HelpMap.us is building adaptation technology with residents, community organizations, and local NGOs.
HelpMap.us is building adaptation technology with residents, community organizations, and local NGOs.
HelpMap.us is deploying community-led adaptation technology at scale. Building on over a decade of research and real-world deployments through CogniCity OSS, this initiative brings trusted, open source infrastructure to support communities across the United States facing increasing emergency risk. Starting in Los Angeles County, HelpMap.us is designed to strengthen coordination between residents, emergency responders, and government agencies during rapidly evolving crises.
Our first US-based pilot for Los Angeles County focuses on integrating community-generated situational awareness with county-level emergency operations. During wildfires, floods, extreme heat events, and power disruptions, residents and agencies can contribute and access real-time, location-based information through a shared digital map. This approach enables faster response, clearer communication, and more effective coordination across all levels of society.
HelpMap.us is deploying community-led adaptation technology at scale. Building on over a decade of research and real-world deployments through CogniCity OSS, this initiative brings trusted, open source infrastructure to support communities across the United States facing increasing emergency risk. Starting in Los Angeles County, HelpMap.us is designed to strengthen coordination between residents, emergency responders, and government agencies during rapidly evolving crises.
Our first US-based pilot for Los Angeles County focuses on integrating community-generated situational awareness with county-level emergency operations. During wildfires, floods, extreme heat events, and power disruptions, residents and agencies can contribute and access real-time, location-based information through a shared digital map. This approach enables faster response, clearer communication, and more effective coordination across all levels of society.
About HelpMap Agency
HelpMap Agency is a nonprofit organization based in Montreal, Canada, dedicated to advancing community-led adaptation technology. Our mission is to ensure that open source technologies for emergency response and resilience remain accessible, inclusive, and grounded in the needs of the communities they serve.
With more than fifteen years of experience in disaster response, civic technology, and participatory design, our work focuses on working with and supporting communities directly—through pilot deployments, training programs, and long-term partnerships with local organizations, researchers, and government agencies. We prioritize collaboration, transparency, and trust, recognizing that effective adaptation depends on shared knowledge and collective action.
In Los Angeles County, HelpMap Agency is working closely with local partners to co-design systems that reflect the realities of diverse communities. This includes developing multilingual tools, supporting mutual-aid coordination, and ensuring that vulnerable populations are included in emergency communication and involved in response efforts.
Learn more about HelpMap Agency
Highway 1 flooded near Mill Valley, California (6 November 2025);
courtesy of Peter Godfrey-Smith.
Highway 1 flooded near Mill Valley, California (6 November 2025);
courtesy of Peter Godfrey-Smith.
About the Software
CogniCity OSS is an open source platform designed to support real-time crisis reporting, situational awareness, and community coordination. Developed through years of deployment in complex environments, the platform enables residents to contribute verified, geolocated information during emergencies.
By transforming individual reports into a shared, map-based interface, CogniCity creates a common operational picture that can be used by residents, emergency managers, government agencies, and humanitarian responders. Reports are timestamped, analyzed, and visualized in real time, allowing for rapid, informed decision-making.
Unlike centralized systems that rely on limited data channels, CogniCity operates through distributed networks of trust. This approach allows communities to generate their own situational awareness from the ground up, ensuring that local knowledge is recognized and integrated into response efforts.
Learn more about CogniCity OSS
Implementation Objectives
HelpMap Agency leads the implementation of this pilot, working closely with community groups, organizations, researchers, and public agencies. Our approach is grounded in co-design, ensuring that the tools and workflows developed through this project are practical, accessible, and responsive to local conditions.
The Los Angeles deployment includes new protocols for location-based notifications, multilingual reporting, and volunteer coordination. These features are designed to support both everyday preparedness and large-scale emergency response, creating a durable model for adaptation technology at the metropolitan level.
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Next Steps in the US
The Los Angeles County pilot serves as the foundation for broader deployment within the United States. By establishing a scalable, interoperable system for real-time crisis reporting and coordination, HelpMap.us aims to support cities and regions in preparing for and responding to climate-related emergencies.
As disaster risks intensify, the need for trusted, shared infrastructure becomes urgent. HelpMap.us is building a foundation for communities to act together—transforming uncertainty into coordinated response, and strengthening the capacity of people to care for one another when it matters most.
JOIN THE PILOT
Help us bring open source adaptation technology to Los Angeles County and test our pilot platform.
Contact us
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Your financial contribution directly strengthens local resilience and community- led, open source innovation in California.
Donate now
LEARN MORE
Find out how open source adaptation technology empowers people to share information, coordinate response and recovery, and stay safe during emergencies.
Get in touch
JOIN THE PILOT
Help us bring open source adaptation technology to Los Angeles County and test our pilot platform.
Work with us
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Help us bring open source adaptation technology to Los Angeles County and test our pilot platform.
Donate Now
Learn more
Find out how open source adaptation technology empowers people to share information, coordinate response and recovery, and stay safe during emergencies.
Follow our projects
JOIN THE PILOT
Help us bring open source adaptation technology to Los Angeles County and test our pilot platform.
Work with us
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Your financial contribution directly strengthens local resilience and community- led, open source innovation in California.
Donate now
LEARN MORE
Find out how open source adaptation technology empowers people to share information, coordinate response and recovery, and stay safe during emergencies.
Follow our projects
