Terms of use

Plain rules for a free educational tool. By using hazardsim.com you agree to them.

Updated 15 September 2026

1. The service

HazardSim (hazardsim.com) is a free, browser-based educational simulator of natural hazards on a real map, together with articles and an anonymous feed of recent simulations. No account is needed. We may change, add or remove features at any time.

2. Simulations are not forecasts

Results are simplified models that give orders of magnitude. They are not predictions of any real event, not hazard or risk assessments, and not official warnings. Do not use HazardSim to make decisions about evacuation, personal safety, construction, land use, insurance, investment or emergency planning. In an emergency follow your local authorities. The disclaimer explains this in more detail and is part of these terms.

3. Acceptable use

You may use the site for personal, educational, journalistic and research purposes. You agree not to:

• send automated or fake records to the shared feed, flood it, or try to place advertising, links or offensive text in it;
• overload the site or its API with automated requests, or scrape it at a rate that affects other visitors;
• try to break, bypass or probe the site's security;
• present simulation results as real events or official information in order to mislead or frighten people.

We may remove feed records and block traffic that breaks these rules.

4. Content and sharing

The site's code, design, texts and diagrams belong to HazardSim unless marked otherwise. You are welcome to share links, and to use screenshots of your own simulations and short quotations from articles, with credit to HazardSim and a link to hazardsim.com. Republishing whole articles or copying the site requires written permission.

Photographs in articles are used under their own licences (public domain or Creative Commons), credited under each photo; those licences, not these terms, govern their reuse.

5. Map data and third-party services

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License. Map tiles and elevation © Mapbox. Volcano data: Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program. Your use of these data through the site is also subject to the providers' terms. We are not responsible for the availability or content of third-party services and websites linked from HazardSim.

6. No warranty

The site is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose and uninterrupted availability.

7. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, HazardSim is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage arising from the use of, or inability to use, the site or any information on it, including decisions made on the basis of simulation results. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

8. Privacy

How data is handled is described in the privacy policy.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms; the date at the top shows the latest version. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected].