Where every figure comes from
Each source behind the public zones and the Hive, by domain: what it supplies, the licence it comes under and whether we can use it in paid features. Where a licence is unclear, we say so.
This is the data sources and licences page the terms of service refer to. Each zone page also lists the source of every sourced input. [Last reviewed: date to be set at launch]
How to read the status
The licence allows commercial use, with credit where it asks for it.
The licence limits commercial use or posts no terms. We don't rely on it in paid features until it is settled.
Published for public use, but we have not yet confirmed the licence in writing.
No usable source yet. The inputs are modelled and marked in violet.
Sources in each domain
Domains are listed alphabetically.
Carbon Open carbon
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Commission: COM(2025) 735, the Union Registry and Directive 2003/87/EC | The EU ETS cap for 2026, 2024 verified emissions by member state and free allocation used as floors | EU documents and legal texts published for public use | Check pending |
| European Environment Agency: EU Transaction Log, via the datahub.io mirror | Live verified emissions for the tracked EU ETS sectors | EEA data policy: no copyright restrictions, credit the source | Clear |
| California Air Resources Board: auction results file | Settlement and floor prices for each joint California and Quebec auction | Public government data, no licence stated | Check pending |
| Global Carbon Project: Global Carbon Budget 2025, as reported by Carbon Brief | The global emissions figure behind the global budget zone, kept as a dated constant | Not yet confirmed | Check pending |
| China national ETS, Asia Pacific markets, voluntary market | No free source found for these three zones | None | Modelled |
Fisheries Open fisheries
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICES: advice database | The scientific catch advice for Northeast Atlantic mackerel, used as the ceiling | Not yet confirmed | Check pending |
| Council Regulation (EU) 2026/786, the coastal states' arrangement and national quota notices | Each party's declared 2026 mackerel quota | EU law is published for public use; national notices vary | Check pending |
| Global Fishing Watch: API | Live fishing effort from vessel tracking, when an access token is set | CC BY-NC 4.0: non-commercial use only | Under review |
| Northwest Pacific, Southeast Pacific, Indian Ocean, South Atlantic | Claims and ceilings for these four zones | None | Modelled |
Global Fishing Watch. Its data is published under a non-commercial licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). Using it in paid features needs an agreement with Global Fishing Watch, which we do not have yet. Until then it is under review, and we don't rely on it in paid features.
Forests Open forests
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Commission Joint Research Centre: Tropical Moist Forest dataset, v2025 | Deforestation by country for the Congo Basin zone in the Hive | "Free of charge, without restriction of use", with credit to the dataset | Clear |
| INPE: PRODES deforestation estimates | Annual Amazon deforestation for the Amazon zone in the Hive | Brazilian government data published for public use | Check pending |
| Global Forest Watch (WRI): data API, with University of Maryland tree cover loss | Live tree cover loss, when an access key is set | Varies by dataset; some Global Forest Watch content is non-commercial | Under review |
| Boreal forest, Southeast Asian rainforests, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest | Claims and ceilings for these zones | None | Modelled |
Freshwater Open freshwater
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray-Darling Basin Authority: current diversion limits and water recovery | Baseline diversion limits as claims, sustainable diversion limits as the ceiling and floors | Australian Government content; licence not yet confirmed | Check pending |
| US Geological Survey: Water Services | Live streamflow for the Colorado River zone | US Government work, public domain | Clear |
| Global Water Watch (Deltares, WRI, WWF) | Satellite reservoir surface area for the Nile, Mekong, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Murray-Darling and Amazon zones | Not yet confirmed | Check pending |
| Nile, Mekong, Colorado, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Amazon claims | Claims and ceilings for these zones | None | Modelled |
Mining Open mining
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 | The DRC's 2025 cobalt production | US Government work, public domain | Clear |
| ARECOMS Decision 004/2025, through the IEA policy record and company reports | The DRC cobalt export quota and the quotas allocated to producers | Official decision; secondary sources are cited, not copied | Check pending |
| Global Forest Watch (WRI): global mining footprint dataset | Mapped mine site footprints, when an access key is set | Varies by dataset; some Global Forest Watch content is non-commercial | Under review |
| Salar de Atacama, Sulawesi, Jadar and Cobre Panama claims | Claims and ceilings for these zones | None | Modelled |
Orbital Open orbital
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| CelesTrak: satellite catalogue and orbital elements | The live count of active satellites, and constellation counts in low Earth orbit | No licence or commercial terms posted | Under review |
| US Federal Communications Commission: constellation orders | Authorised satellite numbers and deployment milestones | US Government work, public record | Clear |
| International Telecommunication Union: WRC-19 Resolution 35 | Deployment milestones for non-geostationary systems | Not yet confirmed | Check pending |
| GEO arcs, C-band and the Arctic polar corridor | Claims and ceilings for these zones | None | Modelled |
CelesTrak. CelesTrak posts no licence or commercial terms. We are confirming whether its data can be used in paid features. Until then it is under review, and we don't rely on it in paid features.
Maps and boundaries
| Source | What it supplies | Licence | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Earth, through the world-atlas files | Country and land outlines on the globe and maps | Natural Earth is public domain; world-atlas is ISC | Clear |
| NASA Visible Earth: Blue Marble Next Generation, GEBCO elevation and Black Marble city lights | The Earth imagery, terrain relief and night lights on the 3D globe and the Hive zones | NASA imagery, public domain; credit given here and on the globe | Clear |
| Three.js | The 3D rendering of the globe and the Hive zones | MIT licence | Clear |
Spotted a source we have wrong, or a licence that has changed? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. See also trust and neutrality and the full method.