Enhancing Impact-Based Knowledge for Cultural Heritage Protection through an Advanced Disaster Damage and Loss Data Information System

Disaster damage and loss data management is a cornerstone of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) initiatives. But, existing disaster damage and loss databases face significant challenges related to data quality, rigidity, inconsistency, fragmentation, limited scope and coverage, etc. Moreover, in the cultural heritage domain, existing damage and loss accounting systems primarily focus on physical damage to individual assets and rarely capture indirect economic losses, functional disruptions, and cascading effects across interconnected sectors. This limitation is further compounded by the scarcity of structured and comparable data on disaster-related heritage losses. As a result, most existing databases fail to meet these demands and serve as a reliable basis for policy development, risk assessment, resource allocation, and informed decision-making. The paper aims to address the current gaps on the topic within the context of the AHEAD project (Advanced disaster damage and loss data information system for enHancEd impAct-baseD knowledge) by developing an integrated Information System (IS) for Europe to collect, harmonize, and analyze disaster damage and loss data for multiple purposes. Building on a relational data model, the study identifies key functions and interdependencies relevant to multi-impact assessment in the heritage domain. By linking physical, functional, and systemic dimensions of disaster impacts, the proposed approach supports a shift from asset-based assessments to system-based analysis, improving data availability and strengthening evidence-based decision-making for cultural heritage protection.