York staff safety software firm wins Ordnance Survey contract

Employee location and protection software developer Vismo, based in York, has won a contract to supply its suite of applications to Ordnance Survey. The national mapping service agency, which provides geographic data for government, business, and individuals, will use Vismo’s lone working health and safety app to protect its team of surveyors working in locations across the UK.

Vismo’s ‘lone worker’ app provides employers with real-time locations of employees and has a red alert button for staff to use in an emergency situation. Audio is also discreetly recorded and sent to the firm’s secure portal which is continuously monitored by Securitas.

CEO Craig Swallow (pictured) said: “Ordnance Survey needed a lone working health and safety app for its staff who can be working in some pretty remote places across the country. They also required real-time location data, to understand where surveyors are at different points of the day, and it was essential for them that their surveyors can trigger an alarm signal if they find themselves in danger, for whatever reason.”

“With increasing global levels of risk and uncertainty driven by climate change, the pandemic and geo-political unrest, employers worldwide are increasingly reassessing the importance of protecting their mobile workforces. Ensuring that they can be located and are safe is an absolute necessity and we are seeing an increase in demand for our software as a result.”

Matt Farthing, Ordnance Survey operations technical consultant, said: “The Vismo system has all the functionalities required to help us to protect our employees, including accurate location monitoring, check-ins and mass notification. The app gives our employees peace of mind with the help of the red alert and check-in features.”

Earlier this month the firm launched Vismo Notify, a mass notification system enabling organisations to contact and communicate with all employees, ensuring each individual member of staff is reached.

Typically used in the oil and gas, healthcare and retail sectors, other employers adopting the Vismo technology include NGOs, whose staff and volunteers work in high-risk situations; and media companies with reporters and camera operators posted in danger zones worldwide.