The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a critical roadmap for a more sustainable and equitable world where global challenges demand collective action. These 17 interconnected goals, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, address our most significant challenges, ranging from poverty and hunger to climate change and inequality. They are a universal call to action to protect people and the planet.
Sustainability at Australian Spatial Analytics
At Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA), sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it's woven into the very fabric of our DNA. We believe that a truly sustainable future is inclusive and provides opportunities for all. This core belief drives our mission to provide employment opportunities to young neurodivergent people who face significant employment barriers, including autistic Australians facing a staggering 34% unemployment rate.
This commitment to social impact and sustainable practices has not gone unnoticed, and we are incredibly proud to have been Highly Commended in the Social Impact category of the 2024 World Sustainability Awards.
Leading the charge on SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
While our impact spans numerous SDGs, demonstrating that social enterprises can play a powerful role in addressing the world's most pressing issues, ASA is closely aligned with SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This goal aims to ‘promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.’
Why is SDG 8 so critical? Decent work is fundamental to individual dignity, family well-being, and community stability. It fuels economic growth that is not only robust but also inclusive, ensuring that no one is left behind. For many neurodivergent people, including those with autism, ADHD, or dyslexia, the path to meaningful employment can be fraught with many obstacles and barriers. Traditional recruitment processes and workplace environments often fail to recognise their unique strengths and talents, such as hyper-focus, attention to detail, pattern recognition, and innovative thinking – exceptionally valuable skills in the data analytics industry.
ASA directly addresses the targets of SDG 8 by:
• Promoting inclusive employment: we actively recruit and train young neurodivergent adults, providing them with secure and fulfilling careers. This offers individual economic independence and taps into an underutilised talent pool, boosting overall economic productivity. In fact, if the 34% autistic unemployment rate were reduced by just a third, this would add $43 billion to Australia’s economy every year
• Ensuring productive employment: our analysts are highly skilled professionals delivering critical data services to all levels of government and multiple industries. Their work is not just a job; it's a meaningful contribution to significant projects (see ASA’s geospatial and digital engineering case studies). Plus, we’re a starting point and stepping stone for their next career move to other inclusive organisations
• Fostering sustainable economic growth: by integrating neurodiversity into the workforce, we are championing a more inclusive model of economic growth – one that values diverse perspectives and abilities. This demonstrates that social responsibility and commercial success can go hand-in-hand
The issue of unemployment and underemployment among neurodivergent people is a significant challenge. By creating employment pathways for this cohort, ASA helps bring them out of long-term unemployment, directly contributing to the ‘reduced inequalities’ of SDG 10.
What about the other SDGs?
Beyond the impact on SDG 8 and SDG 10, ASA's operations and the projects our talented analysts undertake contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals, including:
• Goal 3: Good health and well-being: we provide mental health support for our employees, recognising that well-being is foundational to productive and fulfilling lives
• Goal 4: Quality education: on-the-job training is a cornerstone of our social enterprise model. We equip our analysts with cutting-edge skills in geospatial and digital engineering, fostering continuous learning and professional development
• Goal 5: Gender equality: ASA is committed to empowering gender-diverse people, ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive
• Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy: our analysts contribute to projects involving efficient electrical networks and renewable energy digital engineering, supporting the transition to cleaner energy sources
• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure: we play a vital role in projects related to electricity, communications and road networks, contributing to the development of resilient and sustainable infrastructure
• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities: our work in urban planning, such as validating spatial datasets for emergency management with Brisbane City Council, helps create safer and more resilient urban environments
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production: through digital engineering, we contribute to more efficient construction processes, minimising waste and promoting responsible resource management
• Goal 13: Climate action: ASA indirectly supports climate action by increasing efficiencies across multiple industries through data insights. Also, our work with many organisations on natural asset estimation enables accurate carbon sequestration estimation, a crucial component of climate mitigation strategies
• Goal 14: Life below water: our expertise in LiDAR processing of marine environments for coastal resilience studies directly supports our oceans' conservation and sustainable use. Another example is our work with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) on AI/machine learning for coral spawning counts to support large-scale coral reef restoration
• Goal 15: Life on land: we contribute to biodiversity and carbon sink mapping, aiding in protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems. This includes ensuring the accuracy of AI insights from digital koala surveys for QUT, which is vital for conservation efforts
Data-driven sustainability: our analysts making a difference
Our data analysts are at the heart of our social, environmental and economic impact. They possess the unique ability to make sense of vast volumes of complex data, transforming it into actionable insights that drive real-world decisions, particularly in the realm of sustainability.
ASA is more than a professional data services company. We are a social enterprise driven by the conviction that a better, more sustainable, and inclusive world is possible. Our focus on empowering neurodivergent people provides a direct and powerful contribution to creating decent work and fostering economic growth that leaves no one behind. Our broader contributions across numerous other SDGs, from climate action and biodiversity conservation to building sustainable cities and promoting well-being, demonstrate the interconnectedness of these global goals and the multifaceted role businesses can play in achieving them.
As we look to the future, ASA remains steadfast in its commitment to harnessing the power of data and the unique talents of our analysts to address the world's most significant challenges. By aligning our operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we are not just doing good business; we are helping to chart a course towards a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for all.
Find out more about ASA’s professional data services work in our geospatial and digital engineering case studies.
