Exploring Open Data: Structuring & Mapping UN SDG Indicators in TypeScript

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework defines 17 Goals, 169 Targets, and 250+ Indicators designed to measure social, environmental, and economic progress toward the 2030 Agenda.

When building applications or analytics dashboards around sustainable development metrics, understanding how goals, targets, and indicators relate hierarchically is essential.

In this article, we'll look at how to model SDG indicators using TypeScript, structure relational mapping between targets, and explore open reference frameworks.

---

1. Hierarchical Architecture of the SDG Framework

The UN SDG data hierarchy consists of three core levels:

Goal (e.g., Goal 1: End Poverty)
  └── Target (e.g., Target 1.1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty)
        └── Global Indicator (e.g., Indicator 1.1.1: Population below poverty line)

For open reference data and preservation archives, you can explore the complete SDG Indicators & Monitoring Framework which categorizes all active global indicators across the 17 goals.

---

2. TypeScript Data Modeling

Here is a clean data model in TypeScript to represent goals, targets, and indicators with type-safety:

export interface Goal {
  id: number;
  code: string;
  title: string;
  description: string;
}

export interface Target {
  id: string; // e.g. "1.1", "1.a"
  goalNumber: number;
  code: string;
  title: string;
  indicatorIds: string[];
}

export interface Indicator {
  id: string; // e.g. "1.1.1", "1.a.1"
  targetCode: string;
  goalNumber: number;
  title: string;
  leadAgency?: string;
}

---

3. Querying & Filtering Targets by Goal

When implementing frontend filters in Next.js or React, mapping indicators to their respective targets enables smooth navigation:

// Sample utility to fetch indicators for a specific target
export function getIndicatorsByTarget(
  targetCode: string,
  allIndicators: Indicator[]
): Indicator[] {
  return allIndicators.filter(
    (indicator) => indicator.targetCode === targetCode
  );
}

// Example usage
const target11Indicators = getIndicatorsByTarget("1.1", sampleIndicators);
console.log(`Found ${target11Indicators.length} indicators for Target 1.1`);

You can view the full list of mapped targets and indicator relationships on the SDG Targets Directory, which organizes the 169 targets with their respective global indicators.

---

4. Best Practices for SDG Data Visualization

1. Maintain Official Codes: Always preserve the official UN alphanumeric codes (1.1.1, 1.a.1, 17.19.2) to ensure interoperability across international datasets.
2. Contextual Target Association: Always present indicators alongside their primary target and goal context (refer to the SDG Global Overview for historical context and methodology).
3. Data Disaggregation: Ensure data schemas support disaggregation dimensions such as gender, age, income quintile, and urban/rural location.

---

Conclusion & Open References

Building open-source tools around global sustainability benchmarks helps researchers, developers, and policymakers track progress toward the 2030 Agenda.

Useful References & Directories:

• SDG Indicators Directory – Comprehensive catalog of global monitoring indicators.
• SDG Targets Framework – Structured target breakdown and mapped indicators.
• SDG Framework Overview – Methodology, rationale, and background.