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On 26 June, GEM unveiled its revamped Building Taxonomy tools, providing open-access scripts to support the classification of global building stocks as part of seismic risk analysis. The launch was presented during the Board meeting by Catalina Yepes, GEM’s Exposure Development Lead, and Matteo Nastasi, Senior Software Developer.

The GEM Building Taxonomy establishes a consistent framework for describing buildings worldwide using 13 key attributes – such as structural system, construction material, building height, roof type and foundation. Originally published in 2013, Version 2.0 introduced these core attributes to ensure relevance, simplicity and extensibility. The latest Version 3.3, now available on the GitHub-hosted site, retains this foundational structure while incorporating improved data table and links to tools such as the taxonomy validator and explanator, available both via a User Interface and a Python package.

The Building Taxonomy supports GEM’s mission to make risk modelling open, interoperable, and globally adoptable. It serves a wide audience – from engineers and planners to insurers and researchers – by providing a reliable framework to catalogue buildings consistently for exposure and vulnerability assessment. 

GEM encourages users to explore the tools, contribute images or examples to the glossary (which will soon be updated to Version 3.3), and join efforts to expand the taxonomy, ensuring the tool remains adaptable to emerging building types, hazards, and research needs. 

Visit the new features at: https://tools.openquake.org/taxonomy/