CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thousands of children go missing in Canada every year, but fewer than one per cent of those cases are broadcast to the public through AMBER Alerts. While police remain on the front line in the searches for missing children, having responded to 42,233 reports across Canada in 2018, members of the public increasingly play an important role in helping bring children to safety.
A new web app, MCSC rescu (rescu.mcsc.ca), created for the Missing Children Society of Canada by Esri Canada, sends missing children alerts to people whose engagement will help police locate a missing child. It was released today.
MCSC rescu is updated continually with information from police on missing children in Canada. Users can view active cases by region and submit tips on cases to police through the web app. They can also register and opt in to receive SMS text alerts on their smartphones specific to cases in their area that police want to highlight. Since MCSC rescu is a web app, no download is required. It is accessible via any browser and across desktop and mobile devices.
“Communicating through geography is extremely powerful,” said Amanda Pick, Missing Children Society of Canada CEO.
“With the MCSC rescu web app, we’re able to share information with the police and the public through easy-to-understand dynamic maps, and push alerts to people in specific locations, even down to a street. This allows us to find children faster, but we need every single Canadian to help us.”
The app was developed by Toronto-based Esri Canada, a geographic information system (GIS) provider, for the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC), a Calgary-based non-profit organization that works with police across Canada in the search for missing children.
“Losing a child is one the most tragic experiences anyone can have," said Esri Canada President Alex Miller. "We’re proud to be able to contribute with our technology to ensure that when a child goes missing, we have a response mechanism ready to tackle the situation without losing any time. Being able to address threats to public safety using location intelligence adds meaning and purpose to our work.”
Two police departments in Alberta – Calgary Police Service and Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service – were the first to adopt the web app in their missing children investigations.
“Public safety is a shared responsibility,” said Superintendent Cliff O'Brien, Calgary Police Service. “MCSC rescu is an excellent example of how all of us, whether you’re an individual or an organization, can work together towards a single objective: to find a missing child. I encourage everyone across Canada to use this technology and help bring our missing children back to safety.”
To access MCSC rescu: rescu.mcsc.ca
View the video | Download the video
About the Missing Children Society of Canada
The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping find missing children. The organization, which has been operating for more than 30 years, works directly with police and families, using cutting-edge technology developed specifically for the task. More information is available at www.mcsc.ca.
About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower people in business, government and education to make informed and timely decisions by leveraging the power of mapping and spatial analytics. These solutions enable organizations to better manage their resources, plan their future and collaborate within and beyond their organization. Esri Canada’s products and services help advance successful digital transformation. The company serves 12,000 organizations from 16 offices across Canada and is based in Toronto. In 2019, Esri Canada achieved Platinum Club status with the Canada's Best Managed Companies program by retaining its Best Managed designation for seven consecutive years or more and in 2016 was named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
For media inquiries, please contact:
MCSC: apick@mcsc.ca
Esri Canada: press@esri.ca