Area of land directly controlled by the organization that is impervious to water during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used, including source(s) of data.
This metric is intended to capture the area of land directly controlled by the organization that is covered by surfaces that do not allow water (particularly stormwater) to flow through the surface and into the ground. Examples of impervious surfaces include streets, roofs, parking lots, walkways, or any other surfaces and structures made of asphalt, concrete, plastics, or similar materials.
In developed-market contexts, organizations may source these data from existing maps. For example, in the United States, see the National Map (https://nationalmap.gov/small_scale/mld/impe100.html). In emerging-market contexts, free satellite mapping tools (such as Google Earth) can be used to create a map of roads as a starting point for these data. For a more detailed map, third-party technical support may be necessary.
This is a submetric of Land Directly Controlled: Total (OI5408), which has 3 other related submetrics.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
New metric. Land Directly Controlled: Impervious Surfaces (OI7560) was developed via the IRIS+ Sustainable Water Management Expert Subgroup.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).