Digital Platform Empowering China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Disaster Management: Enhancing Data Integration, Resilience, and Policy Innovation

Abstract

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) region faces persistent threats from natural hazards and disasters, posing significant challenges to sustainable development. While digital technologies and big data offer new solutions for disaster management, imbalanced digital resources and inadequate data management systems hinder their full potential. This study proposed the Digital CPEC platform, an open technology solution (using, for example, Python, PostgreSQL, MapServer) developed to share disaster-related open data in a fully digital format, thereby enhancing data accessibility and lowering economic and technical barriers. The platform offers a scalable and replicable model for strengthening disaster resilience in underdeveloped and transboundary regions worldwide, driving innovation in policy assurance, data integration, software support, and customized deployment. To ensure data integrity and security, four disaster management standards and a structured data integration framework were established, consolidating resources from seven thematic data corridors spanning natural hazard, ecological environment, and socioeconomic fields. Additionally, 18 metadata indicators and 38 identifiers were introduced into the metadata schema to enhance data quality and usability, alongside specialized analytical tools (for example, Echarts, area calculation) that improve user interaction. Its practical applications in pre-disaster risk monitoring, early warning coordination, and post-disaster recovery assessment demonstrate its strong knowledge-driven policy insights for environmental sustainability throughout the entire disaster management cycle at both the regional and national levels.

Keywords

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor / Data sharing / Digital platform / Disaster management / Regional sustainable development

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