Search and rescue GPS tracking for teams in the field

Most search coordinators already know what live positions are worth. The question when you evaluate SAR team tracking software is narrower: does the system fit how a callout actually runs, does it keep a record you can use afterwards, and will your members agree to carry it? This page describes how tracking works in Redoto Rescue, from the moment a rescuer goes on duty to the report at the end, and what it is not designed to do.

01What the coordinator gets

Tracking is one part of Redoto Rescue, the search and rescue software that runs the mission itself. That matters, because a position on its own is only half the information. What a coordinator needs is a position in context: which team, which sector, how far from the last-seen point, and how long they have been out.

• Every deployed rescuer on one map. The command map on the operations dashboard and in the mission workspace shows team positions together with search sectors, mission base locations, located persons and last-seen points with their search radii.
• Teams, not just dots. In the mission workspace each assigned team is listed with its live position and phone battery, so you can see who is running low before they drop off the map.
• Topographic or satellite layers. Switch the base map to read terrain for route choice, or imagery to check clearings, tracks and buildings.
• Tracks that persist. What a team walked is recorded, not just where they are now, so coverage becomes something you can check rather than something you are told.
• Tasking in the same place. Mission chat, coordinator broadcasts and push notifications live next to the map, so the decision you make from a position reaches the team without switching tools.

02How it works, from callout to after-action

The flow is deliberately short. Nothing has to be configured per rescuer at 02:00, and there is no separate tracking system to reconcile with the mission record later.

1. The mission is activated

The coordinator creates or activates the mission in the web command center, with its base location, last-seen point and first sectors. See mission management for the full lifecycle.

2. Rescuers go on duty

In the field app, one tap starts sharing position with mission control, on foot or in a vehicle. One tap stops it. Location is only requested after the rescuer grants permission.

3. Positions appear on the command map

Each on-duty rescuer shows up on the coordinator’s map in real time, alongside the sectors and located persons. The rescuer sees the same mission map on their phone: their sector, their teammates, the base and the last-seen point.

4. Tracks build up against sectors

As teams move, their tracks are recorded. Sector coverage is tracked per polygon, so the gap between assigned ground and searched ground is visible during the operation, not discovered at the debrief.

5. The mission closes with its record

When the mission is closed, tracks, timings and the event log are already part of it, and the after-action report is generated from that record.

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03Tracks, GPX routes and sector coverage

A live dot answers “where are they now”. A recorded track answers the question that decides the next operational period: “what has actually been searched”. Teams drift off assigned lines for good reasons (a cliff band, a stream crossing, a clue) and for bad ones, and a track shows both honestly.

Redoto Rescue keeps tracks on the same map as the search sectors you drew, with a coverage percentage per sector. You can also import GPX routes, for example a planned route, the missing person’s intended itinerary, or tracks from a handheld GPS that was not running the app. Everything sits in one picture, so the coordinator taking over at shift change sees what the outgoing coordinator saw.

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For planning the sectors themselves (size, probability, how to split terrain between teams), see how to divide a search area.

04Why it beats radio check-ins

Radio is not going anywhere, and it should not. It works where there is no mobile coverage and it is the channel you trust when everything else fails. But as a way of knowing where teams are, a scheduled position report over voice is slow, imprecise and expensive in airtime.

The practical result is that the radio net carries decisions and emergencies instead of coordinates. Many teams keep scheduled radio checks running in parallel for the first few real callouts; the comparison afterwards is usually what convinces the sceptics.

05Privacy by design, not by policy

Tracking volunteers is only sustainable if members trust what the system does when they are not on a callout. Redoto Rescue is built around a simple rule: location is part of the operation, and outside the operation it is not collected.

• Location is collected only after the rescuer explicitly grants permission.
• Sharing is active only while the rescuer is on duty in an active mission, not in the background of everyday life.
• Background location, where enabled, exists only to keep an on-duty rescuer visible to their coordinator.
• Rescuers can stop sharing and revoke permission at any time.
• Access follows five role levels, from Super Admin to Observer, so each person sees what their role requires.
• Location data is used for the rescue operation only. It is never sold or used for advertising.

06Who it is for

• Mountain rescue services running multi-team searches in steep terrain, where knowing which team is closest to a new clue saves hours. See mountain rescue.
• Volunteer SAR teams that need live positions without buying dedicated tracking hardware for every member. See volunteer search and rescue.
• Fire and civil-protection units coordinating field teams and vehicles on the same operation.
• Coordinators and team leaders who today keep the picture on a paper map and a radio log, and rebuild it from memory afterwards.

Tracking works best as part of the whole mission record, which is why it ships with the rest of the SAR software rather than as an add-on. The capabilities overview lists every module, from personnel and teams to equipment and documents.

07What to prepare before the first callout

The software is the easy part. The first minutes of a real callout, covered in the first 60 minutes of a SAR callout, are not the time to install an app. Before you rely on the map:

1. 01Run one training exercise with tracking on, then show the recorded tracks at the debrief.
2. 02Make sure every member has the app installed, signed in, and has granted location permission once.
3. 03Treat a power bank as standard kit. The mission workspace shows battery, but it cannot charge a phone.
4. 04Agree what happens for members whose phone is not suitable, and keep radio as the fallback for everyone.
5. 05Share the location disclosure with members before the first install, not after the first question.