Cabinet Office and Airbox Systems launch all-new ResilienceDirect Mapping Platform

18th Jun 2020

The Civil Contingencies Secretariat and Airbox Systems Limited have today launched an all-new ResilienceDirect mapping platform. The tool provides a single codified place for emergency responders to come together to plan for and brief all types of resilience events across the UK. It allows them to clearly visualize complex situations, giving a focal point and a single source of truth to allow fast, safe, coordinated planning and response.

The new service, which went live at 7am this morning, replaces the previous mapping tool. It is free at the point of use and available to all UK category 1 and 2 responders.

Nearly two years in the making, the mapping has been reimagined from the ground up; employing current best practice around ease of use, compatibility with modern devices and incorporating many new features requested by the community. The end solution will provide the emergency services with a tool which better serves their needs today and is scalable and extensible to tackle future scenarios.

Luana Avagliano, Head of ResilienceDirect, said “This is an incredibly exciting and monumental day, as ever the needs of the user drive our ResilienceDirect mapping capability. It is imperative that in this ever challenging and changing world, that we stay up to date and embrace emerging technologies. The ambition to continue to provide the best possible tools for our Resilience Community and to support their mission to Save Lives and Keep the UK Safe.”

William Moore, CEO of Airbox Systems, added “There is no better place to create contingency plans and to brief incidents. The platform allows users to draw from an incredible range of government supplied, authoritative data and mapping.”

The standard functionality includes access to a range of very high quality mapping, overlays and data feeds produced by UK national agencies such as the Met Office, Health and Safety Executive and Environment Agency. It also includes annotation tools to add information to the maps and also tools to interrogate information such as the ability to view and export addresses within given areas. The overall package provides access to the best planning data available in the UK and combines it with tools to allow specific contingencies to be planned and shared.

Examples of new functionality being released today include:

• Grids: Grids can be created and added to the map. This is useful for many types of contingency plans, but also means that, in seconds, responders can create and share search grids for finding missing people.
• What3Words Integration: What3Words has become the location sharing method of choice between the emergency services and the general public and is also widely used for sharing location among responders. The new platform gives instant access to W3W references both from the map and in search.
• Markers: The new platform expands on the types of markers available to allow richer mapping content. This has been achieved without compromising core Joint Emergency Services Principles (JESIP) and increases the versatility of the types of map which can be created.

In addition, in a world first for an emergency planning system, the platform incorporates surface water flood nowcasting. This capability, introduced in collaboration with Professor Dapeng Yu at Loughborough University, allows responders to understand which access routes may be affected by surface water during high rainfall events. This will allow the emergency services to gain greater insight into the best routes during flooding, saving vital time in response. The service is currently experimental and covers London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester.

Category 1 and 2 responders who wish to apply for a ResilienceDirect account can do so by writing to support@resilience.gov.uk

Further enquiries should be directed to Media@AirboxSystems.com

The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS), created in July 2001, is the executive department of the British Cabinet Office responsible for emergency planning in the UK. The role of the secretariat is to ensure the United Kingdom's resilience against disruptive challenge, and to do this by working with others to anticipate, assess, prevent, prepare, respond and recover.

Airbox Systems Limited is the leading supplier of map-based situational awareness tools to the UK emergency services. Operating across police, fire, medical response and the military, Airbox is driven by a clear mission to help save life and empower responders.