diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client.go b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec2bd0ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+// ©AngelaMos | 2026
+// client.go
+
+package gdelt
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
+
+	"github.com/carterperez-dev/monitor-the-situation/backend/internal/httpx"
+)
+
+const (
+	defaultGDELTBaseURL = "https://api.gdeltproject.org"
+	pathDoc             = "/api/v2/doc/doc"
+	defaultGDELTRate    = 500 * time.Millisecond
+	defaultGDELTBurst   = 2
+	defaultGDELTBudget  = 5
+	defaultGDELTBreaker = 60 * time.Second
+
+	gdeltDateFormat = "20060102T150405Z"
+)
+
+var DefaultThemes = []string{
+	"NATURAL_DISASTER",
+	"ARMEDCONFLICT",
+	"DISEASE_OUTBREAK",
+	"ECON_BANKRUPTCY",
+	"TERROR",
+}
+
+type ClientConfig struct {
+	BaseURL string
+}
+
+type Client struct {
+	hx *httpx.Client
+}
+
+func NewClient(cfg ClientConfig) *Client {
+	if cfg.BaseURL == "" {
+		cfg.BaseURL = defaultGDELTBaseURL
+	}
+	return &Client{
+		hx: httpx.New(httpx.Config{
+			Name:                     "gdelt",
+			BaseURL:                  cfg.BaseURL,
+			Rate:                     rate.Every(defaultGDELTRate),
+			Burst:                    defaultGDELTBurst,
+			ConsecutiveFailureBudget: defaultGDELTBudget,
+			BreakerTimeout:           defaultGDELTBreaker,
+		}),
+	}
+}
+
+type ThemeBucket struct {
+	Theme string
+	Time  time.Time
+	Count int
+}
+
+type rawTimeline struct {
+	Timeline []struct {
+		Data []struct {
+			Date  string `json:"date"`
+			Value int    `json:"value"`
+		} `json:"data"`
+	} `json:"timeline"`
+}
+
+func (c *Client) FetchTheme(ctx context.Context, theme string) ([]ThemeBucket, error) {
+	q := url.Values{}
+	q.Set("query", "theme:"+theme)
+	q.Set("mode", "timelinevolinfo")
+	q.Set("TIMELINESMOOTH", "5")
+	q.Set("format", "json")
+	q.Set("timespan", "1d")
+
+	resp, err := c.hx.Get(ctx, pathDoc, q)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fetch gdelt theme %s: %w", theme, err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = resp.Body.Close() }()
+
+	body := strings.Builder{}
+	buf := make([]byte, 4096)
+	for {
+		n, rerr := resp.Body.Read(buf)
+		if n > 0 {
+			body.Write(buf[:n])
+		}
+		if rerr != nil {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	var raw rawTimeline
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(body.String()), &raw); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("decode gdelt theme %s: %w", theme, err)
+	}
+	if len(raw.Timeline) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	out := make([]ThemeBucket, 0, len(raw.Timeline[0].Data))
+	for _, d := range raw.Timeline[0].Data {
+		ts, err := time.Parse(gdeltDateFormat, d.Date)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		out = append(out, ThemeBucket{
+			Theme: theme,
+			Time:  ts.UTC(),
+			Count: d.Value,
+		})
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client_test.go b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f7e4c26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/client_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// ©AngelaMos | 2026
+// client_test.go
+
+package gdelt_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/carterperez-dev/monitor-the-situation/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt"
+)
+
+func TestClient_FetchThemeDecodesBuckets(t *testing.T) {
+	body, err := os.ReadFile("testdata/timelinevolinfo.json")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		require.Equal(t, "/api/v2/doc/doc", r.URL.Path)
+		require.Equal(t, "theme:NATURAL_DISASTER", r.URL.Query().Get("query"))
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write(body)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := gdelt.NewClient(gdelt.ClientConfig{BaseURL: srv.URL})
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	buckets, err := c.FetchTheme(ctx, "NATURAL_DISASTER")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(buckets), 1)
+	for _, b := range buckets {
+		require.False(t, b.Time.IsZero())
+		require.Greater(t, b.Count, 0)
+		require.Equal(t, "NATURAL_DISASTER", b.Theme)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector.go b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cf1d491b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector.go
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+// ©AngelaMos | 2026
+// collector.go
+
+package gdelt
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/carterperez-dev/monitor-the-situation/backend/internal/events"
+)
+
+const (
+	Name                 = "gdelt"
+	defaultGDELTInterval = 15 * time.Minute
+	defaultBaselineCap   = 96
+	zScoreSpikeThreshold = 3.0
+	idHashBytes          = 16
+)
+
+type Fetcher interface {
+	FetchTheme(ctx context.Context, theme string) ([]ThemeBucket, error)
+}
+
+type Repository interface {
+	Insert(ctx context.Context, row SpikeRow) error
+}
+
+type Emitter interface {
+	Emit(ev events.Event)
+}
+
+type StateRecorder interface {
+	RecordSuccess(ctx context.Context, name string, eventCount int64) error
+	RecordError(ctx context.Context, name, errMsg string) error
+}
+
+type CollectorConfig struct {
+	Interval    time.Duration
+	Themes      []string
+	BaselineCap int
+	Fetcher     Fetcher
+	Repo        Repository
+	Emitter     Emitter
+	State       StateRecorder
+	Logger      *slog.Logger
+}
+
+type Collector struct {
+	cfg       CollectorConfig
+	logger    *slog.Logger
+	baselines map[string]*ThemeState
+	emitted   map[string]bool
+}
+
+func NewCollector(cfg CollectorConfig) *Collector {
+	if cfg.Interval <= 0 {
+		cfg.Interval = defaultGDELTInterval
+	}
+	if cfg.BaselineCap <= 0 {
+		cfg.BaselineCap = defaultBaselineCap
+	}
+	if len(cfg.Themes) == 0 {
+		cfg.Themes = DefaultThemes
+	}
+	if cfg.Logger == nil {
+		cfg.Logger = slog.Default()
+	}
+	c := &Collector{
+		cfg:       cfg,
+		logger:    cfg.Logger,
+		baselines: make(map[string]*ThemeState, len(cfg.Themes)),
+		emitted:   make(map[string]bool),
+	}
+	for _, t := range cfg.Themes {
+		c.baselines[t] = NewThemeState(cfg.BaselineCap)
+	}
+	return c
+}
+
+func (c *Collector) Name() string { return Name }
+
+func (c *Collector) Run(ctx context.Context) error {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(c.cfg.Interval)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	c.tick(ctx)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return ctx.Err()
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			c.tick(ctx)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (c *Collector) tick(ctx context.Context) {
+	hadError := false
+	emitted := int64(0)
+
+	for _, theme := range c.cfg.Themes {
+		buckets, err := c.cfg.Fetcher.FetchTheme(ctx, theme)
+		if err != nil {
+			c.logger.Warn("gdelt fetch", "theme", theme, "err", err)
+			_ = c.cfg.State.RecordError(ctx, Name, err.Error())
+			hadError = true
+			continue
+		}
+		baseline := c.baselines[theme]
+		for _, b := range buckets {
+			z := baseline.ZScore(b.Count)
+			baseline.Push(Bucket{Score: b.Time.UnixMilli(), Count: b.Count})
+
+			if z <= zScoreSpikeThreshold {
+				continue
+			}
+			id := spikeID(theme, b.Time)
+			if c.emitted[id] {
+				continue
+			}
+			c.emitted[id] = true
+
+			payload, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{
+				"theme":  theme,
+				"time":   b.Time,
+				"count":  b.Count,
+				"zscore": z,
+			})
+			row := SpikeRow{
+				ID:         id,
+				Theme:      theme,
+				OccurredAt: b.Time,
+				Headline:   fmt.Sprintf("Theme spike: %s (z=%.2f, count=%d)", theme, z, b.Count),
+				Payload:    payload,
+			}
+			if err := c.cfg.Repo.Insert(ctx, row); err != nil {
+				c.logger.Warn("gdelt insert", "id", id, "err", err)
+				continue
+			}
+			c.cfg.Emitter.Emit(events.Event{
+				Topic:     events.TopicGDELTSpike,
+				Timestamp: b.Time,
+				Source:    Name,
+				Payload:   json.RawMessage(payload),
+			})
+			emitted++
+		}
+	}
+
+	if !hadError {
+		_ = c.cfg.State.RecordSuccess(ctx, Name, emitted)
+	}
+}
+
+func spikeID(theme string, t time.Time) string {
+	h := sha256.Sum256([]byte(theme + "|" + t.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)))
+	return hex.EncodeToString(h[:idHashBytes])
+}
diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector_test.go b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a599adbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/collector_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+// ©AngelaMos | 2026
+// collector_test.go
+
+package gdelt_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/carterperez-dev/monitor-the-situation/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt"
+	"github.com/carterperez-dev/monitor-the-situation/backend/internal/events"
+)
+
+type fakeFetcher struct {
+	mu      sync.Mutex
+	calls   int
+	buckets map[string][]gdelt.ThemeBucket
+	err     error
+}
+
+func (f *fakeFetcher) FetchTheme(_ context.Context, theme string) ([]gdelt.ThemeBucket, error) {
+	f.mu.Lock()
+	defer f.mu.Unlock()
+	f.calls++
+	if f.err != nil {
+		return nil, f.err
+	}
+	return f.buckets[theme], nil
+}
+
+type fakeRepo struct {
+	mu      sync.Mutex
+	inserts []gdelt.SpikeRow
+}
+
+func (r *fakeRepo) Insert(_ context.Context, row gdelt.SpikeRow) error {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+	r.inserts = append(r.inserts, row)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (r *fakeRepo) Inserts() int {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+	return len(r.inserts)
+}
+
+type fakeEmitter struct {
+	mu     sync.Mutex
+	events []events.Event
+}
+
+func (e *fakeEmitter) Emit(ev events.Event) {
+	e.mu.Lock()
+	defer e.mu.Unlock()
+	e.events = append(e.events, ev)
+}
+
+func (e *fakeEmitter) Count() int {
+	e.mu.Lock()
+	defer e.mu.Unlock()
+	return len(e.events)
+}
+
+type recordingState struct {
+	mu        sync.Mutex
+	successes int
+	failures  int
+}
+
+func (s *recordingState) RecordSuccess(_ context.Context, _ string, _ int64) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.successes++
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (s *recordingState) RecordError(_ context.Context, _, _ string) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.failures++
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestCollector_NoBaselineNoSpike(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	buckets := []gdelt.ThemeBucket{
+		{Theme: "X", Time: now, Count: 5000},
+	}
+	ftch := &fakeFetcher{buckets: map[string][]gdelt.ThemeBucket{"X": buckets}}
+	repo := &fakeRepo{}
+	emt := &fakeEmitter{}
+	st := &recordingState{}
+
+	c := gdelt.NewCollector(gdelt.CollectorConfig{
+		Interval:    20 * time.Millisecond,
+		Themes:      []string{"X"},
+		BaselineCap: 8,
+		Fetcher:     ftch,
+		Repo:        repo,
+		Emitter:     emt,
+		State:       st,
+	})
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 50*time.Millisecond)
+	defer cancel()
+	_ = c.Run(ctx)
+
+	require.Equal(t, 0, repo.Inserts(), "first observation has no baseline → cannot detect spike")
+	require.Equal(t, 0, emt.Count())
+	require.Greater(t, st.successes, 0)
+}
+
+func TestCollector_StableBaselinePlusSpikeEmitsOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	base := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(15 * time.Minute)
+	stable := make([]gdelt.ThemeBucket, 0, 10)
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		stable = append(stable, gdelt.ThemeBucket{
+			Theme: "X",
+			Time:  base.Add(time.Duration(i) * 15 * time.Minute),
+			Count: 100 + i,
+		})
+	}
+	spikeBucket := gdelt.ThemeBucket{Theme: "X", Time: base.Add(15 * 15 * time.Minute), Count: 5000}
+	buckets := append(stable, spikeBucket)
+
+	ftch := &fakeFetcher{buckets: map[string][]gdelt.ThemeBucket{"X": buckets}}
+	repo := &fakeRepo{}
+	emt := &fakeEmitter{}
+	st := &recordingState{}
+
+	c := gdelt.NewCollector(gdelt.CollectorConfig{
+		Interval:    20 * time.Millisecond,
+		Themes:      []string{"X"},
+		BaselineCap: 8,
+		Fetcher:     ftch,
+		Repo:        repo,
+		Emitter:     emt,
+		State:       st,
+	})
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 80*time.Millisecond)
+	defer cancel()
+	_ = c.Run(ctx)
+
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, repo.Inserts(), 1, "spike must be inserted")
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, emt.Count(), 1)
+	for _, ev := range emt.events {
+		require.Equal(t, events.TopicGDELTSpike, ev.Topic)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCollector_FetchErrorsRecordsState(t *testing.T) {
+	ftch := &fakeFetcher{err: errors.New("upstream 503")}
+	repo := &fakeRepo{}
+	emt := &fakeEmitter{}
+	st := &recordingState{}
+
+	c := gdelt.NewCollector(gdelt.CollectorConfig{
+		Interval:    20 * time.Millisecond,
+		Themes:      []string{"X"},
+		BaselineCap: 8,
+		Fetcher:     ftch,
+		Repo:        repo,
+		Emitter:     emt,
+		State:       st,
+	})
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 60*time.Millisecond)
+	defer cancel()
+	_ = c.Run(ctx)
+
+	require.Equal(t, 0, repo.Inserts())
+	require.Greater(t, st.failures, 0)
+}
diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/repo.go b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/repo.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93a09c51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/repo.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+// ©AngelaMos | 2026
+// repo.go
+
+package gdelt
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/jmoiron/sqlx"
+)
+
+const (
+	sourceGDELTSpike = "gdelt_spike"
+)
+
+type SpikeRow struct {
+	ID         string
+	Theme      string
+	OccurredAt time.Time
+	Headline   string
+	Payload    json.RawMessage
+}
+
+type Repo struct {
+	db *sqlx.DB
+}
+
+func NewRepo(db *sqlx.DB) *Repo { return &Repo{db: db} }
+
+func (r *Repo) Insert(ctx context.Context, row SpikeRow) error {
+	_, err := r.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		INSERT INTO world_events (id, source, occurred_at, headline, payload)
+		VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5)
+		ON CONFLICT (id) DO NOTHING`,
+		row.ID, sourceGDELTSpike, row.OccurredAt, row.Headline, []byte(row.Payload),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("insert gdelt spike %s: %w", row.ID, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/testdata/timelinevolinfo.json b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/testdata/timelinevolinfo.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6aef353b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PROJECTS/advanced/monitor-the-situation-dashboard/backend/internal/collectors/gdelt/testdata/timelinevolinfo.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "timeline": [
+    {
+      "data": [
+        {"date": "20260501T120000Z", "value": 100},
+        {"date": "20260501T121500Z", "value": 105},
+        {"date": "20260501T123000Z", "value": 102},
+        {"date": "20260501T124500Z", "value": 108},
+        {"date": "20260501T130000Z", "value": 112},
+        {"date": "20260501T131500Z", "value": 98},
+        {"date": "20260501T133000Z", "value": 103},
+        {"date": "20260501T134500Z", "value": 107}
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}