Release Notes

Country Shape Silhouettes on Country Detail Pages

• feature**Country shape silhouette** added to each country detail page header — an auto-fitted SVG outline of the country is rendered on the right-hand side of the header on desktop, using Natural Earth 110m vector data via `world-atlas@2` and `d3-geo` with a Mercator projection for familiar, recognisable shapes.
• improvementCountry detail page header restructured into a **two-column flex layout** on desktop — stats and metadata on the left, country silhouette on the right (320px wide), making better use of horizontal space.

Myanmar Supply Chain Mapping, OG Images & Project Notes

• featureAdded **Myanmar artisanal cluster and border gate entity types** — new `ARTISANAL_CLUSTER` and `BORDER_GATE` entities with custom map icons and pulse animations to represent informal mining zones and trade crossing choke-points (e.g. Myanmar–China border gates).
• featureAdded **Growth Hub and State Hub entity types** — new `GROWTH_HUB` and `STATE_HUB` entities with distinct map icons to distinguish non-China bypass hubs (e.g. Thailand) from Chinese state-owned processing clusters. Seeded **4 Chinese state hub super-nodes** (Baotou / Inner Mongolia, Ganzhou / Jiangxi, Leshan / Sichuan, and a downstream magnet hub) plus a shadow-flow supply link from Myanmar's Chipwi artisanal zone to Ganzhou.
• feature**Dynamic Open Graph images for policy pages** — each policy entry now generates a branded 1200×630 OG image via `/api/og/policy/[slug]`, with headline, summary, and date rendered server-side using `next/og` and `sharp`.
• feature**Open Graph & Twitter Card metadata** added to all policy detail pages — `og:title`, `og:description`, `og:image`, `twitter:card`, and `article:published_time` are now set for improved social sharing previews.
• featureAdded **Analyst Notes section** on project detail pages — projects with notes now display them in a highlighted amber panel beneath the existing content.
• featureNew policy entry: **Canada–Australia G7 Alliance** added to seed data, covering the bilateral critical minerals cooperation agreement.
• featureNew facility: **REalloys Inc. Metal Alloys Facility** added to seed data with processing facility details and supply chain links.
• improvement**Carbonatite ore type matching** updated to use `includes()` instead of strict equality, correctly handling projects with composite ore type strings (e.g. Carbonatite/Xenotime).
• improvement**Map popup positioning** improved across Mines, Facilities, OfftakeLinks, and SupplyLinks layers — `autoPanPaddingTopLeft` added to prevent popups from being obscured by map controls.
• improvementUpdated Lynas company details and operational notes for enhanced HREE content accuracy in seed data.

Policy Tracker — Markdown Rendering & Clickable Tags

• featurePolicy entries now support **full Markdown rendering** — headings, bold/italic, bullet and numbered lists, blockquotes, inline code, horizontal rules, and smart external/internal link detection. Powered by `react-markdown` + `remark-gfm`.
• featureAdded new policy entry: **US Critical Minerals Price Floor Proposal** — covering the proposed contract-for-difference price floor mechanism for NdPr and Dysprosium to de-risk domestic rare earth production.
• feature**Policy tags are now clickable** — each tag links to a dedicated tag detail page at `/policy/tag/[slug]`, listing all policy articles for that topic. Active tag is highlighted in blue; other tags on each card remain navigable.
• improvementGit commit hash is now **embedded at build time** via `next.config.ts` and displayed in the footer alongside the version number, linking to the release notes.
• fixCorrected a punctuation error (apostrophe) in the US output statement on the Global Output page.
• improvementDependency refresh — all direct and dev dependencies updated to latest compatible versions.

Country Intelligence & Myanmar Coverage

• featureAdded **Myanmar country page** with spotlight block highlighting its role as the world's dominant Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) supplier, including ionic clay production context, conflict-zone supply risk disclosure, and 100% China export dependency.
• featureIntroduced **USGS & MCS mineral stats** on all country pages — production and reserves figures (USGS MCS 2026 / USGS MCS 2025) shown in a 2-column stat grid with N/A states, hover tooltip explanations, and a years-of-reserves-at-current-production sub-label.
• featureAdded **`CountryMineralStat` database table** (`country_mineral_stats`) with production, capacity, reserves, year, source, and estimate flags per country. Seeded from USGS 2026 and MCS 2025 CSV data files with 72 records across 36 countries.
• featureCountry listing page now **orders by production descending** (secondary: reserves), with each card showing production and reserves chips and a footer row of project/facility counts pinned to the card bottom for consistent alignment.
• featureIntroduced **`isArtisanal` flag** on the Country model. Nigeria and Myanmar are marked as artisanal producers — listing cards show an amber "Artisanal Producer" badge instead of zero project/facility counts, and detail pages explain the informal/distributed production model with N/A project and facility sections.
• featureAdded **production share donut chart** on each country detail page, showing the country's share of global REO output against top 6 producers using USGS 2026 data.
• fixFixed **country flags not rendering on Windows** — replaced Unicode Regional Indicator emoji with `flagcdn.com` CDN `<img>` tags for cross-platform compatibility.
• fixFixed contradictory `MINERAL_COUNTRY_ALIASES` in seed.js that caused United States production stats to fail country linkage.
• improvementUnit formatting corrected to proper SI notation: `kt` (kilotonne) and `Mt` (megatonne) across all stat displays.

Processing Facilities Listing Page

• featureAdded a new **Processing Facilities listing page** at `/facilities` — browse all rare earth midstream and downstream processing facilities with country and process-type filters, facility cards showing operator, process type badge, country flag, and target year.
• featureAdded **Processing Facilities** link to the main navigation (desktop and mobile), making the facility index directly accessible from any page.
• fixExisting `/facilities/[slug]` detail pages now link back to the new listing page instead of the Supply Chain Map, improving in-site navigation.

Projects Filtering & Ore Type Data Quality

• featureAdded **country, company, and ore type filters** to the Mining Projects listing page, with an active-filter summary banner and empty-state handling when no projects match.
• featureAdded **company links** on each project card in the Mining Projects listing, allowing direct navigation from a project to its parent company page.
• dataPopulated full descriptions, typical elements, processing difficulty, and processing notes for **8 new Ore Type records** (Apatite, Eudialyte, Mineral Sands, Pegmatite, Phosphogypsum Tailings, Complex Ore, Carbonatite / Clays, Zircon / HREE) — previously shown as empty cards on the Rare Earth Ores listing page.
• dataBackfilled **ore_type_id** on all 27 mining projects — 16 records previously had only a raw ore type string with no relation to the OreType table. Backfill is now integrated into the seed script for all environments.
• fixFixed **Related Projects** on product detail pages to correctly include projects from companies with company-level production stats (e.g. Lynas projects now appear on the NdPr Oxide page).

USGS MCS 2026 Dashboard Refresh

• dataUpdated all three **Market Intelligence Dashboard KPI cards** with USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 figures: Global Output revised to 390,000 MT (2025 est., +2.6% YoY); Diversification Pipeline delta updated to reflect current 16% non-Chinese capacity vs 30% target.
• dataRefreshed **Global Output detail page** with 2025 production data. Country table reordered by actual output with real tonnages. Burma footnote added clarifying concentrate vs REO accounting. Market context narrative updated with correct 2.6% YoY growth and country-specific highlights.
• dataUpdated **Separation Bottleneck detail page** with USGS MCS 2026 import data: US sources 71% of REE compounds from China; Terbium, Holmium, and Lutetium 100% China-sourced; US net import reliance rebounded to 67% in 2025. Added visual import-source bar chart.
• dataRevised **Diversification Pipeline detail page**: non-Chinese capacity updated to 16% (from 12%); Vietnam strategy relabelled to Restricted following export control-driven output collapse to 150 MT; Vietnam reserves corrected to 3.5M MT per USGS MCS 2026 (removing prior unsourced 22M MT figure); US domestic compound production milestone of 8,900 MT (2025) added.
• uiRebuilt **Diversification Leaders leaderboard** with four entries grounded in USGS 2026 production data: USA (51,000 MT, record output), Australia (29,000 MT, Lynas), Brazil (+257% YoY), Thailand (+129% YoY). Replaced prior entries for Nigeria and Vietnam which were based on stale or inaccurate figures.
• fixFixed **Burma/Myanmar flag** not rendering on the Global Output country table — added Myanmar ISO code (MM) mapping for all name variants including "Burma", "Myanmar", and "Burma (Myanmar)".

2025 USGS Data Series Integration

• dataIntegrated **USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026** (2025 production data) across all visualization pages, providing the most current rare earth market intelligence available.
• featureImplemented parallel **-2024 and -2025 route architecture** for all data visualization pages (Market Share, Sleeping Giants, Sustainability Clock, Geopolitical Balance, Global Growth), enabling year-over-year comparison and historical analysis.
• visualizationUpdated **Geopolitical Balance Sankey Chart** with 2025 data showing China Bloc production increase to 301,000 MT and Western Alliance growth to 87,220 MT.
• dataAdded **Data Quality Note** on Nigeria's 88.5% production revision (13,000 MT → 1,500 MT) explaining USGS methodology shift from customs-based estimates to verified formal production reporting.
• infrastructureEnhanced **Sitemap and Smoke Test Coverage** to include all time-series data visualization routes, ensuring proper indexing and runtime validation of 343 total routes.
• uiStandardized all data visualization pages with consistent year-suffix naming convention reflecting actual data year rather than USGS report publication year for improved clarity.

Platform Launch: Complete Market Intelligence Suite

• featureUpgraded **Interactive Rare Earth Map** to a dedicated full-screen tool (previously embedded in marketing pages) with multi-layer visualization of projects, facilities, consumers, and offtake contracts. Features dynamic filtering, Pacific-centric projection, and direct navigation to entity detail pages.
• dashboardIntroduced **Market Intelligence Dashboard** featuring Global Output Analytics, Refining Concentration metrics, and Geopolitical Diversification KPIs with real-time data integration.
• featureAdded comprehensive **Policy Section** with metadata generation, listing views, and detailed policy analysis pages covering strategic initiatives and regulatory frameworks across major producing nations.
• visualizationImplemented **Interactive Periodic Table** with clickable rare earth elements, detailed chemistry information, and enhanced seed data featuring element descriptions and applications.
• analyticsCreated dedicated **Global REE Output** and **Refining Concentration** pages with detailed statistics, insights, and production flow analysis from mine to market.
• dataEnhanced **Country & Company Intelligence** with filterable company directories, detailed country profiles for Nigeria and Brazil, and expanded metadata including city locations and business registration details.
• compliancePublished **Privacy Policy** and **Terms of Service** pages establishing legal framework and data governance standards for the platform.

Geopolitical Balance of Power

• featureAdded **Geopolitical Balance Sankey Chart** visualizing the "Two Worlds" of Rare Earths: The China-Centric Bloc vs. The Western Alliance.
• visualizationImplemented comparative analysis of Production Dominance (China: 76%) vs. Reserve Potential (West: 43%) using USGS MCS 2025 data.
• dataIntegrated specific 2024 data points for China Bloc (China, Burma) and Western Alliance (USA, Aus, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Nigeria).
• uiAdded "Relative Market Share" scaling to Comparison Charts to accurately visualize the disparity between production flows and massive reserve bases.

Sustainability Clock: The Time Dimension

• featureIntroduced the **Sustainability Clock** visualization (R/P Ratio), a new strategic tool analyzing the lifespan of rare earth reserves for major producers like USA, China, and Brazil.
• visualizationImplemented a logarithmic time scale chart using `recharts` to effectively visualize the massive disparity between "Fading Star" producers (~42 years) and "Strategic Vaults" (>1,000,000 years).
• growthIntegrated **Newsletter Signup** components across all key data chart pages (Market Share, Velocity, Sleeping Giants) to improve user capture from high-value analysis pages.
• uiEnhanced chart tooltips for better readability and fixed layout overflow issues in vertical chart presentations.

Supply Chain Velocity Map

• featureAdded **Supply Chain Velocity** map to visualize Year-over-Year production growth (2023-2024), highlighting emerging producers like Thailand (+261%) and Nigeria (+80%).
• interactiveInteractive map elements with direct navigation to Country Detail pages (e.g., clicking USA, Thailand) for deeper analysis of local supply chains.
• uiNew "Dark Mode" visualization scheme using `react-simple-maps` with dynamic color scaling (Red for decline, Green for growth) and accessible tooltips.
• performanceOptimized map hydration strategy to prevent server-client mismatches and ensure smooth loading of geospatial data.

Pacific-Centric Map Visualization

• featureIntroduced **Pacific View** for the Global Supply Chain Map, reorienting the visualization to center on the Pacific Ocean. This better illustrates Trans-Pacific logistics flows between Asian producers and American consumers.
• enhancementImplemented dynamic map centering that automatically adjusts to fit all visible nodes, ensuring optimal framing whether viewing global chains or specific regional networks.
• visualizationUpdated coordinate systems for supply chain links and offtake contracts to seamlessly handle the 180th meridian crossing in Pacific View.

Sleeping Giants: Reserves Analysis

• featureLaunched **Sleeping Giants** analysis page, visualizing the critical gap between proven Rare Earth reserves and current output for key nations like Brazil, Vietnam, and India.
• visualizationEnhanced `REEReservesChart` with high-contrast accessibility updates, clear unit scaling (Millions vs. Thousands of Tonnes), and improved tooltip clarity.
• dataAdded **India** to the tracked countries database and linked analysis narratives directly to country detail pages for deeper exploration.
• dataExpanded India's supply chain map with **4 key facilities** (OSCOM, MK, Chavara, RED) and strategic offtake agreements with **Toyota Tsusho** (Japan) and **MIDHANI** (Defense).

Global Market Share Visualization

• featureAdded **Global Market Share Analysis** page, visualizing the 'Dominance vs. Diversity' shift in 2024 global rare earth mine production.
• visualizationImplemented a high-contrast Donut Chart to clearly differentiate Chinese production (69%) from the emerging Allied supply chain (USA, Australia, Thailand).
• uxAdded context-aware tooltips and custom legends sorted by production volume for better data readability.

MP Materials Data & Multi-Currency Support

• featureAdded comprehensive production tracking for **MP Materials** (NYSE: MP), monitoring both REO Concentrate and separated NdPr Oxide outputs.
• architectureImplemented multi-currency support for production charts. Charts now dynamically display revenue in the reporting currency (e.g., USD for MP Materials, AUD for Lynas).
• dataAdded historical and recent production/revenue data for MP Materials from FY2023 to present.
• uiEnhanced Data Hub with dedicated cards for MP Materials production streams.

Generalized Production Stats & Dynamic Routing

• architectureRefactored production statistics to support any company and product. Stats are now linked directly to Company and Rare Earth Product entities.
• featureIntroduced dynamic routing for production data at `/data/production/[company]/[product]`, enabling scalable tracking for additional producers beyond Lynas.
• uiUpdated production charts to be generalized, supporting dynamic product names and volume units.
• uiAdded cross-linkages: Company pages now list available production data, and Product pages list producing companies, enabling seamless navigation to statistical insights.

Lynas Q2 FY26 Production Data

• dataUpdated NdPr production and revenue tracking with Lynas Rare Earths Q2 FY26 results: 1,404 tonnes NdPr production and $201.9M AUD revenue.

Project Lifecycle Status Indicators

• uiAdded visual lifecycle status indicators (Exploration → Development → Construction → Operating) to project cards, providing an at-a-glance view of project maturity.
• uiEnhanced active project cards with a subtle green border to highlight operational facilities.

Texas Triangle & Supply Chain Logic Improvements

• dataTexas Triangle Update (Jan 2026) — Added 'Round Top Project' ($1.6B investment) and 'Lynas Seadrift' (Status: Stalled/Risk). Established the 'American Independent' loop (Round Top → Wheat Ridge → Stillwater) and 'Allied Chain' connections.
• fixMap Filtering Engine — Fixed issue where selecting isolated projects (e.g., Donald Rare Earths) failed to filter the map. Enhanced recursive chain tracing to correctly display branching supply routes.
• dataData Cleanups — Consolidated legacy Kalgoorlie nodes into a single processing facility and removed duplicate Fort Worth markers.

Data Integrity Verification & Map Legend Updates

• dataComprehensive data verification completed for facility nodes, specifically validating Solvay and Silmet supply chain integration.
• uiEnhanced Supply Chain Map legend to explicitly identify 'Strategic Routes' (purple lines), improving navigation of priority corridors.

Primary domain migration: reetracker.com.au → reetracker.com

• featPrimary domain migrated from reetracker.com.au to reetracker.com. Updated canonical URLs, sitemap entries, and server-side redirects.
• infraUpdated runtime configuration and web manifest to support the new .com domain and ensured subscription endpoints remain functional.

Accessibility & Security Update

• fixSecurity Hardening — Critical dependency updates to address potential vulnerabilities in server-side routing middleware (Hono).
• a11yAccessibility Foundation — Achieved 100% Lighthouse Accessibility score. Consolidated semantic HTML structure and ARIA compliance across core navigation and layout components.
• uiForm Usability — Enhanced form labeling and error state announcements for screen reader compatibility.

Supply Chain Connectivity & Data Fidelity

• featDirect Facility Interconnects — enabled direct modeling of facility-to-facility material flows, bypassing abstract logistics nodes for tighter supply chain representation.
• featLogistics Hub Architecture — added first-class support for Logistics Hubs to model aggregation and distribution points.
• featEnhanced Offtake Confidence — granular confidence tracking for offtake agreements with notes and conditional constraints.
• dataData Fidelity Upgrade — expanded metadata support for supply chain links including transport modes and detailed annotations.

Global Map Optimization & Strategic Policy Intelligence

• featGlobal Supply Chain Visualization v2 — enhanced interactive map with full-height spatial flow tracking and optimized container layout.
• featStrategic Policy Impact Monitoring — integrated tracking for export bans and geopolitical policy shifts, specifically targeting Vietnam 2026 milestones.
• featExperimental Resource Support — initialized mapping for deep-sea extraction nodes (Minamitorishima) and urban mining recovery metrics.
• featRegional Geopolitical Pulse — dedicated flow analysis for strategic extraction-to-processing corridors between Japan and Vietnam.

Offtake Intelligence & Consumer Network Integration

• featIntroduce 'Offtake Agreement' visualization — new binding gold paths and muted ochre lines representing legal supply contracts and projected flows.
• featConsumer Node Integration — mapping downstream end-users including Hyundai (EV), Siemens (Wind), and Apple (Recycled Feedstock).
• featStrategic NKN Hubs — enhanced hexagonal markers for high-integration nodes like the Ochang Metals Plant (ASM) and MP Fort Worth.
• feat2026 Production Watch — dedicated map filter and visual badges for facilities and mines targeting operational milestones in 2026.
• featIntegrated Value Chain UI — new detailed tooltips for vertical hubs showing transition from Mine to Oxide to Metal to Magnet.
• featPWA & Mobile Optimization — improved manifest support and app icons for a native-like experience on critical mineral intelligence dashboards.

Vietnam Pulse & Strategic NKN Integration

• featIntroduce 'Vietnam Pulse' initiative — comprehensive mapping of Vietnam's transition from raw ore exporter to a midstream processing hub (LS Eco Energy, Dong Pao).
• featNKN (Non-Kinetic Networks) Corridor visualization — new pulsing blue paths representing non-Chinese strategic supply chains from Vietnam to South Korea and beyond.
• featVertical Hub mapping — new hexagonal map markers with pulsing animations for integrated 'Full-Stack' facilities (Mine + Beneficiation + Metal).
• featHREE (Heavy Rare Earths) Map Filter — dedicated toggle to isolate high-value Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb) production nodes across the globe.
• featProcessing Roadmap UI — multi-stage visual progress bars on detail pages showing the transition from Mining to Oxide to Metal for integrated projects.
• featEnhanced Country Strategic Cards — high-contrast policy highlights for Vietnam (National Strategic Asset Law) and Australia ($6Bn Critical Minerals Facility).
• featNew 'Global Production Hubs' index — dedicated /countries page providing a hierarchical overview of the REE sector by nation.
• infraUpdate Prisma schema with VERTICAL_HUB and NKN_CORRIDOR entities for refined supply chain modeling.

SEO & Data Integrity Enhancements

• featUpdate global SEO metadata — new title 'REE Tracker | Global Rare Earth Supply Chain Map & 2026 Intelligence' with enhanced description for better search visibility.
• featImplement mobile gesture handling — map now requires two-finger drag on mobile and Ctrl+Scroll on desktop, preventing scroll-trap issues for improved user experience.
• featAdd institutional trust indicators — footer now displays 'Data last verified: <timestamp>' with link to new Data Methodology page.
• featCreate comprehensive Data Methodology page explaining sourcing from ASX/SEC filings, verification processes, and data currency.
• dataAdd strategic supply chain link — Browns Range (Kimberley) to Eneabba Refinery (Mid-West WA) connection with Xenotime Concentrate offtake agreement.

Supply Chain Detail Pages and Performance Enhancements

• featIntroduce dedicated supply chain detail pages with comprehensive route information showing mine-to-facility connections.
• featAdd conditional UI for integrated operations — facilities co-located with mines now display as single-location operations with enhanced visual indicators.
• featImplement server-side data fetching with Suspense boundaries for instant page shell loading — users see navigation and skeleton immediately while data streams in.
• featAdd ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) with 1-hour revalidation for improved performance and reduced cold starts.
• featNew 'Details' column in supply chain map table with direct links to individual supply chain pages.
• featEnhanced cross-linking — project and facility detail pages now link to related supply chain routes.
• featOptimize database connection pooling to prevent build-time connection exhaustion with configurable pool limits.
• featImproved URL structure — supply chain slugs now use single hyphens (project-to-facility format) for cleaner, more readable URLs.
• featSEO enhancements — metadata titles now use hyphens instead of arrow symbols, and supply chain links added to sitemap with priority weighting.
• perfAdd preconnect tags for OpenStreetMap tile servers to reduce map load latency.
• perfImplement aggressive caching headers (stale-while-revalidate) for supply chain API with 1-hour fresh cache and 24-hour stale tolerance.

2026 Production Watchlist and Supply Chain Selection Features

• featIntroduce 2026 Production Watchlist highlighting Australian rare earth facilities reaching commissioning or first production in 2026 (Yangibana, ANSTO, Eneabba, Koppamurra).
• featAdd visual indicators for 2026 milestone nodes with gold pulsing animation.
• featImplement multi-select supply chain filtering — users can now select multiple supply chains to view on the map simultaneously.
• featAdd intelligent map pan and zoom — map automatically centers and zooms to show all selected supply chains for optimal viewing.
• featNew supply chain selector table with clear visual hierarchy and 2026 milestone badges.

Major new feature: Interactive Mine → Processing Supply Chain Map

• featIntroduce a map visualizing mining projects and processing facilities, with directional arrows showing supply chain links.
• featCustom icons for mines and facilities, and interactive arrows for supply chain directionality.
• featRich popovers with company, status, ore type, and more for each node and link.
• featImproved map UX and interactivity for supply chain exploration.

Summary of recent feature additions (commits with feat:)

• featAdd release notes page and footer link — a dedicated page listing releases and notable features.
• featAdd product-specific routes and pages for REE products to improve navigation.
• featClient-side improvements to the NdPr production chart for better performance and interactivity.