GCRI · Climate and Hazards
Released maps
Maps of Climate and Hazards are published here once their data rights are cleared and they have been reviewed. Each shows its time and space reference, its sources and its uncertainty.
01Workspace
The workspace for released maps.
GCRI · Climate and Hazards · Map workspaceIllustrative
Climate and Hazards · Map workspace. Map workspace: example names and illustrative values, not a record.
02What is shown
Released, referenced and rights-cleared.
- Time and space reference for every view.
- Sources and licence.
- Uncertainty and known limits.
- Version and date of release.
03Geography
Hazards now worldwide.
Population density, active fires and flood water across the world, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 3
Hazards now, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds and overpass timing leave gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS) (NASA LANCE FIRMS)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE FIRMS
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds and overpass timing leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite hot-spot detections for the day shown, including gas flares and industrial heat; not a confirmed fire, an incident report or a warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS Global Flood Product (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (persistent cloud still leaves gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- 8-day; Satellite 8-day composite; persistent cloud still leaves gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-09-14
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite skin temperature of the ground over the 8 days ending on the date shown, a heat exposure indicator; not air temperature, heat index or a heat warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest year GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1) (NASA LP DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LP DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- yearly; Satellite classification; latest year GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2024-01-01
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite land cover classes for the year shown, including croplands; a classification with known errors, not a farm register.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
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.
Hazards now, framed on the world.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · U.S. Geological Survey · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources 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 hexagonal 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 hexagonal 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 hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), VIIRS 375 m active fire product, NASA LANCE; vector tiles via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- 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 hexagonal 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 hexagonal 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 hexagonal 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 hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal 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.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Live: U.S. Geological Survey Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (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 (20 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
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Active fires and thermal anomalies: VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS), NASA LANCE FIRMS · 13 Oct 2026
- 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 surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
- Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
04Indicators
What a released map in this field would carry.
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Evidence label | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature anomaly | degrees Celsius against a stated reference period | monthly | Observed | Climate baselines |
| Precipitation anomaly | percent of reference-period mean | monthly | Observed | Climate baselines |
| Station record completeness | percent of days with valid observations | annual | Observed | Climate baselines |
| Reanalysis temperature | degrees Celsius | hourly | Modelled | Climate baselines |
| Observing network density | stations per ten thousand square kilometres | annual | Published statistics | Climate baselines |
| Homogenisation adjustments applied | count of breakpoints adjusted | per release | Reported | Climate baselines |
| Standardized Precipitation Index | standard deviations at a stated accumulation period | monthly | Observed | Heat and drought |
| Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index | standard deviations at a stated accumulation period | monthly | Estimated | Heat and drought |
| Soil moisture anomaly | percentile against reference period | daily to monthly | Modelled | Heat and drought |
| Heatwave days | count of days above a local threshold | seasonal | Observed | Heat and drought |
| Wet-bulb globe temperature | degrees Celsius | hourly | Estimated | Heat and drought |
| Vegetation condition | anomaly of a vegetation index | dekadal | Observed | Heat and drought |
| Streamflow percentile | percentile of flow for the day of year | daily | Observed | Heat and drought |
| Peak river discharge | cubic metres per second | per event | Observed | Flood and storm |
| Discharge return period | years | per event | Estimated | Flood and storm |
| Rainfall intensity | millimetres per hour | sub-daily | Observed | Flood and storm |
| Storm surge height | metres above predicted tide | per event | Observed | Flood and storm |
| Tropical cyclone maximum sustained wind | knots at a stated averaging period | six-hourly | Published statistics | Flood and storm |
| Flood extent | square kilometres | per event | Observed | Flood and storm |
| Population in flood hazard zone | people by return period | per model release | Modelled | Flood and storm |
| Fire Weather Index | dimensionless index | daily | Modelled | Wildfire and land |
| Active fire detections | count of detections | daily | Observed | Wildfire and land |
| Burned area | hectares | monthly and annual | Observed | Wildfire and land |
| Fire radiative power | megawatts | per detection | Observed | Wildfire and land |
| Fire season length | days above a fire danger threshold | annual | Modelled | Wildfire and land |
| Population at the wildland-urban interface | people | per assessment | Estimated | Wildfire and land |
| Smoke fine particulate exposure | micrograms per cubic metre | daily | Modelled | Wildfire and land |
| Earthquake magnitude | moment magnitude | per event | Observed | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Peak ground acceleration | fraction of gravity | per event | Observed | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Macroseismic intensity | intensity scale level | per event | Estimated | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Seismic hazard at a return period | peak ground acceleration with a stated exceedance probability | per model release | Modelled | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Landslide susceptibility | susceptibility class | per assessment | Modelled | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Ground deformation rate | millimetres per year | per acquisition series | Observed | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Volcanic alert level | alert level on the observatory’s scale | as issued | Published statistics | Earthquakes and geohazards |
| Concurrent hot and dry days | count per season | seasonal | Observed | Compound hazards |
| Joint return period | years for the combined event | per analysis | Estimated | Compound hazards |
| Dependence between drivers | correlation or tail dependence coefficient | per analysis | Estimated | Compound hazards |
| Events with multiple hazard types | count | annual | Reported | Compound hazards |
| Simultaneous breadbasket shortfalls | count of regions below a yield threshold | annual | Estimated | Compound hazards |
| Recovery interval between events | months | per event sequence | Observed | Compound hazards |
| Change in annual mean temperature | degrees Celsius at a stated warming level | per ensemble release | Modelled | Climate projections |
| Change in heavy precipitation | percent change in annual maximum daily rainfall | per ensemble release | Modelled | Climate projections |
| Change in hot days | days above a threshold per year | per ensemble release | Modelled | Climate projections |
| Ensemble spread | range across models | per ensemble release | Modelled | Climate projections |
| Model agreement on sign of change | percent of models | per ensemble release | Modelled | Climate projections |
| Bias against observations | difference over reference period | per model | Estimated | Climate projections |
| Forecast skill | continuous ranked probability skill score against a reference | per verification cycle | Observed | Climate services and warnings |
| Warning lead time | hours between warning issue and hazard onset | per event | Observed | Climate services and warnings |
| Population covered by multi-hazard early warning | percent of population | annual | Published statistics | Climate services and warnings |
| Warnings in Common Alerting Protocol | percent of warnings issued in CAP | annual | Observed | Climate services and warnings |
| False alarm ratio | ratio of warnings without the hazard | per verification cycle | Observed | Climate services and warnings |
| People who received and acted on a warning | percent of surveyed population | per survey | Reported | Climate services and warnings |
05Process
How the process runs.
Process explorer · Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
7 steps·4 stages·1 gate
Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
Layers enter with their rights, are aligned, analysed and checked for uncertainty, then released after public-safe review; a map is a governed spatial claim.
01 Data
- 01Source layers with their rightsDataset · NXS-GRX (canonical data, provenance and risk)Spatial views of The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX) products sit under the boundary licence gate. Rights classification sets how a layer may be used.
02 Harmonise
- 02Coordinate reference and boundary versionRecord · NXS-EOP (earth observation and digital twins)The area of interest preserves its coordinate reference system, polygon validity and observation support. Boundary versions are kept.
- 03Harmonise units, variables and timeStepUnit metadata, conversion records and transformation logs are required. Alignment is an evidence event, not hidden preprocessing.
03 Analyse and check
- 04Analyse with a recorded processing recipeModel · GIS teamA processing recipe records parameters, calibration, inputs and output lineage. The analysis methods are named in each product’s own record.
- 05Spatial uncertainty checkGateSpatial uncertainty is recorded and affects downstream use. A high-uncertainty polygon may suit internal review, not public-safe release.
04 Publish
- 06Spatial metadata bundleRecordThe bundle records boundary type, jurisdiction, geometry version, projection, resolution, source, time window, uncertainty and access class.
- 07Public-safe release of the mapDecisionThe output record names the redactions, uncertainty and public-safe reviewer. A map is a governed spatial claim, never merely a picture.
Spatio-temporal intelligence · Data protocols: semantic, jurisdictional and temporal intelligence · NXS-EOPDesigned programme process, not a record of operation. No cycle has run and every programme is at service level R0. A gate is a programme decision, never a public-authority approval, certification or deployment authorisation. The pages cited are design doctrine.
06Reading the maps
Cautions that apply to hazard maps.
- Hazard maps show probability of the hazard, not risk; exposure and vulnerability are separate layers.
- Return-period maps rest on records that may be non-stationary.
- Projected change maps depend on scenario and period; both are stated.
- Global hazard maps are too coarse for site decisions.
07Status
Releases appear as they are reviewed.
Analysis runs in Foundry; reviewed releases are listed here.
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.
09Questions
Questions and answers.
Can I request a map or model?
Write to the contact form with what you need and why.
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