How AidGrid turns crisis noise into coordinated action

Step by step — from raw request to resolved case. Every step has a human checkpoint.

The metaphor

Think of it as a field dispatch monitor

During a crisis, every organization has its own way of receiving and tracking help requests. AidGrid replaces all of those separate systems with one shared signal board — visible to every coordinator, updated in real time, maintained by AI triage.

  • Anyone can submit — no login required
  • AI reads and scores every submission
  • Coordinators manage the queue and approve all routing
  • Status updates flow back as cases are handled
Signal board · Live
4 active cases
RIV-0114WhatsApp
U5
4th & Maple, Riverside
Evacuation — elderly, no vehicle
Urgent · Awaiting routing
RIV-0119Web form
U3
Shelter B, Cedar Ave
Insulin refill — Type 1
Triaged
RIV-0123Phone
U2
Linden Park encampment
Blankets & dry clothing
Assigned · Field Team 3
RIV-0127Field note
U2
Birch St shelter
Hot meals — 24 ppl
Resolved · 14m ago

The live coordination board — your team's shared view

Step 01

Requests arrive

Help requests hit AidGrid through the public intake form. No login required. Submissions include location (text or pin), need category, free-text description in any language, optional photo, and optional contact info. Source channel is always recorded.

What AidGrid accepts

  • Location: text or pin-drop map
  • Need type: Medical / Food / Shelter / Water / Transport / Other
  • Description: free text, any language
  • Photo: optional, up to 10MB
  • Contact: optional name + phone/email
Smartphone in a hand showing the public AidGrid intake form, golden hour field in the background
Step 02

AI reads and scores

Within seconds of submission, AidGrid's triage engine analyzes the request text. It extracts urgency signals from language, checks location against known active hotspots, evaluates completeness, and generates a triage score from 1 to 5. Multilingual text is translated and analyzed.

Urgency score guide

  • 5 · Critical — immediate threat to life, active medical emergency, structural collapse
  • 4 · Urgent — time-sensitive need, vulnerable populations at risk, resource shortage
  • 3 · High — significant need, no immediate threat but escalating
  • 2 · Moderate — standard need, can be routed within 24 hours
  • 1 · Low — minor need, informational, or duplicate

Triage score is a suggestion. Coordinator makes the routing decision.

Amber signal dots flowing through a deep slate grid pattern with urgency indicators
Step 03

Duplicates detected

AidGrid compares incoming requests against recent submissions. It clusters cases that likely describe the same need — using location proximity, text similarity, and time window. A duplicate cluster appears on both case cards with a confidence indicator.

Confidence indicator

  • High (80%+) — same location text, similar description, same time window
  • Medium (50–79%) — nearby location, similar keywords, within 2-hour window
  • Low (20–49%) — broad geographic match, some keyword overlap

Duplicates are flagged, never auto-merged.

Two overlapping case cards with matching fields highlighted in amber and a confidence badge
Step 04

Resources matched

AidGrid cross-references the case location against the resource directory — shelters, clinics, food distribution points, water stations, transport hubs. It flags resources within response radius, checks current capacity, and surfaces best matches.

Resource match display

  • Shelter: name, address, beds available (X of Y), contact
  • Clinic: name, services, wait status, contact
  • Food / Water: location, stock level, distribution hours
  • Transport: availability, vehicle type, route coverage

Suggestions include distance, capacity, and contact. Coordinator reviews and approves.

Case card on the left with three resource suggestions pinned on a coordinate grid on the right
Step 05

Human approves

This is the most important step. AidGrid suggests. The coordinator decides. No aid is dispatched automatically. No case is closed without coordinator action. Every routing action is recorded in case history with timestamp, actor, and notes.

Routing actions

  • Assign to team member
  • Refer to partner organization
  • Escalate — mark critical, broadcast to all teams
  • Request more information — follow-up to submitter
  • Mark resolved with notes
  • Archive — duplicate or invalid
Coordinator at a wooden table approving a routing decision on a tablet under warm lantern light
Step 06

Field team acts

The assigned team carries out the response. Status updates flow back: en route, on site, need follow-up, or resolved. The case queue updates in real time. If a case goes stale, AidGrid flags it for coordinator review.

Status progression

  • Pending → Triaged → Assigned → En Route → On Site → Resolved
Aid worker in vest updating status on a phone beside a supply vehicle at dusk

Scope

What AidGrid does — and what it doesn't

What AidGrid does

  • Receive and organize incoming help requests
  • Score urgency as a suggestion for coordinators
  • Flag potential duplicate reports
  • Suggest nearby resources from the directory
  • Show capacity signals from shelters and clinics
  • Alert responders when a case needs review
  • Export case records for reporting and handoff

What AidGrid does not do

  • Guarantee a response
  • Verify every report
  • Dispatch responders automatically
  • Decide who gets help
  • Replace emergency services
  • Diagnose medical needs
  • Provide legal guidance

AidGrid is not intended for

  • Emergency dispatch or a 911 replacement
  • Medical diagnosis or treatment
  • Legal advice
  • Direct public fundraising

AI suggests. Human coordinators approve.

For life-threatening emergencies, always contact emergency services first.

How channels connect

One queue, many intake channels, human checkpoints at the end.

Requests arrive from anywhere coordinators already work. AidGrid scores and deduplicates them, surfaces routing suggestions, and pushes alerts back out. Responders confirm, override, or close every case.

01 · Inputs

Intake channels

  • Web forms
  • Hotlines
  • 311 / municipal
  • Mutual aid apps
  • Text / SMS
Into queue
Into queue

02 · AidGrid

Shared queue

  • Scores urgency
  • Detects duplicates
  • Suggests routing
Pushes out
Pushes out

03 · Outputs

Alerts & exports

  • SMS alerts
  • Slack / Mattermost alerts
  • Map view
  • Case export
  • Resource suggestions
Human review
Human review

04 · Responders

Coordinator action

  • Confirm
  • Override
  • Route
  • Close case

AidGrid never auto-dispatches. The right column is where a human coordinator confirms, overrides, routes, or closes a case. Without that step, nothing leaves the queue.

Connected systems

AidGrid accepts intake from many channels and centralizes the queue.

These are the systems coordinators most often wire into AidGrid. Most are supported connections or integration workflows — not formal partnerships unless explicitly labeled.

  • FrontlineSMS Gateway

    SMS / Voice

    Handles incoming reports via text and voicemail.

    Supported connection

  • Hotline

    Voice / Intake

    Connects to AidGrid via API bridge for voice intake.

    Integration workflow

  • RedCross Shelter DB

    Shelter management

    Feeds available shelter capacity into AidGrid for routing.

    Connected system

  • Google Maps / OpenStreetMap

    Mapping

    Provides proximity checks and location validation.

    Supported connection

  • WhatsApp Business

    Messaging

    Inbound and outbound alerts for coordinators.

    Supported connection

  • Slack / Mattermost

    Communications

    Notification and queue updates to responder channels.

    Supported connection

  • CaseWorthy

    Case management

    Optional two-way sync of client records.

    Integration workflow

  • SurveyMonkey

    Intake

    Common source for structured help requests.

    Supported connection

Operator proof

Recent results from the field.

Concrete outcomes from coordinators using AidGrid as their shared queue. Every routing decision behind these numbers was approved by a human.

Field result

Rapid shelter redirection

Houston, TX

Outcome

57 duplicate deliveries prevented in one week

“We stopped three trucks of the same supplies heading for one shelter.”

Field result

Urgent medical supply requests

Puerto Rico

Outcome

Average triage time: 2 minutes

“Coordination made it possible to deliver a specific blood type to a rural clinic.”

Field result

Missing persons coordination

California

Outcome

4 organizations sharing one queue

“We connected a shelter request to a family reunification case.”

Field result

Unblocking last-mile gaps

Florida

Outcome

22% improvement in shelter / capacity redirects

“We got patients into beds rather than waiting for the next transfer.”

Field result

Reducing redundant intake work

New Orleans, LA

Outcome

180+ volunteer hours saved per event

“Volunteers can focus on visiting families, not answering calls.”

Field result

Preventing duplicate delivery silos

San Antonio, TX

Outcome

1,372 cases resolved in a 3-week pilot

“We didn't see the double-request issue.”

Featured field operator

“We spent two years tracking requests in spreadsheets and sticky notes. AidGrid gave us a single pane of glass so our team could actually get food, water, and supplies to people rather than updating a list. The urgency score isn't perfect, but it's good enough that we don't miss the life-or-death cases because they got buried in a backlog.”
Erika Ramirez·Director of Field Operations·United Rescue Partners·Puerto Rico

AidGrid AI triages and suggests.

See it in action with your own team — or send a request to the live coordination board.

Create coordinator accountSubmit a Request