Over the past couple of weeks, users have been searching System for information on the devastating Russian military invasion of Ukraine. This is the first major world event that has taken place since we launched last month, so we wanted to share some information on how it’s being represented.

It is difficult to draw conclusions with statistical merit as the situation continues to unfold and evidence is emerging. Researchers have not yet established any statistical inference or associations from the data emerging from Ukraine. We also have a duty to limit bias and prevent the spread of misinformation.

It is clear, however, that this invasion is already having a systemic impact — from an escalating humanitarian crisis to a sharp rise in global food insecurity. With this in mind, here is how you can currently use System to map the impact of the crisis:

• Explore live metrics of some of the emerging data from Ukraine in context. For example, the number of refugees from Ukraine, the prices of wheat and rice in Ukraine, and the number of attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities.

• Explore how these topics (Refugee, Food Prices, Health Access) are related to other topics based on statistical evidence from past crises, such as how refugees are at higher odds for major depressive disorders. This serves as a potential warning of downstream effects of what’s happening today in Ukraine.

We are going to continue to work on better ways to capture emerging evidence on System and would encourage any feedback or suggestions from our community.