ToTheRescue – A SAR Platform to Save Lives

From the story of a missing boy to the tool for military rescue missions

ToTheRescue is a centralized coordination and management platform for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, which consists of a web platform and a mobile app for field use.

Created by engineers who got real-life search-and-rescue training in winter forests at -20C, the application proved sturdy in difficult search scenarios.

The mobile app features low battery consumption, precise GPS mapping, drone integration and can operate in conditions of radio silence. This makes the solution effective for wilderness search and rescue, humanitarian missions, border patrol, police operations, and more.

In this article, you can learn more about what ToTheRescue is and what features make it a one-stop solution for government, humanitarian, and commercial organizations searching for SAR and public safety software.

ToTheRescue SAR Platform – The Story Behind

The idea of a high-quality SAR platform emerged as a response to a failed search and rescue operation.

In the summer of 2017, a five-year-old boy, Ivan Berladin, went missing in Latvia. The search mission lasted 10 days and occupied 9000 people. The boy was found without signs of life: reportedly, Ivan died on the 7th day of the search mission.

The story that shook Latvia moved the Chili Labs team too. To not let something similar happen again, we decided to step in. After getting in touch and meeting the team at Bezvests.lv (volunteer missing people search organization), our engineers analyzed the rescue operation to find the weak links and seal them - with the right technology.

The findings were surprising: the search mission that combined Military, Police, municipal police, Rescues and firefighters, volunteers, relatives, and the Bezvests.lv organization lacked no resources, but coordination. The primary issues were:

• Six different organizations took part in the search with no single point of coordination
• Same areas were searched repeatedly, while others turned into blind spots
• Missions had no means of communication to share clues like pieces of clothing or have these clues identified by relatives in real time.

Our engineers realized that a search and rescue app could have made that rescue mission more effective. Such a solution, if present, could be helpful in other areas: drone search and rescue, volunteer operations, border monitoring, security terrain monitoring and threat detection, military SAR operations, personnel evacuation in disaster scenarios at sea, wildlife and more.

ToTheRescue SAR App Features

ToTheRescue was built as a search and rescue management system that targeted the immediate needs of SAR operations: coordination, communication, control.

It features an admin panel that allows adding and coordinating personnel and has a real-time map with a high-level view of all search mission participants. This helps SAR admins see if the units follow the assigned course, stick to the plan, and check the right area.

On the user side, an app lets SAR group participants receive assignments to groups, review tasks, report clues and findings, and receive notifications.

The whole rescue operation is split into six steps:

1. The admin defines the areas of search on the maps and splits the territory into sectors.
2. Sectors are assigned to human units and drones.
3. Personnel and drones are tracked through GPS, recording routes and coverage even without connectivity.
4. The system continuously checks the routes taken with the map coverage to identify blind spots.
5. Command can follow the movements in real time, redeploy units to cover blind spots, or pause and stop the search mission when needed.
6. After the mission is over, the system presents automated coverage and performance reports.

Also, the app has community features: a list of missing people in a certain area, compiled by the local police department or volunteer organizations. All people who download the app, but don’t take part in the rescue operations, can check information about missing people in the app and send any available information, like their possible location or clues via a Report button. The information immediately reaches the responsible police department and volunteer organizations.

Interested in how ToTheRescue can be adapted to the needs of your monitoring, patrolling, security, and search and rescue operations?

Our team will demonstrate how ToTheRescue can be used in military, medical evacuation, police patrol, or group search and rescue operations that involve thousands of volunteers. Request a demo!

How ToTheRescue Solves Challenges of SAR Operations

The real challenge to building a SAR app is balancing features and usability in field conditions.

So was the story with ToTheRescue: the team had to figure out how to program the necessary rescue mission management features in a way that made the app usable in areas with no connection, low temperatures that drain the battery, or situations where new people and devices are added frequently.

Here’s how ToTheRescue solves the challenges that restrict SAR software in the field:

Battery Use

ToTheRescue has optimized background processes that are energy-efficient. This allows the app to support missions on battery-powered devices for a long time.

Low Connectivity

As most rescue operations take place in areas with low connectivity, the core workflows are built to support offline mode and synchronize automatically once the connectivity returns.

Scalability

The app’s high-performance back-end architecture allows adding large amounts of simultaneously active personnel and assets, which makes it perfect for humanitarian rescue operations that involve joining up every few hours.

Integrations

The app already contains Atlas drone integration. The integrated drone is also equipped with a heat-detection camera that supports rescue operations at different times of the day.

Additionally, as the app evolved, new improvements and features were added that make ToTheRescue a perfect SAR digital platform for various uses.

Why ToTheRescue Is the Right SAR App for Disaster Evacuation, Border Patrol, Police Search, Military Rescue Operations

As mentioned above, ToTheRescue was built for endurance and usability. It can be used for humanitarian, government, and military operations.

To illustrate, here are several use cases where ToTheRescue can be helpful:

Humanitarian Search and Rescue: thanks to the integration with drones, accurate GPS mapping, and handy community features that help add information about missing people, ToTheRescue is a perfect SAR app for situations like hurricane or alpine skiing search and rescue.

Military Search and Rescue Operations: built for radio silence and disrupted networks, the app is perfect for combat rescue operations, which require tactical communications security. The system also offers enhanced security features: it can be deployed on-premises or in the field, giving total control over data; permissions and data visibility are strictly controlled, and all data is encrypted to protect sensitive information.

Border Patrol: Territory-sweeping features, drone integrations, and heightened security make ToTheRescue a good solution for border security operations, such as terrain monitoring, threat detection, and illegal-crossing response.

Police Search: ToTheRescue is ideal as SAR coordination software for police operations, and its security features make it well-suited for integration into internal police CAD and RMS systems.

Interested in how ToTheRescue can help enhance search, rescue, and patrol operations in your organization?

Request a consultation with the Chili Labs team. Contact us now!