GCRI · Advanced Industry and Robotics

Spatial intelligenceObservations, models and their uncertainty in one view

Test in Nexus Universe

The mission themes Advanced Industry and Robotics brings to the annual Nexus Universe programme, governed by The Global Risk Forum, with its own website at universe.nexus.

Make an enquiry Back to Advanced Industry and Robotics
01Sequence

The order things happen in.

  1. 01QuestionNational, regional or institutional priority
  2. 02EvidenceSTEM foundation of the platform
  3. 03BuildNexus Foundry
  4. 04OrganizeNexus Ecosystem
  5. 05TestNexus Universe (independent site)
  6. 06PublishNexus Reports
  7. 07DecideCompetent authorities and institutions, through Nexus Rails
  8. 08RenewCorrections and the next annual agenda
02Six pillars

Nexus Universe among the six pillars.

Where everything comes together in the annual programme, with GCRI, GRF and GRA each contributing in its role and capacity. Nexus Universe is led by Nexus Consortium; its home is universe.nexus.

Select pillars · hover lines16 / 18 handoffs

Route

Around Nexus Universe

The pillars Nexus Universe hands work to and receives it from.

L · F · U · S · R · A

Pillars
5 of 6
Handoffs
16 of 18
Loops
16 closed

Handoffs in play

  • F01Universe → Foundry · Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision caseReadiness preparation
  • F02Foundry → Universe · Core Build Report and go or no-go evidenceControlled build
  • F03Foundry → Reports · Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profileCloseout
  • F04Universe → Reports · After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13After-action review

and 12 more

F01 to F14 are the recorded handoffs of the programme year, each with the artefact that moves and its phase; R1, R2, R3 and R4 carry work around the ring. A loop counts when every pillar on it is selected. Every pillar is led by the Nexus Consortium.
  1. Nexus Labs, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere questions become experiments and prototypes: new methods, data and tools are tried in the open, with their limits on record, before the Foundry builds them, under the Nexus Consortium.Nexus Labs
  2. Nexus Foundry, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere methods, data and models become reproducible builds, each run with its inputs, version and limits on record.Advanced Industry and Robotics in Nexus FoundryNexus Foundry
  3. Nexus Universe, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere a build is tested under controlled conditions with independent evaluators, so a method's skill is measured, not assumed.Advanced Industry and Robotics in Nexus Universeuniverse.nexus
  4. Nexus Standards, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere methods, identifiers and data schemas are codified in the open and corrected when a test finds a fault.Industry, Trade and Supply Chains on Nexus Standardsnexustandards.com
  5. Nexus Reports, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere findings are published with their method, uncertainty and evidence class, and corrected as new versions.Advanced Industry and Robotics in Nexus ReportsNexus Reports
  6. Risk Academy, led by the Nexus ConsortiumWhere methods and systems are taught on real data and real places, by working the case, on Risk Academy.Faculty of Technology and Digital Systems on Risk Academyrisksacademy.com

Nexus Universe in every area of the work

AreaNexus Universe
LeadershipGRF steers the annual programme and records each gate decision from G0 to G7, with dissent kept on the record.
StrategyNational and regional priorities become the year's missions; the annual mandate at gate G0 sets which missions the programme takes on.
CadenceOne year to prepare, one month to build, one week to act and test in Q3, a planned stand-down, then review and renewal in Q4.
OwnershipOwns the cycle mandate, mission admission decisions, gate decisions, after-action records and the renewal decision.
ProcessTwelve phases, from planning to renewal, each closed by a gate or a record.
DevelopmentDevelops national demand into admitted, qualified missions, and carries the lessons into the next mandate.
SimulationsTests work under exercise control in Action Week with independent evaluators; nothing simulated is reported as observed impact.
ReportingAuthorises publication of the year's results at gate G6 and supplies after-action and scenario findings.
GovernanceGRF governs the programme; a cycle gate is a programme decision, not a public-authority approval.
Data and evidenceRun, decision and observation records from Action Week are sealed at closeout, gate G5.
Finance and resourcingData, people and resource offers are qualified before the build at gate G2; an offer is not an allocation.
Risk and assuranceExercise controls and stop-work events keep Action Week controlled, reversible and independently evaluated.
ParticipationGovernments, agencies, researchers, finance, civil society and communities take part through missions, tracks and national contributions.
CommunicationMission themes are presented as proposals until admitted, and confirmed exercises are announced with their gate record.
LocalExercises run on named places and systems, under exercise control.
NationalNational demand forms the agenda, and national counterparts own the agenda, data and decisions.
RegionalRegional programmes contribute missions that cross borders.
PlanetaryThe annual programme brings national and regional work together once a year.

What each institution brings

PillarGCRIGRFGRA
UniverseIts technical office prepares the scientific and data readiness of each mission.Stewards and governs the programme: the mandate, gates G0 to G7, convening and Action Week.Runs finance-readiness dialogues on what each mission means for finance and insurance.
03Exercises

Compound-stress exercises designed for industrial.

Exercise themeWhat it tests
Industrial continuity and process safetyWhether a plant and its community response keep people safe through a flood that disables power and barriers
04Canvas

Scoping to review.

Canvas · scoping to reviewDesign, not a record
Test in Nexus Universe: an exercise from design to lessonsObjectives and a scenario are designed with the owner; injects are scripted; players respond in cells while controllers and observers watch; a hot wash and an after-action report turn observations into owned improvements. Design of the process, not a record of a run.

Fig.A programme from scoping to the owner's decision. Design, not a record.

05Themes

Mission themes from this field.

  1. 01

    Industrial continuity and process safety

    Proposed for controlled testing in the annual programme; a theme is not a confirmed exercise.

06Geography

Infrastructure exposure in Germany.

Night lights, population density, flood water and true-colour imagery over Germany, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 4

Infrastructure exposure, for this page

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

Infrastructure exposure, framed on Germany. Layers as NASA publishes them, each with its own date.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · NASA HLS S30Sources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). ODbL
  • Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
  • Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.
  • Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
  • Observed (EO): NASA HLS S30 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • River discharge forecast, 30 days with range (GloFAS via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Emergency Management Service information 2026; not a flood warning.
  • Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
  • Optional layers (12 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.

Layers and dates

  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
  • Enhanced vegetation index, rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra EVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026

07How testing works

Controlled, reviewed and reversible.

Selected work is tested under controlled conditions, reviewed and then published with its limits. Results that pass go to Nexus Reports. The planned stand-down of each edition keeps review, reconciliation and corrections going after the event.

08Sources

Where this page's references lead.

The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.

09Connected

Where this page leads across the Consortium.

10Questions

Questions and answers.

Where is Nexus Universe?
It has its own website at universe.nexus. GRF governs the programme.
NRNexus Reports gateway · GW-GCRI

Contribute to Nexus Reports from this page.

Nexus Reports is the Consortium's quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

GCRIAdvanced Industry and RoboticsExponential TechnologyGlobal Sector Risk and Resilience

Never send personal data, sensitive infrastructure detail or anything you have no right to share. A contribution is reviewed before use; sending it confers no authorship or editorial rights, and sponsorship never buys a finding.

Across the Consortium

The same subject across the Consortium.

Advanced Industry and Robotics

Bring a method, a dataset or a question.

The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.

Propose a method See all contact routes
Legal

Maps, data and figures on this site are shown for context and general information. They are not advice, forecasts or warnings; the limits of the information are set out in the Disclaimers and Data Notices.