GDW consensus global database
The GDW consensus global database
The GDW consensus global database (GDW-g) is under development and due for release by end of 2023. It brings together the GDW core datasets in a consistent way enabling for global-scale analyses
GDW Core datasets
Each of the three GDW core datasets has been developed over many years with a particular focus and methodology.
The Global Geo-referenced Database of Dams (GOODD) maps all dams visible on Google Earth satellite imagery globally; it catalogues the geospatial coordinates of 38,660 dams.
The Global Reservoir and Dam Database (GRanD) maps the location and attribute data of 7,320 dams greater than 15m in height or with a reservoir of more than 0.1km3.
Future Hydropower Reservoirs and Dams (FHReD) maps 3,700 dams that are under construction or in advanced planning stages. Together, these three datasets represent the most detailed, freely available global database of dams and georeferenced information about global dams.
Currently, some overlaps exist between the datasets. For example, large dams mapped by GRanD may also exist in GOODD, though the GOODD dam points are location-only and do not carry the attribute data found in GRanD. Dams that were under construction before 2015 may have been captured by FHReD; those that have been completed since may also be reflected as completed and operational in GRanD or GOODD, though again without attribute data. Our consensus database brings these core datasets together, with others, in a consistent way.
