Coverage policy

Why some map areas are grey

Grey is a data statement, not a rendering failure. We publish a score only when a geometry can be matched to a supported entity and there is a defensible source or sufficient community evidence.

The July 2026 audit initially found 46 geometries that did not join to a country record. Four were real join errors: France (including Corsica), Norway, Kosovo and Taiwan. They are fixed. The remaining 42 are 19 territories without a GCI record and 23 special or largely uninhabited geometries; they are deliberate coverage states, not broken joins.

Missing data is kept visible

Western Sahara, Northern Cyprus, Somaliland and several small territories remain visible but grey until a source-backed score is available. Hovering them explains the status. We do not silently inherit a neighbouring state’s score because that would turn a coverage gap into misleading data.

Does every geometry need a score?

No. A map polygon and a comparable national connectivity market are different things. Adding invented values would reduce data quality. We will add a territory only when it has a stable identifier, a meaningful population or connectivity market, and measurements or a traceable licensed source. Special geometries remain excluded by design.

Special and uninhabited areas

Antarctica, military base areas, disputed reefs and other areas without a meaningful resident connectivity market are labelled as special and excluded from rankings. Their geometries are retained for cartographic continuity.

What “baseline”, “hybrid” and “measured” mean

Baseline: modelled or source-derived estimate with its source period disclosed.
Hybrid: baseline blended with fewer than the published minimum number of community samples.
Measured: the community sample threshold has been reached for the stated period.

Help close a gap

Run a measurement from the location or contact us with a trustworthy public source. Paid venue verification covers the audit process and monitoring; it never buys a higher score.