Getting Started
A short introduction to ADAM for new users — what it is, who it's for, and how to start using it today.
What is ADAM?
ADAM, Automated Disaster Analysis and Mapping, is the World Food Programme's system for detecting sudden-onset disasters and estimating their humanitarian impact without waiting for an analyst. It watches authoritative feeds around the clock: USGS and GDACS for earthquakes, the JTWC and NOAA warning bulletins for tropical cyclones, GLOFAS river forecasts and satellite flood observations for floods. When an event qualifies, ADAM computes who and what lies inside the hazard footprint, publishes maps, tables and bulletins, and notifies subscribers.
ADAM is run by WFP's geospatial team at headquarters in collaboration with the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. It gives WFP Country Offices, Regional Bureaux and partners a first picture of an emergency in the hours when little else is available, and feeds anticipatory action when a forecast crosses a threshold. Access is free and does not require a WFP account.
Coverage is global. Response time depends on the hazard: an earthquake dashboard is published minutes after USGS reports the event and refined when the ShakeMap arrives; cyclone products are reissued at every forecast bulletin; flood forecast alerts precede the event and satellite impact analyses follow it within days.
Who is it for?
- WFP Country Offices and Regional Offices
- UN humanitarian agencies (OCHA, UNHCR, etc.)
- International and local NGOs
- Government disaster agencies and donors
How to access ADAM
- Live Map — the public web map at https://adam.geospatial.wfp.org/live/, no login required. See Live Map.
- Event dashboards and products — maps, tables and PDF bulletins linked from every event. See Dashboards & Products.
- Email alerts — proactive notifications by hazard and area of interest, on subscription. See Alerts.
- GIS desktop — the same events as live layers in QGIS. See Use ADAM in QGIS.
- API — programmatic access through OGC API Features and Tiles. See Developers.
Your first 5 minutes
- Open the Live Map and read the legend: earthquakes, storms, disturbances and floods each have their own symbol.
- Click an event marker. The popup shows the key figures and the Useful Links to its products.
- Press View to zoom to the event and get a link you can share with colleagues.
- Click Subscribe in the header if you want to be told about the next event in your area. See Alerts.
Next steps
- For non-technical users → continue with Users
- For GIS analysts → jump to Use ADAM in QGIS
- For developers and integrators → continue with Developers