From info glut to info curation: Passport's new Natural Resources module

In our current era of information overload, information loses value.

Not that long ago we could only dream of having fingertip access to all the stats and facts that are burying us now. Yet what we really need now, and what we are even willing to pay for, are tools that will pre-gather and pre-analyze the information for us.  

That is, we need tools that pull together disparate and hard-to-use resources, perhaps adjust those resources for easier comparison, and (if we're really lucky) add a layer of "What the heck does this all mean?"

It's in that light that I'd like to highlight a new feature in our super-popular Passport database: Natural Resources

"Passport Natural Resources uncovers the resource landscape in 210 countries globally. It offers up-to-date and relevant insights on the supply and demand of natural resources, as well as the challenges and opportunities stemming from natural resources and sustainability issues.

Natural resources are at the heart of all business and the functioning of the global economy. Natural resources pose both an operational and reputational risk for all companies in all sectors; and knowledge of commodity prices and an understanding of their future direction, is crucial in a time of increased geo-political risk."

As you might guess from my preamble, much of the data in this Passport module comes from an alphabet soup of other sources, some of which you may have used (e.g., UNCTAD, OECD, FAO, USGS, WDI...).

Having brought all that data together is a time saver in itself, but Euromonitor (the folks behind Passport) goes an extra step in ensuring uniform definitions across providers, adding their own forecasts, and (my favourite) providing analysis about what the key trends might mean for strategic planners in businesses and governments.

To help you understand the potential value of this module to your research, consider the following examples of the briefings, reports, datagraphics, and articles it offers...

• Natural Resources: Brazil (infographic-filled country briefing)
• Sustainability and the New Normal for Natural Resources (white paper)
• Monthly Economic Review of Commodity Prices
• Q&A: Why Should the Consumer Goods Industry Care About Natural Resources?
• Top 5 Countries by Growth in Mean Temperature: Food Chain Vulnerability and Economic Implications
• Natural Resources Strategy Briefing: Global Water Risk - Building a Resilient Business
• An Overview of the Global Mining Industry
  
• and, finally, the Commodity Price Model: an interactive tool that allows you to chart the effects of changes in key indicators (US inflation, exchange rates, industrial production, etc.) on the forecasted prices of many major commodities from bananas to zinc (similar in some ways to Passport's economic Macro Model tool that I highlighted earlier this fall)

This Passport module is still relatively new and needs more content to be truly useful. For instance, they've only completed three of a planned 40 country reports so far. I expect to see many more reports and stats tables added over the coming months. Nevertheless, if your research touches on such topics as sustainability, resource management, or commodity marketing, you'll want to keep an eye on Passport's Natural Resources module.

You'll probably need to try the resource out to learn more about it, but if you need more details before diving in, check out this introductory video or browse this brochure.

Oh, and where to find this little treasure? Within Passport, go to Economies on the top navigation bar, then to Natural Resources, then explore!

>> Questions, as always, are like music to my ears...!

-- MarkB
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Mark Bodnar
mbodnar@sfu.ca
Economics & Business Librarian