Karttahimmeli - Fundamentals¶
What is Karttahimmeli?¶
Karttahimmeli is a map-based situational awareness system designed especially for search and rescue operations. The system allows multiple patrols and command staff to share their location data and add annotations to the same map in real time.
Karttahimmeli is not just a personal map app for one individual. It is a shared tool for the whole organization. Every annotation is stored in the system for common use.
Why Karttahimmeli?¶
Before map-based situational awareness systems, sharing location information was slow and error-prone:
- Patrols had to describe their location verbally over the phone
- Command could misinterpret the location (confirmation bias)
- Under fatigue or time pressure, annotations were left unrecorded
- When people left the operation, recorded information was lost
In Karttahimmeli, all annotations are saved automatically in the system, so information is preserved throughout the operation.
Why situational awareness matters
In one search operation, a thermal camera detected a person in covered terrain. Command tried to determine by phone which patrols were nearby, and confirmation bias occurred: the detection was interpreted as their own patrol. It was later discovered that their own patrol was 300 meters away and the detection was the missing person. The search could have ended 12 hours earlier if location data had been available in real time.
System structure¶
Remote planning
Karttahimmeli can also be used remotely from home. Operation planning can start immediately when an alert arrives, even before command has reached the meeting point.
Karttahimmeli consists of two basic elements:
- Base maps - shared maps used by everyone for annotations
- Operation - a unique identifier that separates one search from all others
Karttahimmeli can be used both as a mobile app and via browser at https://karttahimmeli.netlify.app.
Who is Karttahimmeli for?¶
- Patrol members: making annotations in the field, sharing own location
- Dog patrols: following wind data, seeing nearby patrol locations
- Command staff: monitoring situational picture, planning and assigning areas, filtering annotations
Every user benefits from the system, but what matters most is that the whole organization uses the same operation.
Remember
Even if your own use of the system does not feel like the most important thing for you personally, your location data can be critically important to a nearby patrol, command staff, or for example a helicopter team.