HARmonized grids of Critical Infrastructures in EUrope (HARCI-EU)

<b>Critical infrastructures</b> (CIs) are assets, systems, or parts thereof that are essential for the maintenance of socioeconomic functions, health, safety and well-being of people. The exposure of CIs to natural and man-made hazards poses a risk to the economy and society. The spatial distribution of CIs and their economic value are a prerequisite for quantifying risk and planning suitable protection and adaptation measures. However, the incompleteness and inconsistency of existing information on CIs hamper their integration into large-scale risk frameworks.<br><b>The ‘HARmonized grids of Critical Infrastructures in Europe’ (HARCI-EU) dataset represents major CIs in the transport, energy, industry and social sectors expressed in sector-specific, economically-relevant units.</b> The HARCI-EU dataset contains 22 grids in GeoTIFF format with a resolution of 1 km². The grids use the ETRS89 coordinate system and the Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area map projection. Cell values range between zero (i.e. absence of infrastructure) and a CI-specific maximum value. Raster cells outside the area of interest have null values. The files are best visualized and manipulated using appropriate Geographical Information System software.<br>The HARCI-EU grids were produced by integrating geospatial and statistical data from multiple sources. Correlation analysis performed against independent metrics corroborates the approach showing average Pearson coefficients ranging between 0.61 and 0.95 across the sectors. <b>HARCI-EU provides a consistent mapping of CIs in key sectors that can serve as exposure information for large-scale risk assessments in Europe.</b><br>