labs@atheron:~/industries/public-safety/apps$ build app --web --mobile

Public safety apps

Reports, mutual aid and alerting, offline in the field.

Public safety software has two tests: it has to work in a car or on a fireground with no signal, and it has to pass your agency's security review. We build for both from the start, and connect to the dispatch and records systems you already run.

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// what matters here

What is different in this industry.

Starts from the call

Reports and resource requests begin from the incident in your computer-aided dispatch system, so nobody re-enters a time or an address.

Offline in the field

Notes, photos and statements are stored on the device and synced when it reaches a network, with every version kept.

Ready for your security review

Architecture, data flows, access controls and test results documented for your review, which the estimate shows as a lead time.

Both official languages

Forms, alerts and public messages in English and French where your agency or community needs both.

// example projects

Priced examples for this service.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Offline incident report app

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A police service's members take notes in the car, return to the station to type reports, and re-enter call details the dispatch system already holds.

// What we would build

An iOS and Android app and a web workspace that start each report from the dispatched call, work offline in the car, capture photos and statements, route reports for supervisor review and keep a full audit trail. Built to pass the service's security review, with that review shown as a lead time.

// What is in it

Reports started from the CAD incident, with call details already filled in
Notes, photos, statements and signatures captured offline
Supervisor review and return for changes, with every version kept
Audit trail of every view and change, by user and time
English and French forms where your service needs both

// Stack

React Native
Next.js
PostgreSQL
CAD integration
Azure Canada

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$167,000 to US$255,000, delivered within 30 weeksCAD 237,300 to 363,000
Hosting: ≈ US$751 a monthCAD 1,070 a month
Support: ≈ US$5,010 a monthCAD 7,135 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 5.4 to 9.4 weeks
Core features: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
First build on devices: 4.9 to 7.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 to 0.9 weeks
Store submission: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Custody walkthrough with your evidence unit: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week
CAD interface access from your vendor: 1 to 4 weeks
Agency security review and vendor onboarding: 4 to 8 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 47,460 to 72,600
Discovery 8.1%: CAD 19,221.30 to 29,403.00
Design approved 8.1%: CAD 19,221.30 to 29,403.00
Core features 6.6%: CAD 15,661.80 to 23,958.00
Full build 4.4%: CAD 10,441.20 to 15,972.00
First build on devices 17.6%: CAD 41,764.80 to 63,888.00
Testing and fixes 2.2%: CAD 5,220.60 to 7,986.00
Store submission 5.8%: CAD 13,763.40 to 21,054.00
Custody walkthrough with your evidence unit 8.7%: CAD 20,645.10 to 31,581.00
Launch 8.5%: CAD 20,170.50 to 30,855.00
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 23,730 to 36,300

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Fire mutual aid tracking

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Departments in a region arrange mutual aid by phone, cannot see which engines and crews are available next door, and volunteer availability lives in a group chat.

// What we would build

A regional web board and app showing apparatus and crew availability across departments, reading incidents from the dispatch centre, with volunteer availability set from a phone and call-outs sent to the right members.

// What is in it

Apparatus and crew availability across the region, live
Mutual aid requests sent, accepted and tracked to release
Volunteer availability and call-outs from the app
Incidents read from the regional dispatch centre
Hours and call-outs for each member, for pay and training records

// Stack

Next.js
React Native
PostgreSQL
WebSockets
AWS Canada

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$127,000 to US$195,000, delivered within 25 weeksCAD 181,400 to 277,500
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$5,010 a monthCAD 7,135 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 4.4 to 7.4 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 3.9 to 6.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 to 0.9 weeks
Store submission: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week
CAD interface access from your vendor: 1 to 4 weeks
Agency security review and vendor onboarding: 4 to 8 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 36,280 to 55,500
Discovery 9.2%: CAD 16,688.80 to 25,530.00
Design approved 9.2%: CAD 16,688.80 to 25,530.00
Core features 7.6%: CAD 13,786.40 to 21,090.00
Full build 5%: CAD 9,070 to 13,875
First build on devices 20.1%: CAD 36,461.40 to 55,777.50
Testing and fixes 2.5%: CAD 4,535.00 to 6,937.50
Store submission 6.7%: CAD 12,153.80 to 18,592.50
Launch 9.7%: CAD 17,595.80 to 26,917.50
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 18,140 to 27,750

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Public alerting and evacuation app

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A regional emergency management office tells residents about wildfires and floods through social media, a website and a sign-up list, and evacuation orders reach some people hours late.

// What we would build

An iOS and Android app and a web console for alerts by area, evacuation orders and alerts, reception centres and updates, in English and French, with each message's wording, area and time recorded. It complements the national public alerting system; it does not replace it.

// What is in it

Alerts drawn on a map and sent to the people in that area
Evacuation orders and alerts, reception centres and road closures
English and French messages, with templates prepared in advance
Push, SMS and email, with a record of what was sent to whom and when
A console that stays usable under the load of a real event

// Stack

React Native
Next.js
PostgreSQL with PostGIS
Push and SMS services
AWS Canada

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$116,000 to US$177,000, delivered within 26 weeksCAD 164,900 to 252,200
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$5,010 a monthCAD 7,135 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 5.9 to 10.4 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 3.4 to 5.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 to 0.9 weeks
Store submission: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week
Agency security review and vendor onboarding: 4 to 8 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 32,980 to 50,440
Discovery 9.2%: CAD 15,170.80 to 23,202.40
Design approved 9.2%: CAD 15,170.80 to 23,202.40
Core features 7.6%: CAD 12,532.40 to 19,167.20
Full build 5%: CAD 8,245 to 12,610
First build on devices 20.1%: CAD 33,144.90 to 50,692.20
Testing and fixes 2.5%: CAD 4,122.50 to 6,305.00
Store submission 6.7%: CAD 11,048.30 to 16,897.40
Launch 9.7%: CAD 15,995.30 to 24,463.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 16,490 to 25,220

Start from this example

// questions

Questions we get about this.

Do you integrate with our CAD and RMS?

Usually, through the interfaces your vendors provide. Access often takes longer than the build, and the estimate shows that wait.

Can public safety apps run on our own servers?

Yes. They can run on premises or in your agency's cloud tenant in a Canadian region, as your security team prefers.

How long does an agency security review take?

It varies by agency. The estimate includes it as a lead time, and we provide the documentation and answer the questionnaire to keep it moving.

Back to the industry: Public safety and emergency services About the service: Web and mobile apps

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

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