Data Curation
This page provides all information about the CRD data management process.
Climate Risk Database data curation process is built on CRD data quality standards. All stakeholders involved in the data lifecycle works together to achieve highest possible quality for the produced data.


DATA PROVIDERS
Data providers are the key actors in creating valuable information about climate risk related phenomena. They produce new geospatial data in various projects and activities within Tanzania Urban Resilience Program.
All datasets published via Climate Risk Database must meet CRD data quality requirements and standards. For example, the datasets must have relevant attributes, whole geometrical connectivity and metadata up to standards.
Data Providers
Official documents for data providers:
Quick-guide to a successful data acquisition process:
Planning
- Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the modMeet all stakeholders. Initiate the whole process by meeting all relevant stakeholders: the client, cooperative organisations, local community members, CRD Data managers, and so on to discuss the aim of the process.
- Set the goal. Plan carefully what is the information that is needed set the goals of data acquisition based on that.
- Create data management plan. A neat way to stay organized during data creation and management process is to create a data management plan. The internet is full of great templates, and one can be downloaded via Climate Risk Database.
- Assess privacy matters. If relevant, create consent agreement contracts and privacy matter announcements that can be given to participated people.
- Plan data collection. Plan carefully the dataset’s attributes, format of values, structure of the geometries, tools, gadgets and methods to be used, and other relevant things. Follow the data quality standards.
- Train. Make sure all individuals part of the data collection understands the meaning of the attributes and values similarly and knows how to collect the data.
- Test. Test the collection process before you start the official collection. This way possible problems and errors can be addressed in time.
Collection
- Collect. Collect the data according to plan and make sure the collected data meets data quality standards. Be consistent: don’t change the collection method during the process. Be thorough: record all objects/values/phenomena from the study area to achieve high completeness.
- Monitor. Constantly oversee and monitor the results of the data acquisition process. Solve problems as soon as possible, if encountered.
- Create metadata. Metadata is best to be created before, during and right after the data collection. Download Metadata instructions in order to meet the metadata standards.
- Create attribute metadata. In case of vector data, create attribute metadata. Download Attribute metadata instructions to meet the attribute metadata standards.
Pre-Processing
- Initial processing. Clean the data, do conversions, atmospheric corrections, georeferencing or other relevant processing.
- Check and fix topology. Check the geometries’ connectivity of your vector dataset according to your field’s topology rules. Basic instructions for QGIS topology checking tool can be found from the Climate Risk Database.
- Run quality control. Data managers of the Climate Risk Database will run a quality control for the data before publishing, but you may use the same checklist to check the quality of your data.
- Do analysis. If the publishable data product requires some pre-analysis, such as interpolation or aggregation, execute them.
- Finalize. Create the publishable final dataset. It should be clean, meet the quality standards and not contain any personal information.
- Create visualisation (optional). If you would like the data to be visualised in a certain way in CRD, create the visualisation in SLD format that can be uploaded to CRD with the dataset. An instruction to creating SLD visualisation in QGIS can be found from the Climate Risk Database. Note: the Data managers of CRD can also do this for you.
Delivering
- Contact. Contact the CRD Data managers in order to deliver the finalised dataset. Use the connection you already have with the CRD Data managers. You will also find contact information of the Data managers from the Climate Risk Database.
- Files. Deliver all required files to CRD Data managers. Required files contain 1) the dataset, 2) metadata, 3) attribute metadata for vector dataset and 4) optional visualisation layer. Check appropriate formats from the data quality standards.
- Delivery method. Choose an appropriate channel to deliver the files. For example, via e-mail or via some cloud service, such as Google Drive.

CRD DATA MANAGERS
CRD Data managers are geospatial data experts who have a key role in the whole CRD data management process. They quality control all datasets, provide support for data providers, and disseminate the published datasets in social media channels.
Contact information for CRD Data managers can be found from Climate Risk Database | Community Groups | Data Managers.
All training materials for CRD Data managers can be found from Digicampus platform. Requires Gmail-registration.
Data Providers
Data managers’ activities:
support
QUALITY CONTROL
DATA MANAGING
DISSEMINATING
COMMUNICATING

DATA USERS
Data users is the whole community who benefits from the datasets published in Climate Risk Database. Data users are, for example, local citizens, NGOs, urban planners, researchers, education institutes and all other stakeholders within the field of urban resilience and disaster risk management.
Data Users
Main guidelines for data users are:
Useful links for data users
- Climate Risk Database Navigation
- Instruction: Download layers
- Instruction: Open layers in QGIS via WFS/WMS
Check the license under which the data is shared, and follow the terms. For example, always cite the data, data owner and CRD if you use the data (or a product derived from it) somewhere else.
If possible, we would love to see how datasets published in Climate Risk Database are being used. Share your work in social media and tag us!
You are very welcome to provide any feedback related to the datasets, Climate Risk Database platform, or any other features of the service. You may give your feedback in the CRD service itself, or via email to us.
We are open for collaboration with local and global organisations – if you have data that would be suitable to be shared via Climate Risk Database, do not hesitate to contact us.
Do good, innovate, and enjoy!
Climate Risk Database (CRD)
Recilience Academy’s Climate Risk Database (CRD) is a geospatial data repository that supports research, education and planning, such as disaster-risk management practices. The rich repository of datasets consists of open-access data from industrial training, Tanzania Urban Resilience Program projects, and third parties.
CRD is built on open-solution platform of Geonode, hosted at the University of Turku Geonode.
We curate Climate Risk Database, a open-access repository with a collection of geospatial data on urban resilience and disaster risk management in Tanzania
Data curation skills
We develop and conduct training for the next generation and professional experts to enhance their practical skills and academic understanding of urban challenges. We provide contact learning and online courses for University experts, government officials, University students and other professionals interested in improving their digital data skills.
We also develop digital geospatial data quality and management skills of young professionals and students in universities and partner organizations.
Tools
We have collected a repository of useful open-access tools and practices with instructions for geospatial data management. Most of the tools are available through QGIS software, that anyone can download without fees. You can use the tools for data editing, quality assessment and other management practices.
We maintain a list of useful open-access tools suitable for digital data collection, management and analysis. We train students with these tools in the industrial training and courses at Tanzanian universities.
Data Visualisation Challenge
The visualisation competition is for university students interested in developing their digital data visualisation skills. Students learn together and work in groups to create powerful data visualisation solutions for the needs of real world.
In their work, students use data that is shared in Climate Risk Database.
We organize annually Data Visualization Challenge, which gathers enthusiastic students from Tanzanian universities to compete in teams and pitch for their best geospatial data visualization solution.
Data quality standards
Climate Risk Database (CRD) of the Tanzania Resilience Academy shares open datasets related to urban resilience in Tanzania. All datasets shared via CRD follow the data quality standards identified and described on this page. By defining data quality standards, we can assure that the data has high-quality accessibility and usability for the urban resilience community and Tanzania Urban Resilience Program partners.
Join to us to make use of data
Access to digital data sets is a pre-requisite for understanding risks and developing evidence-based solutions for resilient urban development”