1. WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva
Common Alerting Protocol WIS CAP Implementers Workshop 9-10 December 2008 Global Unique Identifier for Disasters
Dr. Tom De Groeve European Commission Joint Research Center Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen Support to External Security (Critech)

2. Global Unique Disaster ID
WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva
Need for ID
Aggregating information on a disaster from different providers
GDACS: hazard information
ReliefWeb: media, government and NGO information
UNOSAT: satellite maps
USGS, WMO: observation information
Tagging your own information to ensure proper dissemination
Avoiding ambiguity and confusion
Comparing information
CRED catalogue
DFO flood catalogue
USGS earthquake catalogue …
Examples
Earthquake in China
Wenchuan earthquake
Sichuan earthquake
M7.9? Lat/long?
What about aftershocks?
What about tsunamis?
Cyclones
Well identified by names and numbers, but not perfect
Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Sidr, Nargis
Floods?
By river? By country? By province?
Zambezi January 2001
Volcanic eruptions
Start/end?
Periods of increased intensity during long eruption?

3. Issues Natural hazard versus disasters
WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva
Natural hazard versus disasters
Earthquakes on Antartica? Cyclones never making landfall?
One event for me is two events for you
Scientific description of geo/met events
“3rd aftershock over 6M”
Response to an emergency
“Tsunami in Banda Aceh”
Funding of an emergency
“Floods and landslides after hurricane Stan”
A big thing for me is irrelevant for you
Traffic accidents
Earthquake magnitude 5
Cyclone category I
Examples
Banda Aceh earthquake and tsunami are a single disaster, including all aftershocks
One tsunami can cause more than one disaster
One cyclone can affect more than one country

4. Unique identifier Meaningful Hierarchical Unique Sequential?
WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva
Meaningful
TC USA
Tropical cyclone in 2008 affecting United States of America
Hierarchical TC
TC CUB
TC USA-Texas
Unique
Unambiguous
Sequential?
ID of an authoritative source (e.g. GLIDE at ADRC)
Can it be calculated?
If I know some characteristics of the disaster, I want to be able to calculate the ID
TC-2007-SIDR-BGL
EQ T10:03:06Z W-30.45N
Disaster type specific
Can it be queried?
Select, create or update GLIDE for earthquake of M6.7 at T10:03:06Z on coordinates W, 30.45N.

5. GLIDENumber.net CRED, ReliefWeb, WMO, UNEP, ADRC, GDACS…
WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva
GLIDENumber.net
CRED, ReliefWeb, WMO, UNEP, ADRC, GDACS…