About HazardTracer
HazardTracer is a free global hazard-awareness application designed to help people discover natural hazards, extreme events and potential threats around locations that matter to them.
Our goal is simple: make important hazard information easier to find, understand and monitor. HazardTracer brings different types of hazard events and alerts together in a location-based interface, allowing users to quickly build a clearer picture of what is happening around a selected area.
What HazardTracer monitors
Natural hazards are not all detected or communicated in the same way. Some can produce early indicators or alerts, while others can only be reported after an event has occurred.
For this reason, HazardTracer distinguishes between alert-based information and reported hazard events.
The platform currently provides information related to:
- Fire alerts
- Droughts
- Dust and haze
- Earthquakes
- Floods
- Landslides
- Severe storms
- Extreme snow events
- Extreme temperatures
- Volcanic events
- Wildfires
Understanding fire alerts
Fire alerts require a different interpretation from reported hazard events.
When HazardTracer displays a fire alert, it does not necessarily mean that an active fire has been confirmed at that exact location. The alert indicates that a thermal signal has been detected by satellite observations and may be associated with fire activity.
HazardTracer separates fire alerts into medium-probability and high-probability indicators. A concentration of high-probability alerts within the same area can provide a stronger indication of ongoing fire activity and can help users identify areas that may require additional attention.
Reported hazard events
Other markers displayed by HazardTracer represent hazard events reported at or near the location shown on the map.
HazardTracer focuses on current situational awareness rather than historical analysis. Events and alerts displayed by the application relate to approximately the previous 24 hours, helping users focus on recent developments around the location they are exploring.
How to use HazardTracer
Exploring hazards around a location is designed to be simple:
- Start typing the name of a city, region or location.
- Select the appropriate location from the available results.
- HazardTracer searches for relevant events and alerts within a 400 km radius of the selected location.
- Explore the markers displayed on the map to understand recent hazard activity in the surrounding area.
Keeping information current
Hazard information is refreshed regularly so that the map remains focused on recent activity. Most event information is updated on an hourly basis, while fire-alert information is updated approximately every three hours.
Event times are provided in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Where available, HazardTracer also displays local time according to the visitor’s browser settings.
Designed for awareness
HazardTracer is designed to make hazard information more accessible and easier to explore. It can support situational awareness, travel planning, research and general understanding of natural events occurring around the world.
HazardTracer should be used as an informational tool and not as a substitute for official emergency warnings, evacuation instructions or information provided by local authorities and emergency-management agencies. During an emergency, always follow instructions issued by the relevant authorities.