The World Resources Institute (WRI) is not a data archive — it's a research organization that builds purpose-built platforms around environmental data to make it actionable. Where most data sources on this page provide raw layers for you to analyze, WRI's flagship products (Global Forest Watch, Aqueduct, Climate Watch, Resource Watch) are interactive tools that combine satellite imagery, environmental models, and policy data into focused applications.
Global Forest Watch has its own dedicated page on this site; WRI's broader portfolio extends the same approach to water risk (Aqueduct maps stress, flood, and drought probability at sub-basin level globally), climate emissions (Climate Watch tracks national commitments and carbon footprints), and energy infrastructure (the Global Power Plant Database and Energy Access Explorer).
For GIS professionals, WRI's value is twofold: the platforms themselves provide rapid answers to specific environmental questions without setting up an analysis from scratch, and the underlying datasets are downloadable in standard formats for deeper spatial work. This makes WRI a good starting point when scoping a project — use Aqueduct to identify water-stressed basins before building a detailed hydrological model, or check Climate Watch for emissions baselines before conducting a site-level carbon assessment.
The datasets also combine well with each other and with external layers: overlay Global Forest Watch tree cover loss with Aqueduct watershed boundaries to assess deforestation impact on water supply, or pair the Global Power Plant Database with renewable energy resource data from the Global Solar and Wind Atlases for energy transition analysis.
