1. A method for communicating event information, comprising the steps of: outputting over a communications network a first instruction to a client computer to display a graphic on a graphical user interface device, the graphic including at least a planar representation of a portion of the Earth's surface; retrieving information stored in a first database concerning a first event, wherein the first event comprises a communicable human, plant, or animal disease event, wherein the first event is identified by a search of at least one information source using at least one parameter associated with a plurality of indications and warnings related to the first event, said at least one parameter comprising a manifestation of a marker of the first event appearing in a cultural or historical context, the plurality of indications and warnings comprising direct indications and direct warnings and indirect indications and indirect warnings, the plurality of indirect indications and indirect warnings comprising a plurality of classes of indirect indications and indirect warnings, and wherein the information comprises a first scale value describing a severity of the first event and a geographical location describing a location of the first event; selecting from a plurality of indicia a first indicia representing the scale value of the first event, the first indicia including a link to additional information concerning the first event; providing to a memory of the client computer the additional information for display on the graphical user interface upon activation of the link; and outputting a second instruction to the client computer to display the first indicia on the displayed graphic at the geographical location if the geographical location is within the displayed graphic portion of the Earth's surface.