A New Standard for Emergency Response

Powered by one of Australia’s most comprehensive indoor building datasets, ESP is helping first responders respond faster, safer and with greater confidence.

The call comes in. Adrenaline spikes.

A fire crew races to a smoke-filled building. Paramedics are trying to reach a patient in distress. Police are responding to a critical incident where every second counts.

They know the address. But do they have a clear picture of what awaits inside?

Which entrance is safest? Where are the stairs? Is there a blocked corridor, a locked access point, a hazardous area or the fastest route to the person who needs help?

This is where time is lost, risk increases and decisions become harder.

We can navigate almost anywhere outdoors with confidence. Indoors has remained the harder challenge.

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Locatrix’s Emergency Services Platform (ESP) helps close that gap by giving first responders fast access to trusted building intelligence, including geospatially accurate digital floor plans, when it matters most.

Over recent years, Locatrix and its channel partners have digitally mapped more than 70,000 buildings and 134,000 floors across Australia – creating one of the country’s most comprehensive indoor building datasets.

Now the opportunity is turning that information into faster, safer emergency response.

Emergency services today have access to more technology than ever before – from GPS navigation and live communications to mobile devices and connected command systems. Yet for many incidents, indoor visibility remains one of the final operational blind spots.

“The challenge isn’t simply access to floor plans. It’s access to information that is current, spatially accurate and usable in the field.”

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Every day, fire safety professionals and first responders are asked to make critical decisions under pressure, often in unfamiliar environments where conditions can change in seconds. They exist to protect others. They deserve information that helps protect them too.

This is why ESP is gaining momentum across Australia.

ESP gives first responders rapid access to trusted, real-time indoor building intelligence before and during incidents. It helps reduce uncertainty, improve situational awareness and support faster decision-making under pressure.

Responders can access digital floor plans and critical building information designed for operational use in the field.

Already in use by multiple emergency service agencies across Australia, ESP is increasingly recognised as an essential capability – not a nice-to-have.

While the formal market launch of ESP marks an important milestone, the platform has been years in the making. It builds on Locatrix’s long-standing work in digital floor plans, emergency preparedness and building intelligence, and on lessons learned through close collaboration with organisations, channel partners and emergency agencies across Australia.

“Our purpose is simple: to protect lives through preparedness. That means helping the people in danger – and helping the first responders who step forward to protect them.”

ESP is provided at no cost to first responders, reflecting Locatrix’s commitment to safer communities.

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What real incidents have taught us

The need for better indoor building intelligence is not theoretical. It has been reinforced repeatedly through major incidents in Australia and overseas.

During the 2014 Lindt Café siege in Sydney, first responders reportedly waited for over an hour to access a floor plan held offsite, limiting early visibility of entry and evacuation options.

In the 2011 Quakers Hill Nursing Home fire in western Sydney, firefighters were unable to locate a dedicated hydrant and were forced to use an alternative water source, affecting operational reach.

Following the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster in London, unavailable plans, inconsistent level markings and unfamiliar layouts were identified as factors that complicated navigation and response efforts.

These events occurred in very different circumstances, yet they point to a common lesson: when critical building information is delayed, difficult to access or hard to interpret, time is lost and response becomes more complex.

Accurate floor plans, visible assets, clear wayfinding and trusted building intelligence are no longer optional extras. They are part of modern preparedness.

Preparedness cannot begin when crews arrive on scene. It must start well before the incident occurs.

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Building on proven foundations

ESP has been built on Locatrix’s long-standing expertise in digital mapping, safety and compliance – helping organisations create, manage and maintain accurate building information over time.

For many years, critical building information often existed, but it was stored in paper plans, filing cabinets or disconnected systems that were difficult to access when time mattered most. Locatrix recognised early that the challenge was not simply creating floor plans; it was making trusted information available in the moment it was needed.

That matters because access to information is only useful if the information can be trusted.

“We’ve seen firsthand how access to accurate building information can change the outcome of an emergency. ESP ensures first responders have the best possible information at the exact moment they need it. It is transforming the fire safety industry from relying on outdated, difficult-to-access floor plans to providing immediate access to accurate, digital building intelligence.”

Locatrix’s approach has already received national recognition. In 2024, the company received the Innovation Award for Small Business from the Geospatial Council of Australia in recognition of ESP. In 2025, Locatrix was also named a winner in the Built Environment category at the Australian Technologies Competition.

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From compliance to preparedness

Many organisations already create floor plans to meet safety and compliance obligations. The bigger opportunity is to make that information operational.

With PlanStudio®, organisations can create and maintain accurate, geospatially aligned digital floor plans – giving them a trusted source of truth for critical building information. That means data stays current, accessible and ready to support emergency services through ESP when it matters most. PlanStudio’s world-leading software can also produce customised evacuation signs.

That transforms floor plans from a static compliance requirement into an active preparedness asset.

Locatrix’s broader solutions, including PlanSafe®, also help organisations strengthen site readiness through fire safety training and emergency preparedness.

The future starts now

The next chapter of emergency response will be more connected, more intelligent and more proactive.

Across the world, technologies such as AI-assisted updates, real-time data layers and augmented reality way finding are reshaping how people move through complex environments. The agencies best equipped for tomorrow will be those supported by accurate, accessible and real-time information today.

ESP is helping build that future now, setting a new benchmark for preparedness across Australia.

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Make your building visible when it matters most

If first responders need trusted building information in an emergency, that information needs to exist before the incident begins.

PlanStudio® helps organisations create and maintain accurate digital floor plans that can support safer outcomes through ESP.

To learn more about ESP or how to prepare your buildings for emergency response, contact Locatrix. If you would like to know if your building’s floor plans are on ESP, or if you would like to have it included, please contact ESP@locatrix.com.