Building inventory database

Example: A geopackage or shapefile containing building footprints with structural attributes and replacement costs.

Step-by-step guidance

1. Dataset-level metadata

Select the following values when describing your dataset:

  • Risk data type: exposure

  • Title: “Building inventory for [region]”

  • Description: Brief description of the building database, data collection method, and coverage

  • Publisher: Organization that compiled or maintains the building inventory

  • License: Appropriate license

2. Resources

Add resources for your building inventory files:

  • Format: geopackage, shapefile, csv, or geojson

  • Spatial resolution: Building-level (footprint) or aggregated (e.g., grid cell)

  • Coordinate reference system: EPSG:4326 or appropriate projected CRS

3. Exposure metadata

Under the Exposure section:

Category

  • Category: buildings

Taxonomy

Select the appropriate taxonomy source:

  • Source: GED4ALL (Global Exposure Database for All)

  • Alternative sources: custom taxonomy, national building codes, PAGER

Metrics

Define what is being measured for each building:

Metric 1 - Structure value:

  • Dimension: structure

  • Quantity kind: currency

  • Unit: Currency code (e.g., USD, EUR)

Metric 2 - Building count (if aggregated):

  • Dimension: buildings

  • Quantity kind: count

  • Unit: 1 (dimensionless count)

Metric 3 - Floor area (optional):

  • Dimension: structure

  • Quantity kind: area

  • Unit: m2

Occupancy

Specify building use types present in the inventory:

  • residential

  • commercial

  • industrial

  • infrastructure

  • (Select all that apply)

4. Spatial coverage

Define the geographic extent:

  • Scale: sub-national, national, or regional

  • Countries: Select applicable ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes

  • Administrative regions: Specify provinces/cities if relevant

  • Bounding box: Specify coordinates of the inventory coverage

Example data structure

Your building inventory should include attributes such as:

  • Building ID

  • Geometry (point or polygon)

  • Occupancy type

  • Building taxonomy code

  • Number of stories

  • Construction material

  • Year built

  • Replacement cost

  • Floor area

  • Number of occupants (if available)

Key considerations

  • Use standardized taxonomy codes (e.g., GED4ALL) for consistency

  • Document the currency and reference year for cost values

  • Specify whether values are replacement cost, market value, or other

  • Include data collection date and methodology in additional details