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Health and biosecurity · Food and agriculture

Biotechnology and Biosecurity in Reports

Biotechnology, synthetic biology and biological safety at the convergence of health, agriculture and industry. This page shows the series it feeds, the evidence behind it and how to contribute.

Contribute on this areaBiotechnology and Biosecurity home
Series
2
Systems
3
Methods
6
01In brief

What this area brings to the editions.

Biotechnology, synthetic biology and biological safety at the convergence of health, agriculture and industry.

02Field

Biotechnology and Biosecurity on the map.

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

Layers 3

Environmental exposure, for this page

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
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
static product; 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 leave gaps)
Source
VIIRS NOAA-20 Deep Blue AOD (NASA LANCE)
Provider
NASA LANCE
Licence
NASA open data
Vintage
daily; Satellite retrieval; clouds leave gaps
Newest at build
2026-10-14
Resolution
about 2 km grid
Uncertainty
Satellite measure of haze, smoke and dust through the whole air column on the day shown; an exposure indicator, not ground-level PM2.5, an air quality index or a health warning.
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 (clouds leave gaps)
Source
OMI Aura (NASA GES DISC)
Provider
NASA GES DISC
Licence
NASA open data
Vintage
daily; Satellite retrieval; clouds leave gaps
Newest at build
2026-10-10
Resolution
about 2 km grid
Uncertainty
Satellite column of nitrogen dioxide in the lower atmosphere on the day shown, mostly from combustion; not a ground-level concentration or a health 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

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.

Environmental exposure, framed on West Africa.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 · ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5P TROPOMI · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT

Sources 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 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
  • 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
  • MODIS and VIIRS atmosphere products, NASA LANCE and LAADS DAAC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • OMI nitrogen dioxide (Aura) and OMPS aerosol index (Suomi NPP), NASA; distributed by the NASA GES DISC; 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 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.
  • Observed (EO): ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5P TROPOMI (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).
  • 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).
  • Air quality forecast, 5 days, PM2.5 (CAMS via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information 2026.
  • Past year, daily temperature (ERA5 via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
  • 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 (14 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

  • Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • Aerosol optical depth, daily: VIIRS NOAA-20 Deep Blue AOD, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • Nitrogen dioxide, lower atmosphere column: OMI Aura, NASA GES DISC · 10 Oct 2026
  • Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024

03In the editions

9 findings of the drafted editions that bear on Biotechnology and Biosecurity.

Drawn from the Baseline Edition 2026 drafts through the systems this area reads. Each opens at its anchor in its edition, with its numbered sources.

  1. AREUnited Arab EmiratesAt least 80% of food consumed is imported; arable land is 0.8% of land area and cereal production was about 20,000 tonnes in 2024.REPORTED · COUNTRY-ARE-FOO-007
  2. ARGArgentinaThe 2022–23 drought cut the wheat harvest by 44% to 12.4 million tonnes and soybeans to 25 million tonnes; farm-sector losses were put at about US$33 billion.REPORTED · COUNTRY-ARG-FOO-006
  3. AUAfrican UnionThe prevalence of undernourishment was 22.3% in 2024, up from 19.3% in 2018; about 288 million people (derived).REPORTED · COUNTRY-AU-FOO-005
  4. AUSAustraliaSmoke from the 2019–20 fires was linked to an estimated 417 deaths in a peer-reviewed study.REPORTED · COUNTRY-AUS-HLT-006
  5. BRABrazilThe 2025/26 grain harvest is estimated at 360.8 Mt on 83.5 million hectares, and agricultural value added grew 11.7% in 2025.REPORTED · COUNTRY-BRA-FOO-008
  6. CHESwitzerlandThe Federal Council offered CHF 54 million in interest-free operating loans to farm businesses after the 2026 drought, and the contribution text sets a goal that domestic production covers at least 50% of food needs.REPORTED · COUNTRY-CHE-FOO-006
  7. CHNChinaGrain output was 714.88 million tonnes in 2025; the FAO records 657.5 million tonnes of cereals and cereal imports well below average for 2025/26.REPORTED · COUNTRY-CHN-FOO-009
  8. EUEuropean UnionA peer-reviewed study models 62,775 heat-related deaths in 32 European countries in summer 2024.REPORTED · COUNTRY-EU-HLT-007
  9. GS-02Global Energy655 million people lacked electricity in 2024 and about 2.0 billion relied mainly on polluting fuels for cooking.REPORTED · SECTOR-ENERGY-GLOBAL-HLT-007
04Evidence path

From Foundry evidence to the series.

The evidence, step by step, from the systems this area reads to the series it feeds.

How Biotechnology and Biosecurity reaches Reports: what it reads, how it reads it, the sealed cut and the series it feeds.

StepWhat happensSource
01 What it readsBiotechnology and Biosecurity reads NXS-LAB (research, experiments and simulations) and The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX): governed sources with their releases, never a value without its source.
02 How it reads themMolecular and life sciences and Biotechnology platforms turn the evidence into findings, with assumptions and limits stated beside each value.
03 The cut is sealedEach quarter the evidence is sealed in one cut, so OBSERVED, REPORTED and ESTIMATED values stay apart and every edition can be rebuilt.
04 The series it feedsThe cut feeds Exponential Technology and Evidence Brief, from the Baseline Edition 2026 into the quarterly series.
05 Who decidesDecisions stay with the authorities that hold them, under their own rules; an edition informs a decision and never makes it.

A teaching model of the evidence path, not a forecast and not a record of any run; the systems, methods and series named come from the registries. Sources: Biotechnology and Biosecurity in Reports (2026); Biotechnology and Biosecurity home (2026).

05Series

The series it feeds, and what backs each.

SeriesFoundry systems it draws onAcademy disciplinesSeries home
Exponential TechnologyNXS-NXQ (software, models and capability lifecycle) the capability catalogue and fitness assessments of machine capabilities
NXS-LAB benchmark comparisons and experiment records for fast-changing technologies		Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Innovation and frontier technology governance
Quantum technologies		Exponential Technology series home
Evidence BriefNXS-GRX the evidence behind one question, with its strength and gaps
NXS-POR (public, client and partner delivery) the public-safe release of a brief and its corrections
NXS-DSS (decision cases and deliberation) what the evidence settles for the decision in hand		Research, evidence and the science-policy interface
Risk communication and risk literacy
Uncertainty and decision making		Evidence Brief series home
06Backed by

The systems, methods and teaching behind it.

07Across the Consortium

Where the same subject is reported elsewhere.

08Topics

Topic pages on Biotechnology and Biosecurity.

Topic

Agricultural biotechnology

Topic

Biological threats

Topic

Biomanufacturing

Topic

Diagnostics and therapeutics

Topic

Dual use and ethics

Topic

Lab biosafety and biosecurity

Topic

One health impacts

Topic

Synthetic biology

09Contribute

Contribute on Biotechnology and Biosecurity.

Evidence, a case, a correction, a method or profile input on this subject. The composer tags it with this area and its series.

Contribution composer

Write a contribution the editor can act on.

Say what it is, where its record is kept and on which licence. It arrives tagged with this page, its area and its gateway, so it reaches the editor who owns it.

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  • Evidence
  • Correction
  • Case study
  • Analysis or method
  • Peer review
  • Translation
  • Profile input

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10Open science

Open science for Biotechnology and Biosecurity.

How a contribution on this subject is deposited, identified, credited, licensed and found, and the metadata for it prefilled from this page.

Biotechnology and Biosecurity’s open record

Area
Biotechnology and Biosecurity
Feeds
Exponential Technology, Evidence Brief
Record
A UNI for every accepted contribution; cited with its DOI in the edition that uses it
Links
isSupplementTo the edition it informs; isNewVersionOf its earlier version
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (SPDX CC-BY-4.0) for original material; metadata CC0 1.0

Credit and identity

ORCID
Your iD in the deposit and the contribution record; DataCite can then add the work to your ORCID record
ROR
Your organisation by its ROR identifier, never by a typed name alone
CRediT
Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualisation, Writing, review and editing
Account
None needed to contribute; never a password

Find and follow

Search the open indexes for Biotechnology and Biosecurity; software is cited by its SWHID from Software Heritage. Annotation is your choice: Hypothesis opens this page in its own viewer.

Mirrors and harvest

The DOI is canonical. At release each signed bundle is also given an IPFS content identifier and a bloxberg anchor as mirrors; both are listed in the record once they exist. Zenodo exposes every record over OAI-PMH, and reviews and endorsements can arrive through COAR Notify where the repository supports it.

InvenioRDM metadata for a contribution on Biotechnology and Biosecurity, prefilled from this page
{
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    "description": "What it is, where its record is kept and how it bears on Biotechnology and Biosecurity in Nexus Reports.",
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11Latest

Releases for this area.

Releases tagged to this area appear here once released.

ReportsContribute

Send evidence on Biotechnology and Biosecurity.

Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication, written by six desks. This page sits with the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) Systems Evidence desk. 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. Sent to the wrong desk, it is forwarded, not refused.

GCRI Systems Evidence deskBiotechnology and BiosecurityExponential TechnologyEvidence Brief

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