Identifying places - Improving data connectivity through unique identifiers

Executive Summary

The report examines the fundamental role of "P-codes" (place codes) in humanitarian response. Authored by Elaine Donderer, Tom Haythornthwaite, and Andrej Verity, the paper highlights how unique identifiers serve as the "unique key" that ties complex Geographic Information Systems (GIS) together. By providing a standardized way to code administrative units and populated places, P-codes enable diverse agencies to exchange and analyze data across different languages and spellings, preventing a waste of resources and duplicated efforts during life-saving missions.

Lessons Learned: From Kosovo to Ukraine

Tracing the history of P-codes back to the 1998–1999 Kosovo War, the report illustrates how these identifiers originated as an inter-agency effort to coordinate rapid needs assessments. Modern success stories, such as the response to the 2022 military conflict in Ukraine, demonstrate that P-codes remain essential for navigating geographies with duplicate place names and ensuring international actors plan aid for the correct locations. However, the report also identifies a "yawning gap" where P-codes are often siloed within organizations or developed only at the onset of a disaster, rather than being integrated into national governance and long-term development strategies.

Overcoming Technical and Political Barriers

Despite their benefits, the adoption of unique identifiers faces significant hurdles, including a lack of temporal lineage—where codes do not reflect how boundaries change over time—and the difficulty of aligning specialized data, such as health districts, with standard administrative boundaries. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the political dimension of defining spaces; imposing top-down identifiers can inadvertently marginalize communities if not done inclusively. To address this, the authors advocate for an anti-colonial approach to data ownership that accredits national governments and local sources, ensuring the data remains accurate and sustainable.

A Roadmap for the Future of Geospatial Data

Looking ahead, the report suggests that the future of identifying places lies in inter-agency collaboration and the exploration of automated processes like machine learning. By creating an "inter-agency adapter" to link different coding schemes and prioritizing national ownership of data, the humanitarian community can build a more resilient information infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to move beyond technical silos and foster a culture where geographic identifiers bring people and disciplines together to improve humanitarian outcomes worldwide.