboard features a comprehensive, interactive map that allows users to visualise and explore global datasets in a dynamic and user-friendly way. This map is powered by OpenLayers, a widely used open-source library for displaying and interacting with maps and geospatial data. The dashboard employs WMS (Web Map Service) to access external geospatial data sources, permitting the display of high-quality maps directly in the user’s browser.
Key Features of the Global View
Map Layers:
The map consists of several WMS layers that are dynamically loaded from remote servers. These layers represent various types of geospatial data. The specific data layers in use are retrieved from the server and rendered dynamically, facilitating easy updates to the dashboard without the need to manually upload new data. The use of WMS allows for real-time data retrieval, ensuring that the map remains current at all times.
The following data sources are included (available at global and country view): The available layers are:
1. Land Cover
Terrascope (WMTS): WORLDCOVER 2021 provides a high-resolution global land cover classification.
2. Lithosphere
BRGM CGMW (WMS):
Onshore Geology – Displays global bedrock geology.
Offshore Geology – Represents geological units in offshore regions.
Structural Geology – Highlights major fault lines and structural features.
NASA GIBS ASTER GDEM (WMS): Elevation – Provides a global digital elevation model with shaded relief.
3. Atmosphere
MODIS (WMS, NASA GIBS): Mean land-surface temperature.
Annual precipitation.
4. Hydrosphere
MODIS Water Mask (WMS, NASA GIBS): Identifies permanent water bodies.
Custom Layers (WMS, gsdr.n-kov.com):
Lakes – Highlights significant lakes.
Rivers – Displays global river networks.
5. Biosphere
Landsat WELD (WMS, NASA GIBS): Vegetation - NDVI – Annual vegetation health index.
Mangrove Forests (NASA GIBS, WMS): Global mangrove coverage (2000).
Forests Change (WMS, future addition) – Tracks deforestation and reforestation trends.
6. Population
GPW Population Density (NASA GIBS, WMS): Displays global population distribution (2020).
GRUMP Settlements (NASA GIBS, WMS): Represents human settlements.
Urban Expansion Probabilities (NASA GIBS, WMS): Predicts urban growth trends.
Custom Layers (WMS, gsdr.n-kov.com):
Populated Places – Displays cities and towns.
7. Transportation
Shipping Traffic Density (WMS, future addition) – Visualizes maritime traffic.
Road Network (WMS, future addition) – Displays major roads and highways.
Custom Layers (WMS, gsdr.n-kov.com):
Ports – Highlights global ports and maritime infrastructure.
8. Infrastructure
Power Lines (WMS, future addition) – Maps high-voltage transmission lines.
User Interactivity:
Zooming and Panning: The map is interactive, enabling users to zoom in and out to focus on specific regions or view the entire world. This is achieved using OpenLayers’ built-in zoom and pan controls. Layer Toggle: Users can activate or deactivate different map layers to customise their view. This feature is particularly beneficial for users interested in specific data types, such as roads or population data. Popup Information: When users click on specific locations or features on the map, they may receive pop-up information. Currently, this feature displays information solely for features from GeoJSON files uploaded by the user. Data Sources: The WMS integration incorporates data from various global sources, including datasets on climate, population, infrastructure, and land cover. The specifics of these sources can be customised in the OpenLayers configuration; common providers may include agencies such as NASA, NOAA, or OpenStreetMap for road networks and other geographic features.
Map Styling:
The map's visual representation is designed to emphasise relevant data. For example, population density is depicted using colour gradients.
Custom Controls:
In addition to basic map navigation, the Global View may offer further controls and allow for the addition of temporary data overlays for in-depth analysis. These controls enhance the map's flexibility and usability.
User Interaction and Benefits
Exploration: The Global View is primarily a tool for exploring large-scale geographical data. It serves as an entry point for users to grasp global trends and patterns before delving into more specific regional or country-level data views.
Data Access: Users can click on various features within the map to access additional information, providing an enriched experience where they not only visualise data but also obtain more detailed facts about specific areas or features.
Layer Customisation: The ability to toggle layers on and off enables users to concentrate on specific datasets and adjust the map view according to their needs. For instance, users can view infrastructure data independently of environmental or demographic data.
This Global View section serves as an intuitive and interactive starting point for users, allowing them to engage with extensive global datasets in a flexible and efficient manner. The combination of WMS layers, OpenLayers functionality, and interactive controls creates a powerful tool for visualising and analysing geospatial data on a global scale.
Regional view
The Regional View section of the CCG Critical Minerals WebGIS Dashboard provides a collection of static maps for two regions:
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
Southern Africa – Zambia-Zimbabwe-Malawi-Mozambique (ZZMM)
These maps provide key insights into the geopolitical, environmental, and infrastructural aspects relevant to critical minerals, as well as socio-environmental factors.
The static maps are categorized under two main regional sections, each containing 11 thematic maps for ASEAN and ZZMM regions:
Political Map – Country and administrative boundaries.
Physical Map – Representation of terrain and elevation.
Land Cover – Vegetation, urban, water, and other types of land cover.
Annual Temperature – Average annual air temperature distribution.
Annual Precipitation – Mean annual precipitation patterns.
Forest Change – Deforestation and afforestation trends.
Protected Areas – National parks, reserves, and conservation zones.
Transportation – Road and rail networks.
Population Density – Distribution of human settlements.
Mining – Locations of mines and mineral deposits.
Power Grid – Energy infrastructure, including transmission lines and substations.
User Interaction: Clicking on a thumbnail opens the full-sized map in a lightbox, improving usability without redirecting users. Categorisation: The maps are organised by region, making navigation straightforward. Comprehensive Coverage: The included layers encompass both physical and human geography, facilitating various analytical applications.
Country View
The Country View page is designed to offer a comprehensive, country-specific visualisation and interaction with spatiotemporal data. It allows users to view and analyse country-level information tailored to displacement, land use, and other critical data, making it an essential component of the dashboard for those focused on individual country insights. By selecting a country, users can zoom in to see the country's boundaries and the borders of its mines. We provide multiple additional thematic layers for Zambia, addressing the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges related to the country's copper mines. Such functionality could potentially be extended to all countries. Currently, users can select all countries to observe all reported mine polygons and overlay them with the various available thematic layers.
The following additional thematic layers are provided for the country view:
Copper Mines, Population, and Roads (Default Selection)
WMS Layer: Population, Roads, Populated Places, Mine Production. Content: This combined layer provides a thematic view of Zambia's mining sector, transportation infrastructure, and population distribution.
Forests. WMS Layer. Content: Displays forest cover across Zambia, useful for environmental and conservation studies.
Population. WMS Layer: Population. Content: Represents population density distribution across Zambia.
Provinces. Content: Displays Zambia's administrative boundaries at the provincial level.
Rivers. Content: Highlights major river networks within Zambia, sourced from natural hydrological data.
Protected Areas. Content: Maps national parks and conservation areas designated for biodiversity protection.
Roads. Content: Displays Zambia's transportation network, including highways and major roads.
Populated Places. Content: Shows locations of settlements, towns, and cities in Zambia.
Copper Mine Production. Content: Provides data on copper mine output, reflecting Zambia’s mining sector activities.
Copper Mine ESG Scores
The Country View builds on global features specifically designed to provide detailed data for each country. The code utilises OpenLayers, a widely adopted open-source JavaScript library for creating interactive maps, to render country-specific maps and manage geographical data layers. The map is dynamically populated using the OpenLayers library, ensuring smooth navigation and interactions, such as zooming and panning. The map interacts with country-level data, allowing regions within a country to be visualised dynamically. As users zoom into specific areas or click on particular regions, detailed data associated with those areas is loaded and displayed on the page. The country map features interactive elements, enabling users to click on regions to view specific data, such as population density and displacement figures. The OpenLayers controls, including zoom and mouse position tracking, enhance usability and the overall experience. The OpenLayers map is configured with a specific vector layer for the country's spatial boundaries. The code dynamically loads the country polygons from the backend or external sources into the map, ensuring the country map is always up-to-date with the latest geographical data.
Upon selecting a country, relevant data, such as displacement or population statistics, is displayed. The map is dynamically updated to reflect this data, providing users with a visual representation of country-level trends. Additional data layers can be added to the map, enabling users to toggle them on or off. For instance, users can choose to display environmental data, infrastructure, or other variables related to specific geographical regions within the country. The country map layers and associated data are fetched dynamically from a backend database or user data sources (GeoJSON). This enables the Country View page to remain current with the latest available data, offering users real-time insights into the country’s displacement trends and other key metrics. The map is customised according to the data available for the country and may display regions in different colours based on specific attributes, such as population density or displacement figures. The code ensures these visual representations are updated whenever the country data changes or new data becomes available.
OpenLayers is utilised to render the map. It accommodates a broad array of geospatial features, including vector layers, geolocation, and mouse interaction. This library is perfect for rendering interactive maps at various zoom levels and for integrating external data sources, such as GeoJSON and vector files. Government bodies and policy planners can utilise this page to focus on specific countries and acquire insights into national trends, displacement, and other socio-economic metrics. Researchers and NGOs engaged in the fields of displacement or environmental monitoring can use the Country View to track trends within a country, compare regions, and understand spatial relationships.