Impact Radar

The Impact Radar is a way to see, at a glance, what kinds of problems the launch-edition stories deal with and how far along each response is. It exists because readers should judge a story about a pilot differently from one about a program that has grown to scale, and because a quick map is more useful than a long list.

How the matrix works

Each card is a solution area, such as clean energy, water, ocean recovery or housing. Under each area is a three-step stage bar:

• Idea: a concept or early agreement; little evidence of results yet.
• Pilot: a trial in limited places, with early results that may not generalize.
• Scaling: a response operating widely enough to test whether it holds up.

The links below each bar lead to the stories that fall under that area.

Important: these placements are illustrative

Every story in the launch edition is a fictional scenario, so the stage assigned to each is an editorial choice made to demonstrate the format. It is not a measurement of any real project. The matrix contains no real statistics, no percentages and no rankings, and it should not be used to draw conclusions about the world.

Why we built a matrix at all

Many newsrooms publish dashboards of numbers that look authoritative but depend on data nobody can check. We prefer to be honest about what we know. A stage label forces a useful question: what evidence supports a response at this point in its life? That question is more valuable than a single score.

How it may grow

When real reporting begins, each placement will cite the stories and sources behind it and will show the date of the assessment. The labels will be reviewed as evidence changes, and a response that moves backward, for example after a failed trial, will be shown moving backward.

Reading tips

1. Start with the stage, then read the story.
2. Be more cautious about early-stage responses and more curious about large-scale ones.
3. Remember that a response may be at different stages in different places.

Suggestions for new solution areas or better stage definitions are welcome at [email protected].