Update of the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre loss database architecture for disaster risk management

Systematically collected, comparable and robust disaster damage and loss data are an essential element of the risk assessment and management processes. The current practice in disaster loss data recording across the EU shows that there are hardly any comparable disaster damage and loss data: differences exist in the methods of data recording as well as in the governance approaches to managing disaster damage and loss data. The lack of standards for damage and loss data collection and recording represents the main challenge for damage and loss data sharing and comparison, especially for cross-border cooperation within the EU.

This report is based on an accurate analysis of several databases developed following a diversified number of purposes to collect, record and aggregate information regarding losses occurred after a shock triggered by different hazards. The report proposes a common structure of a generic database able to accommodate and properly record the required particularities of a vast variety of events triggered by any kind of hazard.