In addition to the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) has established in 2023 a Scientific Committee (SciCom) with a specific mandate to scrutinize and enhance the EM-DAT International Disaster Database data quality and control processes.
Objective: Ensure the highest possible standards of data quality for the EM-DAT database. It will provide oversight and strategic direction for data quality control measures and provide feedback on protocols for data handling, validation, and analysis. The assessment of data quality involves verifying the feasibility of incorporating international or other standards, including appropriate terminology and optimal indicators and measures. Meetings will be held online twice per year.
Members: Selected members from the existing STAG, complemented by additional experts as deemed necessary. The criteria for membership include a demonstrable expertise in disaster databases, data management, and a commitment to the scientific rigor of data quality: Justin Ginnetti (IFRC); Albert Kettner (DFO); Aglaé Jézéquel (LMD); Hamish Patten (IFRC); Sylvain Ponserre (IDMC); Wim Thierry (VUB); Iria Touzon Calle (UNDRR); Shiomi Yumi (ADRC); Ilan Noy (Victoria University of Wellington).
1st SciCom meeting – February 2, 2024
Topics:
- Documenting EM-DAT: More Transparency on Data Quality & Protocols
- Heat Waves in EM-DAT: Challenges, Specific Needs, and Ongoing Work
Participants: CRED team, Justin Ginnetti (IFRC); Albert Kettner (DFO); Lou Mandonnet (LMD); Hamish Patten (IFRC); Sylvain Ponserre (IDMC); Wim Thierry (VUB); Iria Touzon Calle (UNDRR); Shiomi Yumi (ADRC).
2nd SciCom meeting – June 25, 2024
Topics:
- Epidemic Data in EM-DAT
- Famine and Complex Disasters data
Participants: Jonathan Polonsky (Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies); Juan-Armando Torres-Munguia (Faculty of Economic Sciences, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany).
