About the Database

The National Landslide Damages and Losses (NLDL) database was developed by extracting relevant U.S. landslide loss and damage information from a wide range of sources and compiling them within a consistent framework and database structure.

Sources of information on economic losses, fatalities, and key event characteristics include (but are not limited to) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File reports, state and county hazard mitigation plans, state geological survey reports, risk assessments, and FEMA OpenFEMA data.

Data Release Contents

The current version includes the following files:

• NLDL_V1.csv — National Landslide Damages and Losses database table
• NLDL_V1_References.txt — References file containing all source citations
• NLDL_ReadMe.txt — README file with workflow and quality-control details
• NLDL_DataDictionary.zip — Data dictionary ZIP file containing:
  • NLDL_Framework.csv — Table of framework attributes
  • NLDL_Glossary.pdf — Glossary of terms and definitions
• NLDL_ODOT_Integration.txt — Documentation describing integration of Oregon DOT data
• NLDL_FEMA_Integration.txt — Documentation describing integration of FEMA PDA and OpenFEMA data
• NLDL_FEMA_Table1.pdf — Table of FEMA PDAs and their mapped USGS loss types
• NLDL_Metadata.xml — Metadata file with complete technical documentation

Key Features

• Comprehensive Coverage: Each record corresponds to either an individual landslide event or a group of landslides
• Standardized Framework: All data compiled within a consistent database structure
• Inflation-Adjusted: All dollar amounts have been adjusted for inflation to enable temporal comparisons
• Multiple Data Sources: Integrates information from federal, state, and local sources
• Quality Controlled: Includes detailed workflow and quality-control documentation