Technology can make a meaningful difference to nonprofit organisations, especially when it helps simplify operations and make better use of limited resources.
This is the case of Asociación de Profesionales Cívicos Voluntarios (APCV), a volunteer organisation based in Bogotá, Colombia, which found in Mapify, a technology solution integrated into City as a Platform, a way to improve team coordination and emergency response.
By integrating different sources of information and visualising real-time data, APCV developed tools tailored to its operational needs, demonstrating the potential of technology in emergency management.
The Need for Real-Time Coordination
APCV — Asociación de Profesionales Cívicos Voluntarios is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to responding to emergencies such as traffic accidents, fires, and other urgent incidents in Bogotá.
Its volunteer teams, known as Apoyos, organise shifts, share their locations through WhatsApp, and coordinate with dispatchers using radio communications.
However, fragmented information, difficulties tracking volunteers in real time, and inefficient navigation processes made coordination increasingly challenging.
"Before Mapify, our systems for tracking incidents and first responders were mostly manual, relying on Google Sheets and radio communications. This made our response times slower and less efficient, as we depended on external apps like Waze for incident reports and WhatsApp for sharing live locations. Coordinating and visualizing the locations of incidents and responders in real time was challenging, which hindered our ability to manage multiple emergencies effectively."
This approach made it difficult to visualise incidents and available responders simultaneously, limiting the organisation's ability to manage multiple emergencies effectively.
How APCV Started Using Mapify
When APCV approached Focus BC, its main goal was to improve the tracking of traffic accidents reported through Waze.
Using Mapify and the available documentation, the organisation was able to start developing its solution independently.
Initially, APCV integrated the Waze API into Mapify to display incidents on an interactive map.
This integration allowed dispatchers to monitor live alerts and communicate information to volunteer teams, who could then use Google Maps or Waze to navigate to incident locations.
Although the solution improved coordination, APCV identified additional operational needs and sought support from the Mapify team to further develop its tools.
Three Improvements That Transformed APCV's Operations
Working closely with the organisation, the Focus BC team developed new features to simplify incident management and volunteer tracking.
1. Faster Navigation to Incident Locations
The first improvement focused on making it easier for volunteers to navigate to emergencies.
Building on the existing Mapify and Waze integration, the team introduced a direct Google Maps link that automatically retrieves the incident's coordinates.
This allows volunteers to start navigating to an incident location with a single click, reducing the steps needed to access directions.
2. Automatic Incident Synchronisation
The team also developed an application that synchronises all incidents recorded in a Google Sheet with Mapify.
When a dispatcher adds a new incident, including details such as the incident ID, responsible radio operator, incident type, and geographical coordinates, it automatically appears on the map at the correct location.
By bringing together Waze-reported incidents and manually entered records, dispatchers gained a centralised view of active incidents across the city.
This integration simplified incident monitoring and made it easier to manage available volunteer teams.
3. Centralised Volunteer Team Tracking
To improve volunteer coordination, a web application was developed to track team locations and status without relying on WhatsApp location sharing.
Volunteers can log in, select their assigned support team, share their live location, and update their status during shifts.
They can also report their arrival at an incident scene, allowing dispatchers to monitor both volunteer positions and active incidents simultaneously on the map.
This centralised approach has improved operational visibility and made coordination easier for both dispatchers and volunteers.
More Efficient Emergency Response
With these improvements, APCV has been able to streamline its operational processes.
According to Jorge Vargas, Mapify now enables volunteers to automatically view new incidents on a customised map and quickly access navigation instructions through Waze or Google Maps.
"Mapify has greatly streamlined our response process. First responders can now automatically view new incidents on a custom map, ensuring they receive critical information in real-time. They can navigate to incident locations with a single click using Waze or Google Maps. Dispatchers can also monitor and coordinate operations more efficiently by tracking each unit’s location and status in real-time, significantly improving both response times and overall operational effectiveness."
Dispatchers can also monitor the location and status of each team in real time, improving operational coordination.
Volunteers report that the system has made their shifts easier to manage and contributed to faster emergency response times.
APCV continues to improve its processes and train volunteers to use Mapify alongside other essential operational tools.
A Collaboration Between Focus BC and JUNITEC
The project also benefited from a collaboration with JUNITEC, the Junior Enterprise of Instituto Superior Técnico, in Portugal.
Tomás Pedrosa, a JUNITEC member and summer intern at Focus BC, played an important role in supporting APCV, helping develop and improve the tools used by the organisation.
By implementing simple, user-friendly technology through Mapify, he contributed to making the volunteers' daily operations more efficient.
This collaboration demonstrates how combining technological expertise, academic talent, and teamwork can help address real-world challenges and create a positive impact on communities.
The Potential of City as a Platform for Emergency Management
The experience of Cívicos Bogotá demonstrates how real-time data integration and visualisation can improve team coordination and incident management.
These capabilities are also relevant to municipalities, particularly in civil protection, where rapid access to information and coordination between different services are essential.
City as a Platform, through technology solutions such as Mapify, enables municipalities to integrate data from different sources, visualise incidents and resources on a map, and automate monitoring and tracking processes.
This approach can help municipal services gain a more comprehensive view of their territory and support operational decision-making during emergencies.
APCV's project is an example of how technology tailored to users' needs can simplify processes and contribute to more coordinated and efficient emergency response.
FAQ
Common questions
Real-time data integration enables organisations to centralise incident information, track team locations, and improve information sharing. These capabilities help operational teams coordinate resources and make more informed decisions during emergencies.
APCV uses Mapify to display incidents on an interactive map, track volunteer locations and team status, and simplify navigation to emergency locations. The solution integrates information from tools such as Waze and Google Sheets.
City as a Platform enables municipalities to integrate information from different sources, monitor incidents, and visualise geographical data in real time. These capabilities can support risk assessment, emergency team coordination, and resource management.
Mapify is a technology solution developed by Focus BC and integrated into the City as a Platform ecosystem. It provides data integration, geographical visualisation, and process automation capabilities that support more efficient territorial management.
Categories: Real Time Data
