Untrodden Earth
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Completed global screening

How we screen land

We investigate whole res6 cells for signs of human traversal. OpenStreetMap evidence identifies res4 land cells to shortlist.

H3 cell sizes at a glance

res = H3 resolution. Res4 is the screening grid; whole res6 cells are the review units.

H3 cellAverage areaApprox. width range*
res4Screening1,770 km²45.2–52.1 km
res6Review unit36.1 km²6.45–7.45 km

*Typical flat-to-flat → corner-to-corner width, estimated from H3’s average hexagon edge. Actual sizes vary; these are not ring distances. H3 size reference.

100 km screening threshold. Ring screens approximate distance; survival confirms neither clearance nor absence of traversal.

Selection process

Res4 selection

  1. 01

    Cover the land

    Every H3 res4 cell touching the Natural Earth land map was included. Coastal res4 footprints can contain water.

  2. 02

    Mark human evidence

    OSM roads, tracks, buildings, settlements, wells and other infrastructure mark res4 evidence cells. Natural water and unpopulated place names do not automatically exclude res4 cells.

  3. 03

    Apply the ring screens

    Count res4 neighbour steps from mapped evidence. The 2-ring and 4-ring screens produce the three map bands below.

    One res4 grid, three map colours

    Res4 neighbour steps from one marked evidence cell.

    Red, amber and teal res4 screening bands All hexagons are H3 res4 cells. The light centre is mapped evidence at step zero, with a dark excluded first ring. The second ring is red: excluded audit cells. Rings three and four are amber: two-ring additions. Beyond ring four is teal: four-ring survivors. Rings count neighbour steps, not kilometres.
    2nd-ring res4 audit cells2 steps · excluded 2-ring res4 cell additions3–4 steps · survive the 2-ring screen only 4-ring res4 cell survivors5+ steps · survive both screens

    0 = res4 evidence cell; 1 = excluded res4 neighbour. Schematic only: steps are not kilometres.

  4. 04

    Merge and check coverage

    Merge regional res4 IDs, apply cross-border exclusions and audit land coverage. Show all res4 survivors and the red excluded res4 audit cells on the globe.

Completed run

Screening results

Loading screening counts and source dates…

Beyond this res4 screen

Further work

  • Audit res4 buffers and extend measured 100 km checks across retained land.
  • Add independent evidence, better imagery and human review.
  • Assess whole res6 cells for tracks, routes, camps and documented human traversal, recording evidence gaps.

About the project

An evidence-led atlas of human traversal.

Untrodden Earth investigates whole H3 res6 cells for signs of having been traversed by humans. Remoteness screening, open geospatial data, imagery and manual review guide the investigation. No signs found does not prove that nobody has crossed a cell.

Reading the atlas

Candidates are questions, not declarations.

  1. 01

    A candidate is a place to investigate

    Inclusion means the area survived configured evidence checks. It does not prove that nobody has visited it.

  2. 02

    Evidence coverage matters

    Read the source dates, imagery coverage and known gaps. Remoteness alone does not establish whether people have crossed a cell.

  3. 03

    Publication requires human judgement

    Imagery, source gaps, local context and counter-evidence must be reviewed before a candidate is publicly approved.

Open-data foundations

Context assembled from complementary sources.

Human mapping
OpenStreetMap
Satellite imagery
Sentinel-2 and Landsat
Terrain
Copernicus DEM and NASADEM
Climate
NASA POWER
Ecology
RESOLVE Ecoregions
Boundaries
Natural Earth

Coverage, dates and licences vary by source and release. The active bundle's available versions are listed in Methodology.