Regional Presets
Eight predefined views provide instant access to key regions:Global
World overview - centered on Atlantic
Americas
North and South America
Europe
European continent and surroundings
MENA
Middle East and North Africa
Asia
East, South, and Southeast Asia
Africa
African continent
Oceania
Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands
Latin America
Central and South America, Caribbean
Using Regional Presets
Manual Navigation
Pan (Move the Map)
- Mouse: Click and drag anywhere on the globe
- Touch: Single-finger drag on touchscreen devices
- Momentum: Release while dragging for smooth inertia scrolling
Zoom
- Mouse wheel: Scroll up to zoom in, down to zoom out
- Touch: Pinch gesture on touchscreen devices
- Zoom buttons: Use +/- controls in the sidebar
- Double-click: Zoom in on a specific location
Rotate (3D Mode Only)
- Pitch: Ctrl/Cmd + drag vertically to tilt the globe
- Rotation: Ctrl/Cmd + drag horizontally to spin the globe
Zoom-Adaptive Layers
Certain data layers only appear at appropriate zoom levels to reduce clutter:| Layer | Minimum Zoom | Label Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Military Bases | 3 | 5 |
| Nuclear Facilities | 2 | — |
| Conflicts | 1 | 3 |
| Economic Centers | 2 | — |
| Natural Events | 1 | 2 |
Progressive Disclosure
- Detail layers (bases, nuclear, datacenters) appear when zoomed in
- Opacity fading - Markers fade from 0.2 at world view to 1.0 at street level
- Label deconfliction - Overlapping labels are automatically suppressed by priority
This zoom-adaptive behavior ensures the map remains readable at all zoom levels while providing rich detail when you need it.
Smart Clustering
World Monitor uses Supercluster to intelligently group nearby markers:How Clustering Works
- Low zoom (world view): Many markers grouped into clusters
- Medium zoom (regional view): Clusters begin to separate
- High zoom (city view): Individual markers visible
Cluster Interaction
Identify Clusters
Clusters display as circles with a count badge showing the number of contained markers.
Cluster Thresholds
Thresholds adapt based on zoom level:- Zoom 0-2: Aggressive clustering (100+ markers per cluster)
- Zoom 3-5: Moderate clustering (10-50 markers)
- Zoom 6+: Minimal clustering (5 or fewer markers)
URL State Sharing
World Monitor encodes map state in the URL for easy sharing:URL Parameters
Every view change updates the URL with these parameters:| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
view | Regional preset | ?view=mena |
zoom | Zoom level (0-20) | &zoom=4 |
lat | Latitude coordinate | &lat=25.276 |
lng | Longitude coordinate | &lng=55.296 |
layers | Active layers (comma-separated) | &layers=conflicts,bases |
time | Time range filter | &time=24h |
Sharing a View
Configure Your View
Set up the map exactly as you want others to see it:
- Select a region or zoom to a specific location
- Enable/disable relevant data layers
- Set the time range filter
Deep Linking to Countries
You can link directly to a country brief page:Map Pinning
Keep the map visible while scrolling through panels:Pin state is persisted to localStorage and restored on reload.
Country Click Behavior
Clicking on a country triggers different actions based on context:Opening Country Briefs
Local Geometry Resolution
World Monitor uses local GeoJSON polygons to instantly identify the country - no network request needed.
Country Detection Algorithm
World Monitor uses a sophisticated local-first approach:- Bounding box pre-filter - Quick elimination of non-matching countries
- Ray-casting algorithm - Precise point-in-polygon testing
- MultiPolygon support - Handles countries with non-contiguous territories
- Sub-millisecond performance - No network latency
Marker Interaction
Click individual markers to view detailed information:Hotspots
- Escalation score and trend
- Related news articles
- Nearby military activity
- Geographic convergence alerts
Military Bases
- Operator country
- Base type and name
- Associated aircraft
- Theater assignment
Undersea Cables
- Cable name and route
- Landing points
- Health status and advisories
- Repair ship locations
Natural Events
- Event type and severity
- Magnitude/intensity
- Population exposure estimate
- Source data and timestamp
Next Steps
Map Controls
Master time filtering and layer toggles
Data Layers
Explore 40+ available data layers
Command Palette
Quick layer commands and navigation
News Feeds
Filter and monitor RSS feeds