Case Study: Hampshire Search and Rescue finds missing people faster with Ordnance Survey mapping

Hampshire Search and Rescue - Customer Case Study

Hampshire Search and Rescue (HANTSAR) is a county-based volunteer lowland search unit that supports police in finding missing and vulnerable people. Their challenge is to rapidly define search areas and coordinate volunteer teams across varied terrain; without accurate, up-to-date maps team leaders risk sending searchers to the wrong places. HANTSAR obtains the digital mapping it needs from Ordnance Survey via the Public Sector Mapping Agreement, using products such as 1:10 000 and 1:25 000 scale rasters.

To solve this, HANTSAR fitted its incident control vehicle with a laptop, printer and real-time Ordnance Survey data and equips teams with GPS-linked handheld devices so maps and searched-coverage can be produced and shared on site. The Ordnance Survey-enabled system lets teams print boundaries, track coverage in real time and coordinate more effectively, helping HANTSAR (which responded to 66 callouts and provided 2,499 volunteer hours in 2011) find people faster and more safely while keeping mapping affordable through the PSMA.

Hampshire Search and Rescue

Tony Privett

Hampshire Search and Rescue