How it works

A map-based real-time collaborative virtual environment

Zirkarta provides a map-based real-time collaborative virtual environment for managing emergency incidents.

A shared map enables an authorised user to make a change to a map and that change to be visible to all other authorised users in any location on any fixed or mobile device in real-time without refreshing the browser.

The shared map automatically displays other relevant current and historical information from pre-determined sources which can include data from other systems as well as the real-time location of resources. Authorised users can add data to a range of other collaboration tools such as messages, tasks, forms and organizational structures, with these changes also visible to all authorised users in real-time.

In this way, Zirkarta creates a digital twin of incidents in which geographically distributed teams can collaborate in real time to plan, war game and coordinate their activities.

Data entered on shared maps and other collaboration tools is automatically combined and re-presented according to predetermined rules in tabular statistics, dashboards, forms, overview maps and automatically generated plans. These are used to meet a range of decision making needs, including those of higher hierarchical levels.

Its just like a shared map – based virtual white board
RapidSOS

Zirkarta provides a map-based real-time collaborative virtual environment for managing emergency incidents. A change made to a shared map and other collaboration tools including messaging, tasking, forms and organizational structures, are automatically visible to all authorised users in any location on any device in real time. Data is automatically collected from these collaboration tools and combined and represented according to predetermined rules as statistics, dashboards, overview maps and plans to meet a range of decision making needs.

A change made to a shared map and other collaboration tools including messaging, tasking, forms and organizational structures, are automatically visible to all authorised users in any location on any device in real time.

*The shared map automatically shows relevant historic and current information according to pre-determined rules.*

*Mobile and desktop interface showing a shared map. Any change made to this map by any authorised user is visible to all users in real-time.*

*The messaging and tasking functionality*

Control who you share information with

Within a response organisation, information can be shared between individual responders and in both directions between responders, incident management teams, coordinators and executives.

It also enables information to be shared between, and within, a range of other entities including:

supporting organisations,
the community, and
stakeholders.

Information is shared with entities in real-time according to pre-determined rules which control:

What information is shared (information can be filtered before being shared), and
How shared information is re-presented and visualized for each entity.

*In addition to sharing information within the response authority, information can be shared within and between a number of other entities according to pre-determined rules.*

*Example of a map used to share information with the community and a form the community can use to share information back with authorities.*

Shared situational awareness

While other solutions that:

enable information to be shared between responders and the operations centre but not from the operations centre back to responders or between responders, or
require the browser page to be refreshed before changes are visible,

,guarantee a loss of shared situational awareness, Zirkarta results in all users, including responders and the operations center, having the same (shared) situational awareness without the need for anybody to refresh the page on their browser – changes are automatically made to the open map.

*The shared map ensures everybody is looking at exactly the same map at the same time creating shared situational awareness.*

*Two or more people in any location can have a radio conversation while looking at exactly the same map.*

All hierarchical levels

Information is re-presented according to pre-determined rules to meet the decision making needs of all hierarchical levels. Represented information automatically updates in real time as information is changed at the individual incident level. Higher hierarchical levels can drill from summery and statistical information right down to see details of individual incidents on any device from any location.

*Overview map shows the location of individual incidents with icons showing the type and severity of each incident.*

Data entered on shared maps is automatically summerised in tables and dashboards in real-time. This could include information on current incidents, the implementation of prevention plans or recovery operations.

A self service single source of truth

Everybody, wherever they are, can self serve the information they need to meet their decision making needs rather than having to wait for someone else to provide them with the required information. In particular, this eliminates the bottleneck between creators and consumers of spatial information.

Because everybody can self serve the information they need at any time, there is no need to maintain your own ‘personal’ situational awareness map. This ensures a single source of truth on which everybody can base their decision making.

Because everybody can self serve the information they need, the costs associated with people manually distributing information can be eliminated.

*Zirkarta provides a real-time single source of truth from which everybody can self serve the information they need to meet their decision making needs.*

Capture data as a by-product of operations

All changes made in the system are automatically logged, capturing a new type of highly structured data as a by-product of managing emergency incidents.

This data provides an accountability trail including the ability to recreate the shared map at any time specified by the user or to replay the history of the map as a movie.

This data is highly structured and can be used for data driven decision making in future incidents to power continuous improvement.

*Data captured as a by-product of managing emergency incidents is used to provide an accountability trail and to support data driven decision making at future emergency incidents.*

*All changes are automatically logged and the state of the shared map can be recreated for any time specified by the user or the history of the map replayed as a movie.*

Template based

Zirkarta is a template based system. Templates are used to control system:

look,
feel,
behaviour.

Templates can be configured for:

any type of hazard,
before, during and after phases, and
different types of events (e.g. forest harvesting).

Relationships can be configured between templates so information is automatically shared between:

phases, and
event types.

Administrators in customer organisations can configure templates themselves using drag and drop, putting you in control.

*Templates can be configured for any type of hazard.*

Templates can be configured for different phases and relationships created between each phase so information is automatically shared between phases. Similarly, templates can be created for different types of events (e.g. forest harvesting and wildfires) and relationships created between these so information is automatically shared between different event types (e.g. so areas of recent forest harvesting will automatically appear in maps created for wildfire suppression as high hazard areas).

*When creating a new map, select the appropriate template. The map then looks, feels and behaves in accordance with the selected template.*

Any location

It uses the internet/phone network to transfer information between devices in real-time. If there is no internet/phone coverage, data can still be added/changed on individual devices and is automatically resynchronized when the device returns to internet/phone coverage.

It can be used with satellite internet or radio mesh networking to enable real-time data transfer in even the most remote locations.

It is optimized for use in low bandwidth environments.

Any device

Works on any device, any operating system and any browser without downloading any software, not even an app. The ability of the system to work without the need to download an app (even outside of internet range) increases interoperability.