A shared language for disaster data.
A Common Operational Picture only forms when every unit speaks the same language. So we author that language — an open, machine-readable disaster ontology — and release it for everyone.
The problem: information silos
When disaster strikes, government, military, NGOs and communities each collect critical information — but exchange it by phone, fax and incompatible formats. Fragmented data is slow to integrate, delaying the shared situational picture and complicating work with international relief teams.
The ontology
An open disaster information ontology built on GeoJSON, structured around Taiwan’s legal three-phase disaster lifecycle and aligned with battle-tested international standards.
Structured
Follows Taiwan’s legal lifecycle — preparedness, response, recovery — the same shape as Japan’s disaster framework.
Function-oriented
Adopts FEMA Community Lifelines to model cascading failures and prioritise response, not just catalogue damage.
Geospatially native
Every record is a GeoJSON Feature, geotagged and deeply integrated with OpenStreetMap (HOT) tagging conventions.
Interoperable
Aligns with CAP, EDXL, HXL and the UN OCHA 4W framework, so systems interoperate across borders.
COP is the outcome. The open ontology is the foundation.
See the ontology at work in a real, ongoing recovery. Guangfu Recovery →
What it harmonizes
The ontology doesn’t replace existing standards — it weaves them together.
- GeoJSON
- 4W / UN OCHA
- FEMA Community Lifelines
- CAP
- EDXL (SitRep · RM · TEP · HAVE)
- HXL
- OpenStreetMap / HOT
- EMIC
- TAK / ATAK (CoT)
Open, and built to be governed together
The standard is published on GitHub under CC BY 4.0, in Traditional Chinese, English and Japanese. We invite government, non-profits, developers and responders to shape it together — a Digital Resilience Cooperation Alliance.