The National Geographic Society launched the World Water Map as part of its five-year World Freshwater Initiative to better understand developing freshwater shortages around the world and inspire sustainable action. The Map was created by the National Geographic Society in cooperation with Utrecht University and Esri to identify water availability hotspots, visualize global freshwater supply and demand, and tell the story of how people use water. The Map provides an interactive view of the sectors of water use; how much water people consume for agricultural, industrial, and household use; and what’s left for nature. The Map, which builds on hydrological models made by Utrecht University, consists of over 40 years of historical data and will be updated periodically to monitor changes in water availability and demand.
