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Precise and accurate disaster location data is central to effective disaster management. Disaster location data improves impact assessments and enables locationspecific risk analysis by linking geographic factors such as environmental susceptibility, population vulnerability, and critical infrastructure exposure. Administrative unit data is important for evaluating economic damage or casualties across different levels, such as national (admin-0), regional or provincial (admin-1), and departmental or district level (admin-2). Reliable, standardized, and up-to-date administrative unit references are essential for informed decision-making and targeted response planning.
Defining the spatial boundaries of different administrative units requires that EM-DAT maintains consistent usage of a single cartographic reference. Various administrative unit references exist, each shaped by distinct data collection methods depending on the geographic area, political context, purpose, or objectives. Among the most widely used for mapping administrative units are the Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) and the Global Administrative Areas (GADM) (Table 1). EM-DAT adopted GAUL in its methodology, using it in the 'Admin Unit' column to identify disaster-affected regions, with coverage up to admin-2 for all natural hazard events since 2000.