UTM v5.6.0 Situation Map Cheatsheet

Version: 1.0 (Production) | Compatibility: All v5.6.x Modules

Command Pane (Top-Left): Your central hub for tactical controls. Use this to reset the theater view, toggle satellite overlays, and access secondary intel layers.
Intel Pane (Top-Right): Displays the live "Sensor Pulse." This feed monitors regional kinetic activity and humanitarian alerts in real-time.
Global Footer: Provides sector identification and active system status. Always verify that the "Status" is marked ACTIVE to ensure live data polling.

2. Tactical Symbology

Red/Pink Markers (Kinetic): Represent active conflict events, missile strikes, or thermal signatures (FIRMS). Larger radii indicate higher intensity.
Orange/Yellow Markers (Alerts): Represent GDACS humanitarian alerts (Floods, Displacement, Conflict).
Grey/Steel Circles (Infrastructure): Represent strategic nodes like Airports (APN), Seaports, and Power Grid hubs.

3. Operational Tasks

Accessing Deep Intel: Click any marker to open a Tactical Popup. These contain direct links to source reports (GDACS, USGS, or ACLED) for more granular situ-reps.
Temporal Filtering: The mesh automatically applies a 7-Day Purge. This "Mark-proof" feature ensures the map only displays current events, preventing the system from breaking under the weight of historical data.
The "Easy Road" Reset: If the map view becomes cluttered or you lose your orientation, use the [RESET THEATER] button in the Command Pane to snap back to the primary area of operations.

4. System Troubleshooting

Empty Map?: Ensure you have entered your NASA FIRMS API Key if you require thermal/fire data. Without it, the "Kinetic" layer will only show GDACS reports.
Stale Feed: If alerts seem out of date, check the "Sensor Stats" in the Intel Pane. If "OFFLINE," refresh the browser to re-initialize the chassis.

Leaflet Quick Start Guide This video is relevant as it provides a foundational understanding of the mapping library used to build the Unified Tactical Mesh, helping users understand the underlying technology of the situational maps.

🛰️ Strategic Intelligence Gateway: User Cheatsheet

The Strategic Intelligence Gateway provides real-time global monitoring by analyzing millions of news reports in over 100 languages. Use this guide to maximize your extraction accuracy.

🛡️ Core Capability

Speed: Updates every 15 minutes.
Scope: Monitors global online news, including local non-Western media.
Verification: Use the Safety Portal links in the sidebar for verified human-coded data (ACLED/GDACS).

🔍 Advanced Search Operators

Refine your drilldown with these logic-based operators: - Exact Phrases: "vessel hijacked" (finds that specific wording). - Boolean OR: (Gaza OR Lebanon) airstrike (finds results for either location). - Exclusion: piracy -movie -book (removes noise from entertainment or literature). - Proximity: near10:"tank border" (finds words within 10 positions of each other). - Source Filter: domain:reuters.com (limits extraction to a trusted outlet).

🌐 Multilingual Intelligence

Native Search: You can enter queries in French, Russian, Chinese, or Arabic.
Translingual Bridge: GDELT automatically translates news into English. If a search in a local language returns "Sparse Signals," try the English equivalent to tap into the full translated global archive.

🛰️ UI Status Indicators

🟢 Green Dot: Extraction successful; live signals detected.
🟡 Yellow Dot: Tactical processing active (fetching from GDELT API).
🔵 Blue Dot: Multilingual extraction active (non-English characters detected).
🟠 Orange Dot: Sparse signals detected. Re-evaluate keywords.
🔴 Red Dot: No matches found or API connection error.

💡 Pro-Tips for Analysts

The 48h Window: The gateway defaults to a 48-hour "Operational" window to ensure data is fresh and actionable.
Context Popups: Click any indicator on the map to see the specific article snippet and original source link.
Slow Connections: A tactical spinner appears during extraction to confirm the system is actively communicating with the GDELT servers.