HIPs Machine actionability quick guide and technical guidance

The UNDRR Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs) API provides machine-readable access to standardized hazard terminology using SKOS/JSON-LD format, enabling automated integration and semantic interoperability.

In October 2025, this machine actionability feature was released as a preview to enable easier integration with AI systems, semantic web applications, and automated data pipelines.

This initial release provides SKOS/JSON-LD endpoints for all Hazard Information Profiles with standardized vocabularies and canonical URIs. In the coming weeks, we will expand coverage to include parent-child relationships for multihazard drivers and cascading events.

Please share general feedback at www.undrr.org/contact-us and technical issues with [email protected].

API Endpoints

Collection endpoint: https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips

Returns all HIPs as a JSON-LD collection

Type, cluster and chapeau filtering

Filter by the common name.

Individual HIP endpoint: https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips/{code}

Example: Individual HIP endpoint: https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips/TL0305
Returns a single HIP by its identifier (e.g., BI0241, TL0305)
Provides complete SKOS concept representation

HTML page with embedded JSON-LD:
View page source and search for application/ld+json in the <head> section:
https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-disaster-risk/terminology/hips/bi0241

Canonical concept URI:
https://www.undrr.org/terms/hips/BI0241

Basic Usage

Tip: All requests require the Accept: application/ld+json header to receive JSON-LD responses.

Get entire collection:

curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips"

Get specific HIP by code:

curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" "https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips/BI0241"

Save collection to file:

curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips -o hips-collection.jsonld

JavaScript Fetch Examples

Fetch individual HIP:

// Fetch and display a HIP record from PreventionWeb (JSON-LD)
fetch('https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips/TL0305', {
  headers: { Accept: 'application/ld+json' }
})
  .then(response => {
    if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}`);
    return response.json();
  })
  .then(data => {
    const item = data['@graph']?.[0];
    if (!item) throw new Error('No data found in @graph');

    const getValue = field =>
      Array.isArray(item[field])
        ? item[field][0]['@value']
        : item[field]?.['@value'];

    console.log('--- HIP Example ---');
    console.log('Title:', getValue('skos:prefLabel'));
    console.log('Code:', item['dct:identifier']);
    console.log('Definition:', getValue('skos:definition'));
  })
  .catch(error => console.error('Error fetching HIP:', error));

Filter collection by category:

fetch('https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips') .then(response => response.json()) .then(data => { const techHazards = data['@graph'].filter(hip => hip['dct:identifier'].startsWith('TL') ); console.log(`Found ${techHazards.length} technological hazards`); });

Search by keyword in titles (JavaScript)

fetch('https://www.preventionweb.net/api/terms/hips')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    const fireRelated = data['@graph'].filter(hip =>
      hip['skos:prefLabel']?.['@value']?.toLowerCase().includes('fire')
    );

    fireRelated.forEach(hip => {
      console.log(`${hip['dct:identifier']}: ${hip['skos:prefLabel']['@value']}`);
    });
  })
  .catch(error => console.error('Error fetching HIPS:', error));

Response Structure

JSON-LD responses follow SKOS vocabulary standards:

@id - Canonical URI for the concept
@type - Always "skos:Concept"
skos:prefLabel - Official term name
dct:identifier - HIP code (e.g., BI0241)
skos:definition - Formal definition
skos:inScheme - Reference to HIPs concept scheme

SPARQL Query examples

RDF/JSON-LD Data Source Query Templates SPARQL Query

Results will appear here...