Hazard Level Map: How to Read and Use HazardHunterPH

The hazard level map is an interactive assessment tool for checking disaster risks at a chosen location. HazardHunterPH lets you search by current location or longitude and latitude, then display map layers for earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, landslides, storm surges, severe winds, climate projections, and nearby critical facilities. The tool is available at HazardHunterPH.

The supplied material does not confirm a game version, platform, controls, or developer. This article therefore focuses on the confirmed functions of the hazard map itself.

How to use the hazard level map

1. Open the HazardHunterPH map.
2. Choose a location using the current-location tool or enter longitude and latitude manually.
3. Select a basemap, including the available satellite imagery option.
4. Open the relevant hazard category and enable the layers you want to compare.
5. Double-click or tap the map to begin a point assessment.
6. Review the assessment results and, where available, open the report with recommendations.

The map also supports drawing a line before starting an assessment. A clear location is important because the results are calculated from the selected point, boundaries, hazard layers, and nearby facilities.

Hazard categories

Seismic hazards

The seismic section includes fissures, trenches, ground shaking, earthquake-induced landslides, liquefaction, and tsunami layers. Ground-shaking results are grouped into intensities including VI, VII, and VIII. The legend describes these as very strong, destructive, and very destructive to devastating shaking.

The assessment panel can show the nearest active fault, ground rupture, ground shaking, earthquake-induced landslide information, and distance from the nearest fissure. Liquefaction layers use potential categories such as high, moderate, and low, while earthquake-induced landslides include high, moderate, and low susceptibility.

Volcanic hazards

Volcanic layers cover active, potentially active, and inactive volcanoes. Additional layers identify lahars, lava flows, ballistic projectiles, volcanic tsunamis, volcanic fissures, pyroclastic flows, base surges, and pyroclastic density currents.

The map also includes danger-zone layers. These are divided into permanent danger zones, extended danger zones, and kilometer-radius zones. The available radius groupings include zones around Bulusan, Kanlaon, Mayon, and Taal.

Taal scenario-based eruption layers include the Main Crater, Binintiang Malaki, Binintiang Munti, Off Calauit, Pira-piraso, and mapped eruption vents. Because these are scenario-based layers, they should be treated as reference information rather than a prediction of a specific event.

Flood, landslide, storm surge, and wind hazards

Hydro-meteorological layers include flood susceptibility, rain-induced landslide susceptibility, storm surge, and severe wind. Flood and rain-induced landslide layers range from low to very high susceptibility. Storm-surge layers show depth ranges from 0.1–1 meter to more than 2 meters.

Severe-wind maps can be displayed using 20-, 50-, 100-, 200-, and 500-year return periods. The tool provides both basic and site-specific versions. Wind-speed legend ranges include below 60 kph, 60.1–120 kph, 120.1–170 kph, 170.1–220 kph, 220.1–270 kph, and above 270 kph.

Exposure and nearby facilities

A hazard level map is more useful when hazard layers are viewed alongside exposed features. HazardHunterPH includes public elementary and secondary schools, government and private health facilities, vaccination facilities, primary and secondary road networks, and administrative boundaries.

After selecting a point, the assessment results can list the nearest public schools, health facilities, and road networks. The map also provides regional, provincial, municipal, and barangay boundary layers.

Advanced map layers

Advanced layers include peak ground acceleration for 500-, 1,000-, and 2,500-year return periods on rock sites, plus a 500-year return period on stiff soil. Spectral-acceleration maps are available for periods of 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, and 3.0 seconds.

Climate layers include Philippine climate types and projected rainfall and mean temperature for 2036–2065. Projections are divided into four seasonal groups: December–February, March–May, June–August, and September–November.

Important limitations

HazardHunterPH states that it uses information supplied to the GeoRiskPH Integrated System. Some source data may be outdated, and hazard information can be refined as new data becomes available. Facility points may not represent exact locations, while administrative boundaries are approximate rather than authoritative.

The map’s calculations can count a barangay as prone when even a small part of its boundary intersects a hazard layer. Population exposure is estimated using population density and the area of intersection. Users should compare the results with the visible hazard and boundary layers instead of relying only on a summary value.

Flood impact layers generated through artificial intelligence are also identified as unvalidated on the ground, with potentially lower thematic accuracy in urban and forested areas. Scenario maps should be checked against current data and field assessments before being used for planning or emergency decisions.

FAQ

Does the hazard level map show one overall danger score?

The supplied information does not describe a single universal score. Instead, it provides separate layers and assessment results for different hazards, such as ground shaking, flood susceptibility, storm surge, and severe wind.

Can I search using coordinates?

Yes. The location tools accept longitude and latitude, including degree, minute, and optional second formats.

Can I download the results?

The interface includes options to view a full report, download an Excel file, and download maps. The exact contents of each download are not specified in the supplied material.

Are the map results authoritative?

No. The map warns that data may be outdated, boundaries may be approximate, and mapped hazard areas may differ from ground observations. Use the results as a reference and verify important findings with the relevant agencies and current field information.