| Administrative levels (admin levels) | The hierarchical geographic divisions within a country, typically ranging from Admin 0 (national boundary) to Admin 1 (provinces or states), Admin 2 (districts), and down to more granular levels such as Admin 3 or 4. These standardized levels are used to organize and analyze data at different geographic scales. |
| Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN) | Open-source open data portal used by HDX. Link |
| Centre for Humanitarian Data | The Centre for Humanitarian Data is focused on increasing the use and impact of data in the humanitarian sector. It is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Link |
| Common Operational Dataset (COD) | Authoritative reference datasets used by humanitarian organizations to support response efforts and decision-making. They provide a consistent and standardized data framework for all actors in a crisis. Link |
| Data Grid | Collection of core datasets in most countries with a Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP). They provide a comparable way to assess data availability across locations and categories. Link |
| Data Responsibility | The safe, ethical and effective management of personal and non-personal data for operational response, in accordance with established frameworks for personal data protection. Link |
| Dataset | On HDX, the main unit or container describing data, made up of one or more resources. |
| Freshness | An indicator on HDX datasets that shows whether the data is up-to-date. This is calculated by comparing the dataset's latest time period with the expected update frequency. Link |
| Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) | Open platform for sharing data across crises and organisations. Link |
| HDX Connect | Feature on HDX that allows organizations to publish only the metadata for a dataset, alongside a “Request Access” button where users can request access to the data itself. |
| HDX API Metadata Endpoints | Endpoints that allow users to read and write dataset metadata stored on HDX. They support actions like searching for datasets and viewing detailed metadata. |
| HDX Python API Library | Python wrapper built on top of the HDX “create” and “update” endpoints that simplifies publishing and maintaining data on HDX. This is designed to help data contributors easily automate data creation and updates. Link |
| HDX File Download | Programmatic access to download entire data files hosted on HDX. This allows users to retrieve original resources directly and integrate them into automated workflows or local analysis environments. |
| HDX Humanitarian API (HDX HAPI) | A way to access standardized indicators from multiple sources to automate workflows and visualizations. Link |
| HDX Signals | A product that monitors key datasets on HDX and generates automated emails to subscribers when significant, negative changes are detected. Link |
| HDX Notifications | A feature that allows users to receive alerts when datasets on the dataset pages, crisis pages or location pages that they are subscribe to are updated or changed on HDX. Link |
| Locations | When used on HDX, this refers to countries or areas the dataset relates to. A full list of ‘locations’ covered by HDX is available here. |
| Metadata | Data that describes a dataset, including details such as its title, source, date of publication, geographic coverage, and update frequency. Metadata helps users understand what a dataset contains and whether it is suitable for their needs. |
| Place Codes (P-codes) | Unique geographic identification codes, usually represented by combinations of letters and numbers, to identify a specific place, point, positional location or feature on a map or within a database. Link |
| Resource | A sub-container within a dataset. A resource can contain files such as a CSV file, Excel spreadsheet, or PDF document. Each resource is associated with metadata that describes the file within it. |
| Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) | A technique used to assess and lower the risk of a person or group being re-identified in the analysis of microdata. Applying SDC to microdata enables organizations to share the data more widely without exposing affected people to harm. Link |
| Tabular Data Endpoints (TDE) | Provides programmatic access to a number of tabular datasets hosted on HDX. It supports features like customizable queries and dataset joins to enable seamless integration into external tools and systems. Link |
| Tags | Keywords or labels assigned to datasets to make them easier to discover and categorize. On HDX, tags might include terms like "education", "displacement", or "baseline population" to help users find relevant data. |
| The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) | The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the UN agency responsible for coordinating international humanitarian responses to emergencies and natural disasters. Link |