Guides · Updated 2026-10-27

How the map works

JellyDock Conflict Watch turns thousands of news headlines into a small number of events on a map. This page explains each step, what the symbols mean, and the limits of the method. The short version: a point appears on the map only when at least two independent outlets report the same event at a known city.

Step 1 — Collecting reports

About every 15 minutes, automated jobs read article lists from publisher feeds, humanitarian sources and news data services listed on our Data Sources page. We store only the headline, the link, the outlet name and the publication time. We never copy full articles or photos; to read a report you follow the link to the publisher.

Step 2 — Matching reports to places

Each headline is compared with a gazetteer, a list of countries and cities with their coordinates and common spellings. When a headline names a city we know, the report is tied to that city; when it names only a country, the report stays at country level. Headlines that cannot be matched to any place are not shown on the map.

Step 3 — Removing duplicates

The same story often appears several times: in different feeds, with small edits to the headline, or with tracking codes added to the link. We remove duplicates by comparing normalised links and headlines, so that one story counts once.

Step 4 — Grouping reports into events

Reports about the same place within a 48-hour window that describe the same thing are grouped into a single event. Each event page lists every report in the group, with the outlet and time, so you can compare how different outlets described it. The number shown on an event is a count of reports and sources, not a measure of how serious it was.

Step 5 — Checking independence

For each event we count independent outlets. Each distinct outlet counts once, however many times it reports the story, and duplicate links from different feeds are removed. Our editors can merge outlets that belong to the same group. Events with one source are labelled “Unverified · 1 source”. They appear in news lists so that readers can follow developing stories, but they are not drawn on the map and their pages are not offered to search engines.

Step 6 — Deciding what to draw

• Flame marker: at least two independent outlets report damage at a known city. The flame comes in three sizes based on the reported level of damage (damage reported; buildings destroyed or several people hurt; many people hurt), and only when at least two outlets report that level. It never reflects the number of articles.
• Small icon next to a flame: the type of attack or what was hit (for example drone, missile, shelling, power grid), shown only when two independent outlets describe it the same way.
• Crowd icon without a flame: protests or unrest reported by two independent outlets. These are not attacks.
• Country circle: a country with recent reports, with up to three icons for the most reported types of event.

What the map never shows

We do not draw launch sites, attack origins or trajectories, and we do not show who is said to be responsible for an attack. These claims are often disputed, and placing them on a map would present one side’s account as fact. We also do not rank or score events. Readers who want that information can follow the links to the original reporting.

Day and night, 3D and 2D

The globe shows the current position of the sun: the lit side uses NASA Blue Marble imagery and the dark side uses NASA Black Marble city lights. The flat 2D map lets you zoom into cities with street-level map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Limits

• Coverage follows the news. Places with little media access are under-represented, and a quiet map does not mean a quiet place.
• Automatic grouping can make mistakes, for example when two different incidents happen in the same city on the same day.
• Our feeds are in English, so local-language reporting is only included when it is also reported in English.

If something looks wrong, please tell us through the contact form or the “Report a problem” link on any event page. For our rules in full, see the Editorial Policy.