Read on for more information about frequently asked questions about the Public Reporting Module in SIMAP! Please see this page for a guided tour of the Public Reporting Module.
What is the Public Reporting Module on the SIMAP site?
Second Nature and UNHSI have partnered for years in an effort to make calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions data as easy as possible. In 2021, Second Nature and UNHSI expanded their partnership to offer a new, fully integrated Reporting Module in SIMAP to support more seamless tracking and public reporting of carbon emissions. The Reporting Module displays self-reported emissions, goals, and reduction progress data from institutions that choose to publicly report it on SIMAP. It is the new official repository of emissions data for signatories to the Carbon and Climate Commitment, who have free Public Reporting Module subscriptions thanks to the partnership between Second Nature and UNHSI.
Does this mean that all SIMAP functionality is now free for signatories to the Climate Leadership Commitments?
No. The licenses and program fees for SIMAP’s Carbon and Nitrogen Footprinting modules (i.e., Tier 1 and Tier 2 subscriptions) are still in place, as are the fees for SIMAP services such as Data Reviews. However, signatories that are current with their Climate Leadership Commitment dues do still receive a 40% discount to those Tier 1 and Tier 2 subscription fees. And as noted above, all Carbon and Climate Commitment signatories will have access to free SIMAP Public Reporting Module subscriptions.
Who has access to the SIMAP Public Reporting Module?
The data reported in the module is publicly available. Free subscriptions to use the module for reporting will be available to signatories to the Climate Leadership Commitments when the module is launched (February 2022.) Subscriptions will be made available to all others (i.e. non-signatories) later this spring; the subscription fee for non-signatories will be announced later this spring as well.
What will this mean for me if I currently subscribe to SIMAP?
SIMAP Calculation Module (i.e. Tier 1 and Tier 2) subscribers will enjoy a more integrated experience - being able to complete their inventories and report their results publicly via SIMAP without needing to interface with a separate website. As noted above, Carbon and Climate Commitment signatories will have free access to this benefit when the module is launched (but will continue to pay for their Tier 1 or Tier 2 Calculation Module subscriptions); non-signatories will be able to access the module for a subscription fee later this spring.
What if I’m a Carbon or Climate Commitment signatory that doesn’t use SIMAP to calculate my emissions?
Signatory campuses that compete their inventories using other tools rather than subscribing to the SIMAP Calculation Module will be able to report their emissions, goals and reduction progress using the SIMAP Public Reporting Module (and the subscription will be free, thanks to the Second Nature). Those campuses will need to enter their data manually, rather than having it populated from the SIMAP Calculation Module.
What is happening to the Second Nature Reporting Platform?
Signatories will no longer have to report to the Second Nature Reporting Platform. Second Nature is in the process of archiving the data and will be sharing relevant data with UNHSI to support the migration to the new Public Reporting Module. Second Nature is also working on new methods for capturing and communicating climate action plans and resilience assessment reports.
Do I still contact Second Nature with reporting questions?
Second Nature’s staff will still be available to answer reporting questions (reporting@secondnature.org), and of course the SIMAP team will as well (simap@unh.edu).
What do I do if my results change after I publish them?
We encourage you to update historic results when you have improved estimates! There are two options:
1) Manual edit: If it is a small update, then you can manually edit your public record. To do this, go to the Account tab > Emissions reports page. Click 'edit' next to the year, make your change, and click save.
2) Re-import: If you have made substantial changes in your SIMAP footprinting module data entry, we suggest deleting your public record and re-importing that year. To delete a year, go to the Account tab > Emissions reports page. Click 'delete' next to the year, then re-import that year.
Please help me understand the User Agreement?
The SIMAP User Agreement applies to any user of SIMAP, including users of the footprint module and/or the public reporting module. Since signatories now have complimentary licenses to utilize SIMAP’s Public Reporting Module, they are subject to the SIMAP User Agreement when using the site. The legal language in the User Agreement is meant to convey these primary points:
- that your access of the portal is for the purpose of fulfilling your own institutional commitments and not for profit, and that you won’t try to reverse-engineer SIMAP to create a product or service for profit;
- that you’ll acknowledge UNH as being the owner of the intellectual property associated with SIMAP and the provider for public reporting (in formal presentations or publications, for example);
- that UNH does not own your data, won’t restrict your access to it, won’t try to sell it, and won’t publish anything you haven’t explicitly agreed to publish;
- that, since everything in SIMAP is based on self-reported activity data, UNH is not in any way liable for the quality or accuracy of the data, or for what institutions or organizations do with it;
- and that you can terminate use of SIMAP at any time, and UNH can terminate your use if you breach the terms of the User Agreement.
This agreement is meant to provide clarity and protection both to users and to UNH. Use of SIMAP implies acknowledgement and agreement with these terms.