Methodology
How GlobalRisk Works
GlobalRisk aggregates publicly available information from government agencies, public data providers, news sources and other public resources. Data is collected, normalized and presented through a unified interface to help users understand events and activity around the world.
GlobalRisk does not claim ownership of third-party data. Each data source remains the property of its respective provider.
1. Collection
Our servers and your browser request each provider's public feed or API on a regular schedule. Frequency depends on the provider: earthquake and alert feeds are checked every few minutes, while slower-changing sources are checked less often. If a source is unavailable, the rest of the dashboard keeps working and that layer simply shows older data until the source recovers.
2. Normalization
Each source uses its own format (GeoJSON, RSS, JSON APIs) and its own scales. We convert every item into a common structure: an identifier, source, category, title, place, country, coordinates, time and a link to the original. Timestamps are converted to a single standard, and duplicate items from repeated polling are discarded.
3. Categorization and severity
Events are assigned a category (for example earthquake, storm, wildfire, flood, conflict-related news) and a severity level of low, moderate, high or extreme. Where a source supplies its own measure we map it to our scale, such as earthquake magnitude (below 4 is low, 4 to 4.9 moderate, 5 to 5.9 high, 6 and above extreme) or the alert level that GDACS publishes. News headlines are grouped by keyword and topic matching. This is automated and approximate, and may occasionally misclassify an item.
4. Geographic grouping
Items with coordinates are placed directly on the map. Others are matched to a country from the place name or source metadata. This lets you view activity by region and country, and see clusters of related events rather than a flat list.
5. Presentation and filtering
Events are drawn on an interactive map and listed in feeds that can be filtered by type, severity and region. Markers are color-coded by severity. Every item shows its source name and links to the original, so you can verify and read more from the publisher.
6. Attribution and rights
We show headlines and short metadata only, and link to the original publisher for the full content. Article text is not reproduced. If you are a rights holder and would like attribution changed or an item removed, contact hello@globalrisk.site.
Data sources
| Category | Provider | What we use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| News headlines | Google News RSS (aggregating many publishers) | Headline, publisher, publish time, link | Headlines only, linked to the original publisher |
| Earthquakes | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program | Magnitude, location, depth, time | Magnitude 2.5 and above, last 24 hours of history |
| Natural events | NASA EONET (Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker) | Event type, location, status, source links | Open events: storms, volcanoes, wildfires, floods and similar |
| Disaster alerts | GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) | Alert level, event type, country, link | Severity mapped to GlobalRisk levels |
| Fires | NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) | Satellite-detected hotspots | Near-real-time thermal detections |
| Aviation | OpenSky Network, ADSB.fi, ADSB.lol, ADSBdb | Aircraft position, altitude, callsign | Community-sourced ADS-B data; coverage varies by region |
| Satellites | CelesTrak | Orbital elements for satellite tracks | Positions computed in the browser |
| Public notices | FBI and INTERPOL public notice APIs | Publicly released notices | Shown as published; not a determination of guilt |
| Live cameras | DriveBC, 511 Ontario, Caltrans, Fintraffic Digitraffic, data.gov.sg, data.gov.hk, YouTube embeds | Public camera images and streams | Linked or embedded from the operator |
| Base maps and imagery | Esri World Imagery, NASA GIBS, Windy | Map tiles and weather layers | Displayed under each provider's terms |
Known limitations
- Data may be delayed, incomplete or later corrected by the source.
- Aviation data comes from community receivers and does not include every aircraft, including some military or restricted flights.
- News coverage reflects what publishers report and may be uneven across regions and languages.
- Automated categorization and severity are estimates, not official assessments.
- GlobalRisk is not an emergency alert system. Follow guidance from local authorities.
Questions about methodology? Get in touch.