# Statistics on Typhoon Intensity and Rice Damage in Vietnam and the Philippines
## Discussion
### Towards Better Data  
One way to improve the quality of disaster data is to adopt a standardized method for reporting the data. In particular, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has partnered with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to develop a standardized method for collecting, analyzing, reporting, and disseminating agriculture-related impacts. The method developed by FAO is called Damage and Loss Assessment in Agriculture [39], and it consists of five components that are aggregated to quantify the total effect of disasters on agriculture:  
\[\text{Impact to agriculture}=\text{DL (C) + DL (L) + DL (FO) + DL (AQ) + DL (FI)}\]  
where DL (C) is direct damage and loss to crops, DL (L) is direct damage and loss to livestock, DL (FO) is direct damage and loss to forestry, DL (AQ) is direct damage and loss to aquaculture, and DL (FI) is direct damage and loss to fisheries. This method defined the difference between damage (i.e., total or partial destruction of physical assets such as machinery, seeds, and crops) and loss (i.e., declines in the value of agricultural production resulting from the disaster). Each subsector is also further divided into two main components: production and assets. For crop loss, DL (C) = Annual crop production damage + perennial crop production loss + perennial crop production loss + crop assets damage (complete and partial) [39]. However, information such as the number of hectares of crops damaged and/or destroyed (disaggregated by crop type), expected yield reduction of each crop in partially affected plot areas (t/ha), and baseline information on the original area of each type of crops cultivated (ha) are needed [39].  
Arguably, data collection in the immediate aftermath of a disaster is challenging, and under emergency conditions, attempting to collect and disseminate detailed loss statistics is considered a low-priority task. To facilitate data collection, prior to a disaster, good baseline information on communities, infrastructure, and properties, including crop-growing areas, should be collected. In addition, place names, definitions, codes, categories, and units of measurement should be clearly defined and standardized. An appropriate geographical unit should be specified to ensure data are collected at an appropriate scale. For this, a template for data collection can be created. While collecting and consolidating baseline data, creating templates for data collection, and training end-users are time-consuming and resource-intensive, these challenges are easier to address in a non-emergency setting. If resources are limited, collecting baseline data for hazard-prone areas should be prioritized.  
Finally, to facilitate the reporting and updating of information, a system that allows end-users to input data directly via cellular or satellite networks can be created [40; 41]. When reporting information, the time of recording, the source of information and uncertainties, as well as information on the assessment methodology should be furnished to inform quality assessment [42]. Recognizing these challenges, the FAO has also created a National-level Damage and Loss Information System for agriculture, a tool kit that consists of sample survey forms, data collection tools, database templates, and guidance documents to facilitate data collection [39]. In short, the adoption of this FAO method can help standardize damage data and improve data quality so that management and mitigation plans can be formulated based on more accurate and consistent information.