The Georisk-Project maintains a database for systematically recording natural hazard events. Most of the records in the database have been extracted from media coverage, mainly newspaper articles, but also from online media. In addition data from technical reports and outside data collections are inserted. At the time of writing (July 2009) the database covers roughly 13,000 records describing some 7,100 natural hazard events. The database was designed using a relational database management system (Microsoft Access).

Natural disaster risk management is commonly based on two central questions. Firstly, what kind of disaster is likely to happen where and when? And secondly, how could the society get best protected from such a risk? Consequently, knowledge about the magnitude and frequency of natural hazard events is an essential part of every disaster risk mitigation strategy. It is important to know regional differences of the occurrence in order to better understand the regional distribution of risk and the controlling factors. Many hazard mapping concepts rely on statistical approaches of hazard locations, in particular landslide hazard mapping. Event inventories also provide information about the social and economic impact of hazard events and can thus be used for further detailing risk estimates based on hazard event size.

The compilation requires a standardized database structure and the commitment to a steady and long term data input. The data must comprise records of the type of event, the location, time of occurrence, and, if available, local geological conditions, information on the number of casualties and damages and losses. In contrast to other international activities, the project’s database also records smaller events without casualties, making it unique in Indonesia.

The database records the following hazard types: Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods, land subsidence and lahars.

Cooperation exists with the Forum Data and Information at the National Disaster Management Agency BNPB. Future connecting to BNPB’s Indonesian Disaster Data and Information Service DiBi is under discussion.

The data can be connected to the GIS of the project and thus forms the basis for producing thematic maps for various administrative levels and/or hazard event types.

In addition to the media analysis, the Georisk-Project database also contains some 1100 records of landslides as they were documented in archived technical reports of Badan Geologi, some dating back to the Dutch colonial period. The Georisk-Project has also compiled a catalog of these historical landslide events, including photographs, cross sections, geological details, and maps.