OpenFEMA Changelog

All notable changes to OpenFEMA will be documented on this page. Each dataset or API release will indicate a release date, changes, and tags indicating the type of change. There may be dataset releases that are not related to API version releases. Upcoming, unreleased changes will always appear at the top. Details regarding new features can be found in the OpenFEMA API documentation.

If you have suggestions for features or additional datasets, please contact us at openfema@fema.dhs.gov.

• Datasets
  • Major Contracts Actions [New]
  • NFIP Community Assistance Contacts (CAC) [New]
  • NFIP Community Assistance Visits (CAV) [New]
  • NFIP Community Engagements [New]
  • NFIP Community Status Book [New]

Releases By Date

OpenFEMA API framework version 8.0 has been released. In addition to general bug fixes and performance improvements, version 8.0 of the API framework addresses the following:

• Invalid/unsupported query string parameters will no longer be accepted. An error will be returned indicating the invalid parameter.
• Changes to the handling of $filter argument data types. The values provided for a filter argument must be quoted or not quoted according to the field data type. The new framework logic will not allow strings for Booleans - only a Boolean value or a number corresponding to a Boolean (i.e., true/false 0/1) will be accepted. Similarly, numeric values like fiscal years will fail if expressed as a string instead of a number.
• Enhanced error messaging when query strings are invalid.
• Fixed an error related to the JSONA file format.
• Introduced JSONL as a new file format which will be particularly useful for streaming data.
• The returned field order is now specified by a metadata element. Prior to this version, fields were returned in no particular order. Your processes may be affected if they expected a specific field order. One possible workaround is to use the $select parameter to specify the field order you prefer. 

2022-11

• Non-Disaster and Assistance to Firefighter Grants - Rereleased as an API
• 2021 NFIRS Annual Public Data published

• API Framework Release 7.1.0
  • The $metadata=off parameter has been fixed
  • Issues related to the lastRefreshDate failing to update for several datasets (Registration Intake and Individuals Household Program, Housing Assistance Program Data - Owners, Housing Assistance Program Data - Renters, Individuals and Households Programs Valid Registrations) has been fixed
  • The issue related to invalid JSON output being returned when the $filename parameter was specified has been fixed
  • The IPAWS Archived Alerts CAP message object names (info, area, and parameter) now correspond to the OpenFEMA dataset structure
• Declaration Denials [New]
• Emergency Management Performance Grants Version 2 [Update] (Version 1 is deprecated and will be removed in January 2023)
• FEMA Web Disaster Declarations [Update]
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Mitigated Properties Version 3 [Update] (Version 2 is deprecated and will be removed in January 2023)
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects Version 3 [Update] (Version 2 is deprecated and will be removed in January 2023)
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Disaster Summary Version 2 [Update] (Version 1 is deprecated and will be removed in January 2023)
• Public Assistance Grant Award Activities [Updated]

• 2021 National Household Survey Static Files [New]

2022-07

• API Framework Release 7.0.6
  • Fixed duplicate loading issue
  • Fixed issue for field holding empty results array in response
  • Setting max cache age to 1 day
• API Framework Release 7.0.5
  • Extra fields returned in CSV files when only specific fields are requested using the $select parameter
  • Metadata not always populated correctly when parameters use the URL encoded value of %24 instead of "$". Both are acceptable now.
  • Compound criteria being ignored if the "startswith( )" function is used as criteria. 
  • Internal bug fixes and performance changes
• API Framework Release 7.0.4
  • Fixed skip parameters for not working
  • Data is returned for csv results in the order specified by the $select parameter
• API Framework Release 7.0.3
• Platform Migration

• API Framework Release 6.0.12

• API Framework Release 6.0.11
• 2022 FIMA NFIP Reinsurance Placement Information [New]
• Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 [Update]

• 2020 NFIRS Annual Public Data [New]

• Preparedness (Non-Disaster)/Assistance to Firefighter Grants FY 2021 [New]

2022-01

• API Framework Release 6.0.10

• API Framework Release 6.0.9

• API Framework Release 6.0.5
• Public Assistance Applicants Program Deliveries [New]

2021-08

• A redacted version of NFIP datasets are back online, the cityfield has been redacted and a fix is currently in the works

• OpenFEMA has a presence on GitHub! Please visit github.com/FEMA
• 2020 National Household Survey [New]
• Access to FimaNfipClaims and FimaNfipPolicies has been temporarily suspended

• API Framework Release 5.4.2
• 2013 NFIRS Hazmat Yearly Data [New]
• Individual Assistance Housing Registrants Large Disasters [Update]
  • This file has been updated to refresh data and to include additional large disasters. Further, the data refresh frequency will now be weekly.
• The full file download issues for the following very large datasets have been resolved. The updated download links are reflected in the “Full Data” section of the specific dataset webpage as well as in the “distribution” section of the OpenFEMA DataSets metadata endpoint.
  • FimaNfipClaims
  • FimaNfipPolicies
  • IndividualsAndHouseholdsProgramValidRegistrations
  • IndividualAssistanceHousingRegistrantsLargeDisasters

• FEMA USFA NFIRS Annual Public Data Release [Update]
• Hazard Mitigation Plan Statuses [Update]

• API Framework Release 5.3.0
• Mission Assignments [Update]

• 2019 National Household Survey [New]
• 2021 NFIP Reinsurance Placement Information [New]
• FEMA USFA NFIRS Annual Public Data Release [Update]

• Emergency Management Performance Grants [Update]
• FEMA Regions Data Set Version 2  [Update]
• Preparedness (Non-Disaster)/Assistance to Firefighter Grants FY 2005-2020 [Update]

• API Framework Release 5.2.6

• API Framework Release 5.2.5
• API Framework Release 5.2.4

• API framework release 5.1.1
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects by NFIP CRS Communities Data Set Version 1  [New]
• FEMA Regions Data Set Version 2  [New]
• FEMA Web Disaster Summaries Data Set Version 1  [Update]
• IPAWS Archived Alerts Data Set Version 1  [Update]
• OpenFEMA Data Sets  [Update]
• OpenFEMA Data Set Fields  [Update]
• Documentation:
  • OpenFEMA Large Data Guide  [New]
  • API Documentation  [Update]
• Features:
  • Ability to query against a geo-spatial enabled dataset   [New]
  • Enhanced data set metadata  [Update]
  • Comma-Separated Value support as a data format - Users can now request data to be returned in a CSV format using the $format parameter  [New]
  • JSONA support as a data format - Users can now request data to be returned in a JSONA format using the $format parameter   [New]
  • Query based searches – Users can specify a $filename parameter permitting the download of only the fields and the filter specified  [New]
  • $metadata parameter added to suppress the return of the data set metadata header object  [New]

• API Framework Release 5.0.0
• API Framework Release 4.3.0
• IPAWS Archived Alerts Data Set Version 1  [Update]
• Features:
  • Array/nested element querying  [New]

• API Framework Release 4.0.5
• IPAWS Archived Alerts Data Set Version 1 [New]

• API framework release 4.0.0

• API Framework Release 3.4.9
• API Framework Release 3.4.8
• API Framework Release 3.4.7
• 2018 National Household Survey Data Set  [New]
• Individuals and Households Program Valid Registrations Data Set Version 1  [New]
• Public Assistance Funded Projects Details Data Set Version 1  [Update]
• Individuals and Households Program Valid Registrations  [Update]

• API Framework Release 3.2.5

• API Framework Release 3.2.4
• Mission Assignments Data Set Version 1  [New]
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Disaster Summaries Data Set Version 1  [Updated]
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects Data Set Version 2  [Updated]
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Mitigated Properties Version 2  [Updated]