19th International CODATA Conference
Category: Multi-disciplinary Use

Global Natural Disaster Risk and Vulnerability: Multidisciplinary Data Integration in Support of Global Disaster Management

Robert S. Chen, CIESIN, Columbia University, USA
Maxx Dilley, IRI, Columbia University, USA
Uwe Deichmann, Development Economics Research Group, The World Bank.

Earthquakes, floods, drought, and other natural hazards continue to cause tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of injuries, and billions of dollars in economic losses each year around the world. Although much is known about individual hazards and their impacts at the national level, there has been relatively little attention to date to the overlap and potential interactions between hazards—and between hazards and human vulnerability—especially at the subnational level. Are some areas of the world highly exposed to multiple hazards? Are these areas heavily populated or vital to a nation’s or region’s economic development? To what degree can we objectively identify natural hazard “hotspots” – that is, those areas that are at relatively high risk of casualties or economic losses from one or more natural hazards? Can we systematically characterize different levels of vulnerability to hazards at the national level? And can we do a better job at setting priorities for managing natural disaster risks globally, regionally, and locally?

This paper will present the results of a recent international, multi-institution research project that conducted a global-scale analysis of natural hazard risks. We will describe the data and methods used, results from several alternative statistical analyses, and implications for disaster management at global, regional, national, and local levels. A complementary paper will describe an exemplary urban-scale case study conducted as part of the project.