To provide quantitative metrics for evaluating a country's environmental performance in different policy categories relative to clearly defined targets.

To provide a geographically explicit and reliable database of reservoirs for the scientific community.

To provide a geographically explicit and reliable database of dams for the scientific community.

To provide data on the extent of croplands for research on human-environment interactions.

To provide a means of assessing the relative distribution and frequency of global flood hazard.

To provide a spatial surface of the proportional economic impacts of global flood hazard.

To provide a means of assessing global flood mortality risks and distribution.

To provide a spatial surface of the total economic impacts of global flood hazard.

To provide a means of assessing the relative distribution and frequency of global drought hazard.

To provide a spatial surface of the proportional economic impacts of global drought hazard.

To provide a spatial surface of the total economic impacts of global drought hazard.

To provide a means of assessing global drought mortality risks and distribution.

To create a comparative index of national-level environmental sustainability and to provide a mechanism for making environmental management more quantitative, empirically grounded and systematic.

To provide a comparative index of national-level environmental sustainability covering a number of sustainability dimensions.