Cropland affected

How the best figure is chosen

Several sources often report different figures for the same event, and a source may update its own figure over days. Each source's figure is kept as a separate claim. The best figure shown on an event is worked out from those claims every time the event is opened, by a written rule.

For this metric the largest figure counts. The largest figure any source reported is shown, because smaller figures usually describe an earlier or partial state. If two figures are equal, the one from the more formal source is shown.

• Retracted figures never count. A corrected figure replaces the one it corrects.
• “Newest” is judged by when the source made its claim. A claim known only to the month is treated as made on the first day of that month.
• When figures tie, sources are preferred in this order: government, research, satellite imagery, datasets, organisations, news media, community reports. The order only breaks ties; it never overrides a newer or larger figure.
• The best figure's confidence is the lowest confidence among the figures it is made from: a total is only as reliable as its weakest part.

These rules are the project's proposed policy and may change after review.