Data Collection & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CSC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data Collection & Analysis flashcards as text
Which approach is used in the SASB standards to determine which sustainability metrics are financially material for a specific industry?
Answer: Evidence-based industry-specific materiality research combining investor input and regulatory review
SASB uses industry-specific evidence-based research—drawing on investor surveys, regulatory filings, and academic literature—to identify financially material sustainability metrics per sector.
A company tracks Scope 1 emissions from its natural gas boilers. Which emission factor source is most appropriate for a US-based facility?
Answer: EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership emission factors for stationary combustion
The EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership provides US-specific, regularly updated emission factors for stationary combustion sources like natural gas boilers.
What is 'data imputation' in the context of sustainability data analysis?
Answer: Estimating missing data points using statistical or engineering methods based on available information
Data imputation fills gaps in sustainability datasets by estimating missing values through methods such as average substitution, regression, or engineering estimation.
A sustainability consultant is building a Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) inventory. Which data collection method is most accurate?
Answer: Product-level energy modeling based on technical specifications combined with sales volume data
Category 11 accuracy depends on product-specific energy or emission performance data (from specs or testing) multiplied by actual sales volumes to reflect real-world use.
In sustainability analytics, what does 'coefficient of variation' (CV) measure when applied to multi-site energy data?
Answer: The relative variability of energy consumption across sites, expressed as a percentage of the mean
CV = (standard deviation / mean) × 100, allowing comparison of variability across sites with different scales of energy consumption.
Which method is recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) for quantifying physical climate risk exposure in a data collection process?
Answer: Scenario analysis using IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) or SSPs to project asset-level risks
TCFD recommends forward-looking scenario analysis using climate science pathways (RCPs/SSPs) to quantify how physical risks will affect assets under different warming scenarios.
A consultant is reviewing third-party verified sustainability data. Which assurance level provides the highest confidence in reported figures?
Answer: Reasonable assurance (positive assurance), where the verifier confirms data is free from material misstatement
Reasonable (positive) assurance involves more extensive testing and allows the verifier to positively confirm accuracy, providing higher confidence than limited assurance.