GDACS: Global Multi-Hazard Disaster Alerts for 5 Event Types

Five natural disaster categories—earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones, floods, and volcanoes—are tracked globally by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. The data combines automated sensor-based calculations for seismic events with manual expert entries for floods and volcanic eruptions. It functions as a near-real-time monitoring feed with updates recorded through March 2026.

Use Cases

• Mapping global disaster distribution using event types like 'earthquake' or 'tsunami'
• Comparing the frequency of automated versus manually introduced disaster alerts
• Developing early warning systems based on real-time disaster assessments

Strengths

• Covers 5 distinct natural disaster types
• Combines automated sensor-based calculations with manual expert entries
• Global geographic scope

Limitations

• Automated earthquake and cyclone assessments lack human intervention
• Manual entry for floods and volcanoes may introduce reporting latency

Provenance

Source

Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System

Collection Method

Automated sensor calculations and manual expert entry

Freshness

Updated near-real-time; last update March 2026.

Geography

Global