This step is designed primarily to determine exposure to natural hazards and provides only a preliminary classification of disaster and climate change risk. 

This first step in the Methodology uses a top-down approach. That is, coarse-scale data and maps are used to take a first and quick glance at the contextual conditions of the larger vicinity of the operation.

Read the Step 1 section of the Methodology​

A GIS-based mapping platform containing numerous natural hazards was developed to help specialists understand the context of disaster risk that may face the project. The GIS layers were developed using global data and models with a fairly coarse resolution. Therefore, they should be considered an initial screening aid to better understand those locations that may be more exposed to hazards, and not as exclusively indicative of project-specific risk.

Access LAC countries, regional and global map viewers including natural hazards and climate change information:

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* The use of this application is for informative purposes. The IDB disclaims responsibility for the use of the data 

The objective of this step is to better understand the project’s characteristics and determine its vulnerability to natural hazards and the criticality of interrupting or cancelling the services or, more broadly, the benefits provided by the project in response to damages that might result from these hazards.

Criticality refers to the degree of significance that a structure or system holds within a larger context due to the type and scale of services or functionality it provides.

Vulnerability refers to the inherent qualities that determine a structure’s (or system’s) susceptibility to suffer damage. It encapsulates the proneness of a project in the face of a hazard.