Data interoperability for disaster risk reduction in Europe Massimo Migliorini LINKS, Turin, Italy Jenny Sjåstad Hagen University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway and Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway Jadranka Mihaljević Institute of Hydrometeorology and Seismology of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro Jaroslav Mysiak Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies (RAAS), CCMC@Ca’Foscari Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, Venice, Italy Jean-Louis Rossi Université de Corse, Corte, France Alexander Siegmund Department of Geography, Heidelberg University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany Khachatur Meliksetian Institute of Geological Sciences, Armenian National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia, and Debarati Guha Sapir Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), School of Public Health, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how, despite increasing data availability from a wide range of sources unlocks unprecedented opportunities for disaster risk reduction, data interoperability remains a challenge due to a number of barriers. As a first step to enhancing data interoperability for disaster risk reduction is to identify major barriers, this paper presents a case study on data interoperability in disaster risk reduction in Europe, linking current barriers to the regional initiative of the European Science and Technology Advisory Group. Design/methodology/approach – In support of Priority 2 (“Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk”) of the Sendai Framework and SDG17 (“Partnerships for the goals”), this paper presents a case study on barriers to data interoperability in Europe based on a series of reviews, surveys and interviews with National Sendai Focal Points and stakeholders in science and research, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and industry. Findings – For a number of European countries, there remains a clear imbalance between long-term disaster risk reduction and short-term preparation and the dominant role of emergency relief, response and recovery, pointing to the potential of investments in ex ante measures with better inclusion and exploitation of data. Originality/value – Modern society is facing a digital revolution. As highlighted by the International Council of Science and the Committee on Data for Science and Technology, digital technology offers profound opportunities for science to discover unsuspected patterns and relationships in nature and society, on scales from the molecular to the cosmic, from local health systems to global sustainability. It has created the potential for disciplines of science to synergize into a holistic understanding of the complex challenges currently confronting humanity; the Sustainable Development Goals are a direct reflectance of this. Disaster Prevention and Management Vol. 28 No. 6, 2019 pp. 804-816 © Emerald Publishing Limited 0965-3562 DOI 10.1108/DPM-09-2019-0291 Received 19 September 2019 Revised 20 September 2019 20 September 2019 Accepted 20 September 2019 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0965-3562.htm 804 DPM 28,6