Noted events or incidents flagged on the map include:
• Airport/Aviation incidents
• Biological incidents
• Bombs/Explosions
• Chemical attacks
• Military skirmishes
• Terrorist arrests

The map is updated every 300 seconds and the page refreshes automatically every seven minutes. Users can interactively zoom in on particular regions or events, click on an event (e.g. a terrorist bomb or explosion is represented by a small flame icon), or switch to a satellite view of the world map or a particular region. Or the user can navigate by traditional means or undertaking a search of “chemical attacks”.

This type of visual or pictorial cueing has a lot of practical purposes for those managing web content. Examples include:

• Internet: maps highlighting company offices with relevant statistical data (e.g. employee numbers, revenue numbers, customer numbers, product names, etc. (in Java or Ajax) revealed when the user ‘mouse-overs’ a specific location
• Internet: photo maps of different products supported by accompanying data such as product specifications, product features, colors, etc.
• Intranet: office floor plan layouts with relevant statistical data such as employee name, phone number, meeting room location, phone number, audio/visual details, catering options, etc.
• Intranet: employee organization charts supported by accompanying directory information such as title, reports, photo, skills, product focus, etc.

With the advent of Ajax and XML, these type of interactive maps are becoming increasingly easy to produce, and increasingly well-used by users.