Name of the DataBase (DB).

The name is the denomination that identifies each unique data compilation initiative. The name section is composed of the complete name, the acronym and a short description of the initiative.

Information on the institution.

The institution or organisation name is the complete name of the organization(s) that hosts and manages the database. The link is the website address where more information can be found on the institution/organization.

Database Contact information.

This section includes all the contact details of the person(s) to contact regarding the database.

Database content description.

• Level of observation and resolution
 – Level of observation
The “Level of Observation” refers to the methods, sources of information, expected coverage ”) that are used by the agents collecting loss data (“observers”). At Global level, observers usually rely on communications from international aid organizations such as ReliefWeb or IFRC, central government agencies in affected countries, and press reports covering events that justify international headlines. At local levels (national or sub-national), an observer uses different sources of information that may include local governments, field information and local media reports.

 – Resolution
The “resolution” concept refers to the level of aggregation at which data is collected and/or presented. Global-level observers usually collect and present data as national level aggregates; while national observers can collect and present data at provincial, municipal or even higher resolutions. Urban observers can disaggregate data at neighbourhood, block or even household levels.

• Geographical coverage
 – The geographical coverage corresponds to the countries or regions monitored by the database. If a database monitors several countries belonging to a specific region, all the countries of the region are selected. When the database focuses on sub-national regions, the regions covered are introduced in a text form.

• Type of disaster covered by the database
 – The categories of disasters covered by each database refer to the commonly-agreed disaster classification system developed by CRED and Munich-RE.

• Time period covered by the database
 – This refers to the time period which is covered by the database (start year and end year).

• Latest update of the database content
 – The last update date refers to the date at which the database has been updated most recently.

• Number of records
 – This refers to the total number of records/disasters that are registered in the database.

• Language
 – The language is the language(s) of the database in which content is available.

• Major data information sources
 – This field details the major disaster data reporting sources on which the database has been constructed, such as newspapers, official sources, UN reports…


Description of the database.

The description of the database provides some contextual information on the database, such as its objectives, history, development, etc…