The DALIH Database for Recording Disaster Damage and Loss Data in Cultural Heritage

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) upholds the development and implementation of measures to reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disasters. Among other aspects, the SFDRR recognizes the importance of cultural heritage for society, thus emphasizing the need to assess the impact that potential hazards may have on the built cultural heritage. Developing adequate risk assessment and management processes are fundamental towards this end and disaster damage and loss data are known to be essential for such processes. The development of systems, models and methods to collect and handle such data is, thus, seen as a worldwide priority. In this context, the paper presents a database framework for the worldwide collection of immovable cultural heritage disaster loss data currently under development. The concepts and technical aspects related to the data being collected and its structure are discussed, as well as the type of indicators being recorded. Challenges regarding disaster loss data collection for cultural heritage are discussed, as well as the benefits of these data for developing more rational disaster risk management approaches for cultural heritage.