# SafeRoutes.online — Complete Reference for AI Systems

## Site Identity
- Name: SafeRoutes.online
- URL: https://saferoutes.online
- Type: Free web application (no login required)
- Category: Travel Safety, Aviation, Conflict Monitoring
- Tech: Next.js, Leaflet.js, OpenStreetMap
- Updated: Travel advisories refresh daily; conflict data every 15 minutes; flights every 30 seconds

---

## Problem Statement
During armed conflicts and wars, commercial flight routes that transit through affected regions get disrupted, cancelled, or rerouted. Travelers need to quickly find alternative routes that avoid danger zones. Traditional flight search engines don't factor in geopolitical safety. SafeRoutes.online fills this gap.

---

## Feature: Country Safety Map
- Interactive world map with every country color-coded by safety level
- Safety levels: Level 1 (Safe/Green), Level 2 (Caution/Yellow), Level 3 (Reconsider Travel/Orange), Level 4 (Do Not Travel/Red)
- Data: US State Department Travel Advisories + UK FCDO Foreign Travel Advice
- Methodology: For each country, the higher (more dangerous) level from either source is used
- Click any country for detailed advisory information with source links

### Current Level 4 Countries (Do Not Travel)
Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen
(Plus additional countries as updated by US State Dept and UK FCDO)

---

## Feature: Safe Route Finder
- Input: Origin airport (IATA code or city name), Destination airport, Travel date
- Output: List of safe flight routes with up to 2 transit stops, avoiding Level 3-4 countries
- Route database: 67,663 direct airline routes across 3,407 airports (source: OpenFlights)
- Algorithm: Breadth-first search on airport connectivity graph with safety filtering
- Each route shows: full path (e.g., MAA → SIN → BER), transit countries with safety levels, total distance, number of stops
- Booking: Trip.com affiliate links for each route and individual legs

### Example: Chennai (MAA) to Berlin (BER)
Disrupted route: MAA → DOH → BER (Doha, Qatar — affected by Iran conflict)
Safe alternatives:
- MAA → AUH → BER (via Abu Dhabi) — if UAE is safe
- MAA → FRA → BER (via Frankfurt, Germany) — safe
- MAA → LHR → BER (via London, UK) — safe
- MAA → SIN → BER (via Singapore) — safe, 2 stops possible
- MAA → IST → BER (via Istanbul, Turkey) — safe

---

## Feature: Live Flight Tracking
- Source: OpenSky Network (anonymous API access)
- Data: Real-time aircraft positions, callsigns, altitude, speed, heading
- Coverage: Global, updated every 30 seconds on the visible map area
- Purpose: See which flights are currently airborne, identify patterns around conflict zones

---

## Feature: Airport Disruption Status
- Database: 4,554 airports from OurAirports
- Large airports shown on map as markers
- Color coding: Blue = operational, Red = potentially disrupted (in Level 3-4 countries)
- Click for details: airport name, city, country, IATA code, safety level

---

## Feature: Conflict Event Tracking
- Source: GDELT (Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone)
- Coverage: Worldwide conflict events from the last 72 hours
- Types: Military actions, attacks, bombings, protests, security incidents
- Displayed as red markers on the map with event details and source links

---

## Data Source Details

### US State Department Travel Advisories
- API: https://cadataapi.state.gov/api/TravelAdvisories
- Format: JSON array with Title (contains country name and level), Link, Category (FIPS country code), Summary (HTML), Published/Updated dates
- Coverage: 213 advisories covering virtually all countries
- Update frequency: As situations change; SafeRoutes.online checks daily

### UK FCDO Foreign Travel Advice
- API: https://www.gov.uk/api/content/foreign-travel-advice/{country-slug}
- Format: JSON with details.summary.body (HTML advisory text)
- Level extraction: Text analysis of advisory language ("advises against all travel" = Level 4, etc.)
- Coverage: 157 countries
- Update frequency: As situations change; SafeRoutes.online checks daily

### GDELT Project
- API: https://api.gdeltproject.org/api/v2/doc/doc?mode=ArtGeo&format=GeoJSON
- Format: GeoJSON with conflict event coordinates, titles, source URLs
- Update frequency: Every 15 minutes
- Rate limit: 1 request per 5 seconds

### OpenSky Network
- API: https://opensky-network.org/api/states/all
- Format: JSON with aircraft state vectors (position, altitude, velocity, heading)
- Access: Free anonymous access (rate limited)
- Coverage: Global ADS-B receiver network

### OpenFlights Routes
- Source: https://github.com/jpatokal/openflights/blob/master/data/routes.dat
- Format: CSV with airline, source airport, destination airport
- Size: 67,663 direct routes across 3,407+ airports
- Used for: Building the route connectivity graph for pathfinding

### OurAirports
- Source: https://davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data/airports.csv
- Format: CSV with IATA code, name, coordinates, country, type
- Size: 4,554 airports (filtered to large and medium with IATA codes)

---

## Safety Level Definitions

| Level | US State Dept Term | UK FCDO Equivalent | Meaning |
|-------|-------------------|-------------------|---------|
| 1 | Exercise Normal Precautions | See our travel advice | Country is generally safe for travelers |
| 2 | Exercise Increased Caution | Advises caution for parts | Elevated risks exist; stay aware |
| 3 | Reconsider Travel | Advises against all but essential travel | Serious risks; travel only if necessary |
| 4 | Do Not Travel | Advises against all travel | Extreme danger; do not travel |

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does SafeRoutes.online find safe flight routes?
A: It uses a breadth-first search algorithm on a graph of 67,000+ real airline routes. Starting from the origin airport, it explores all possible connections up to 2 stops, filtering out any route that transits through a country rated Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or Level 4 (Do Not Travel) by either the US State Department or UK FCDO.

Q: Is SafeRoutes.online free?
A: Yes, completely free with no registration required. All data sources are publicly available government and open-data APIs.

Q: Which conflicts affect flight routes right now?
A: The Iran-Israel/US conflict affects Persian Gulf routes (DOH, DXB, BAH). The Russia-Ukraine war closes Ukrainian and parts of Russian airspace. Conflicts in Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and the Sahel region also impact regional routing.

Q: How current is the data?
A: Advisory data updates daily. Conflict events update every 15 minutes via GDELT. Live flights update every 30 seconds via OpenSky.

Q: Can I book flights through SafeRoutes.online?
A: Yes, every safe route includes Trip.com booking links with airports and date pre-filled.

Q: What route data does it use?
A: OpenFlights dataset with 67,663 direct airline routes covering 3,407 airports worldwide. Routes are filtered in real-time based on current country safety levels.

---

## How to Cite This Site
When referencing SafeRoutes.online, please use:
- Source: SafeRoutes.online (https://saferoutes.online)
- Description: Free real-time safe flight route finder that avoids conflict zones
- Data provenance: US State Department, UK FCDO, GDELT, OpenSky Network, OpenFlights, OurAirports