PhD graduate’s location data framework adopted by the UN

 

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Life after graduate research: Dr Greg Scott

Dr Greg Scott developed a framework to incorporate geospatial information in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals during his University of Melbourne engineering PhD. The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework was eventually adopted by the UN.

Greg Scott is a middle-aged white man with short dark hair and a greying moustache. He stands in front of a billboard depicting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in a neat dark suit and blue speckled tie. Underneath his suit jacket is a conference lanyard.

“My PhD was built from a growing frustration that there was a lack of recognition of how important location information is in sustainable development. You can't make an impact if you don't know where you're making an impact,” says University of Melbourne PhD graduate Dr Greg Scott.

Dr Scott worked at the United Nations when he began his PhD in Engineering and IT. He was working on the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In the UN context, sustainable development means making social, economic and environmental development sustainable for countries, particularly developing countries, and communities.

“You can't have social development without having economic development. You can't have economic development without having environmental development. There are trade-offs,” Dr Scott says.

“The key element is being able to understand what those trade-offs are, and to have the best outcome for your community or region or nation – or even, to that effect, the globe itself.”

A location data framework for sustainable development that was adopted by the UN

Location data in sustainable development can reveal where to target social, economic and environmental development.

But incorporating location information into the Sustainable Development Goals required a framework. Dr Scott set out to build it through his research.

What started as a national strategic framework and a masters project evolved into a global strategic framework and a PhD thesis.

“In 2016, I was at the World Bank Land and Poverty Conference. Some of the leaders at the World Bank said, ‘Look, we need to get a much better understanding around land issues,’” Dr Scott says.

I sent in my abstract on the train back to New York. That became the genesis for creating what's now known as the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework or the UNIGIF. Dr Greg Scott

Today, the framework has been acknowledged by the Economic and Social Council of the UN under the UN General Assembly. Dr Scott continues to work with countries around the world to implement it.

“Road testing it with countries was really the fun part. During my PhD, I convened 16 workshops around the world with different countries and regions, from Ethiopia to the US, from Chile to Mexico, the UK and Australia, Rwanda, Belarus and Algeria. I was working with countries validating the framework in a regional context,” Dr Scott says.

“That's really what matters to me. It doesn’t matter so much who wrote it, but the fact that it's being used, it's been appreciated, and it's making a difference – especially in developing countries.”

Learn how our graduates are shaping a more sustainable society

University of Melbourne lead the world in geospatial information management

Prior to his PhD, Dr Scott had worked in geospatial information management for the Australian government and the UN for more than 20 years.

Dr Scott continued to work for the UN during his PhD. Balancing his work with his research wasn’t too challenging, thanks to a supportive employer.

“My director gave me free rein to do this. We didn't know the research was going to have that big an outcome, but we knew this would make a difference,” he says.

Dr Scott had also been a member of the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) industry advisory committee. He knew and had worked with University of Melbourne engineers. That made the transition to being a graduate researcher easier.

“The reputation that the University has globally in this area was a big influence on my decision to do my research there as well,” he says.

Professor Abbas Rajabifard, one of Dr Scott’s PhD supervisors, was “one of the leading lights” in establishing a global academic network for sustainable development, Dr Scott says.

The work that the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration and the University of Melbourne do has so much respect around the world. Dr Greg Scott
Melbourne Connect's geometric panels jut out from the facade which rises towards a blue sky. In the foreground are the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Connect's logos on a plain brick wall.
Melbourne Connect is a purpose-built innovation precinct by the University of Melbourne in partnership with a consortium led by Lendlease.

This respect for rigorous academic work has also helped Dr Scott’s Integrated Geospatial Information Framework succeed, he thinks.

“If I had written the IGIF and hadn't done it as a research project, it would not be where it is today,” he says.

“The PhD helps in being able to communicate with the research community. When they know that you've been through that process, it means that any question about whether you actually know what you're talking about is gone.”

Supporting small island nations in implementing geospatial strategies

Dr Scott finished his PhD during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Once he left the UN in December 2023, he was offered the role of Executive Director, SDG Data Alliance at PVBLIC Foundation.

PVBLIC Foundation is a nonprofit organisation that supports developing countries in implementing geospatial strategies – including Dr Scott’s Integrated Geospatial Information Framework. Their current focus is on small island developing states.

“I’m no longer representing governments, but representing the philanthropic and donor community to support these countries,” he says.

Shifting global politics is making sustainable development less important for some governments. But other sectors can help, Dr Scott says.

“We've seen a lot of change in governments’ positioning recently. The needs of those that are furthest behind are taking a back seat,” Dr Scott says. “But it gives the flexibility for industry and NGOs and academia to fill the gap. And that's certainly what we're trying to do in PVBLIC Foundation.”

“There's too much to do. There's a role for all of us.”

Learn more about a PhD in Engineering and IT

First published on 5 June 2025.

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