A Visual Analytics Methodology for the “Life Under Water” (SDG14) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

The Ocean Health Index (OHI) is a framework that measures the health of the world's oceans with 10 goals of societal, ecological, and economic importance. The OHI framework is one of the most well-grounded and reliable approaches to the “Life Under Water” (SDG14) Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations (UN). In this study, data from the OHI were analyzed using a customized visual analytics methodology to reveal the current state of these goals for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and to investigate the temporal trends of each goal. The methodology was implemented as a collection of public online interactive visual analytics dashboards. The methodology utilizes root cause analysis to delve deeper into the underlying SDG14 subgoals which are the main causes of temporal trends, in particular, the decline in some of the goal indicators. This methodology can be used for benchmarking, as well as strategy and policy development, to aid the sustainable use of marine resources.