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OTFR Situation Maps: User Manual (2025)

Live, standalone intelligence platforms for humanitarian awareness. No installation, no Python environment, and no local server required.

🚀 Getting Started

To use any of the maps, simply open the .html file in any modern web browser on your computer or mobile device.

  • Live Connectivity: The maps require an internet connection to pull the latest reports from global APIs and news feeds.
  • Automatic Updates: Every time you open or refresh the page, the map fetches the most recent data available.

🛠️ Key Features

These maps use a "Zero-Install" architecture to ensure they work out of the box:

  • Live Humanitarian APIs: Maps for the DRC, Sudan, and Haiti query the ReliefWeb API directly for the latest conflict and aid reports.
  • Disaster Alerts: Integrated GDACS (Global Disaster Alert & Coordination System) feeds show floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes in real-time.
  • CORS Proxy Integration: All maps use a built-in proxy (allorigins.win) to bypass browser security blocks, allowing them to load live news from Reuters, DW, and other RSS sources without a local script.
Map Name Primary Intelligence Source Key Data Tracked
Hybrid Attacks Custom RSS / Reuters Infrastructure sabotage, cable cuts, GPS jamming.
DRC Situation ReliefWeb & GDACS M23/ADF conflict reports, floods, and displacement.
Sudan Conflict ReliefWeb RSF/SAF clashes and humanitarian crisis updates.
Haiti / Caribbean ReliefWeb & Insecurity Insight Gang violence, aid worker security, and regional disasters.
Ukraine Conflict DW News & Community GeoJSON Occupied territories and frontline news updates.
Shadow Fleets Reuters Shipping Sanctions-evasion hotspots and STS transfer zones.
Human Rights ReliefWeb (Legal Theme) Global reports on humanitarian law and rights events.

1. Overview

The Hybrid Attacks Panel is a real-time situational awareness tool designed to track non-linear warfare targeting critical infrastructure, such as power grids, undersea cables, and transport networks. This guide explains how to use the dashboard and how to load custom intelligence feeds.

2. Interface Layout

  • Main Map: Displays 2025 "Hotspots" (static known targets) and "Live Events" (real-time reports).
  • Legend (Bottom-Right): Identifies marker types—Red for Power, Orange for Comms/Cables, and Blue for Live Intel.
  • Latest Reports (Right Panel): A scrollable feed of news headlines with direct links to sources.
  • Custom Feed Panel (Top-Left/Center): Allows you to input your own data source URLs from RSS.app.

3. Loading a Custom Feed

The prototype is "patched" to handle complex CSV data exported from RSS services. To load your own intelligence:

  1. Generate a URL: Create a CSV export URL using a service like RSS.app with keywords such as "GPS jamming" or "undersea cable".
  2. Input URL: Paste the URL into the Custom CSV Feed URL box.
  3. Click "Load Feed": The "Latest Reports" list will clear and populate with your specific headlines.

4. Technical Troubleshooting

  • CORS Errors: The tool uses corsproxy.io to bypass browser security restrictions when fetching external news feeds. If a feed fails to load, ensure the proxy service is reachable.
  • Parsing Logic: The "Patched" logic includes a Robust CSV Parser. This ensures that if a news headline contains a comma (e.g., "Attack in London, UK"), the dashboard will not break or misalign columns.
  • Layer Controls: Use the layer control (top-left) to toggle specific infrastructure types. If "Live Events" are cluttered, uncheck that layer to focus on strategic hotspots like the Baltic Sea Cables or Ukraine Power Grid.

5. Advanced: Caching for Reliability

For field use where internet may be intermittent, follow the Custom RSS Feeds Guide to use the provided Python script (cache_hybrid_feed.py). This script saves the last 50 intelligence items as a local JSON file, which can be loaded as a reliable fallback.

❓ FAQ & Troubleshooting

  • The feed is blank: Ensure you have an active internet connection. If you are using a custom RSS URL, verify it is a valid XML link.
  • Map loading slowly: The maps fetch data from several global servers at once. If an API (like ReliefWeb) is under heavy load, markers may take a few seconds to appear.
  • Do I still need the Python script? Only if you need to archive data for 90+ days or if you are hosting the maps in an environment with no outgoing internet access. For general use, it is not required.

This guide is part of the OTFR Real-Time Situation Maps series, focused on ground-truth awareness for humanitarian and OSINT practitioners.