---
title: "Natural Disaster Tracking"
description: "Multi-source natural disaster monitoring using GDACS and NASA EONET, with intelligent deduplication and filtering for earthquakes, wildfires, cyclones, and more."
---
The Natural layer combines two authoritative sources for comprehensive disaster monitoring, providing real-time alerts with severity assessments and satellite-derived event detection.

## GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System)

UN-backed disaster alert system providing official severity assessments:

| Event Type | Code | Icon | Sources |
|------------|------|------|---------|
| Earthquake | EQ | Red circle | USGS, EMSC |
| Flood | FL | Wave | Satellite imagery |
| Tropical Cyclone | TC | Cyclone | NOAA, JMA |
| Volcano | VO | Volcano | Smithsonian GVP |
| Wildfire | WF | Fire | MODIS, VIIRS |
| Drought | DR | Sun | Multiple sources |

**Alert Levels**:

| Level | Color | Meaning |
|-------|-------|---------|
| **Red** | Critical | Significant humanitarian impact expected |
| **Orange** | Alert | Moderate impact, monitoring required |
| **Green** | Advisory | Minor event, localized impact |

## NASA EONET (Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker)

Near-real-time natural event detection from satellite observation:

| Category | Detection Method | Typical Delay |
|----------|------------------|---------------|
| Severe Storms | GOES/Himawari imagery | Minutes |
| Wildfires | MODIS thermal anomalies | 4-6 hours |
| Volcanoes | Thermal + SO2 emissions | Hours |
| Floods | SAR imagery + gauges | Hours to days |
| Sea/Lake Ice | Passive microwave | Daily |
| Dust/Haze | Aerosol optical depth | Hours |

## Multi-Source Deduplication

When both GDACS and EONET report the same event:

1. Events within 100km and 48 hours are considered duplicates
2. GDACS severity takes precedence (human-verified)
3. EONET geometry provides more precise coordinates
4. Combined entry shows both source attributions

## Filtering Logic

To prevent map clutter, natural events are filtered:

- **Wildfires**: Only events &lt; 48 hours old (older fires are either contained or well-known)
- **Earthquakes**: M4.5+ globally, lower threshold for populated areas
- **Storms**: Only named storms or those with warnings
