SOSsmap is part of the program "Love in the Covid season 2021," initiated by technology company XTEK and implemented in cooperation with the Vietnam Women's Union, the Institute of Science and Technology for Rural Development and the Women's Union of the Offline Department - Ministry of Public Security.
When accessing the map website at the addresssosmap.net, a map using Google Map data will appear, along with a navigation panel for users to choose two options: "want to give" and "want to receive". From here, users can fill in contact information and select the types of necessities and quantities they need to support or want to donate.
On the recipient side, the necessities that can be received are masks, protective gear, vegetables, rice, instant noodles, cash... Recipients can register for the whole family or neighborhood, by filling in the number of people needing support.
On the donor side, in addition to necessities (clothes, masks, protective gear, rice), they can contribute cash, labor or means of transportation.
Points that have people wanting to give will be shown in orange, points that have people wanting to receive will be shown in red. When the person in need has received the essentials, the status will change to green.
According to Mr. Pham Thanh Vi, founder of XTEK, this map contributes to solving the problem of distributing volunteer resources. "We used to support people in flooded areas and noticed the situation of 'trampling on each other's toes' by volunteer groups, leading to many places receiving too much, while others received none," Mr. Vi said. From there, the idea of a map to support volunteer work was built and applied by him and his colleagues during the epidemic in Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks to the map, searching for information and addresses to transfer necessities is also more convenient.
After 10 days of implementation, SOSmap Digital Map has recorded more than 1,300 registrations to receive and nearly 100 registrations to give. Hundreds of people have received necessities through this system.
However, building a "give-receive" map is just the beginning of the process of connecting the recipient and the giver. According to Mr. Pham Thanh Vi, for this solution to work, a team is needed in the middle, connecting the giver and the receiver. Currently, this team consists of four administrators and 21 operators in charge of system administration as well as contacting the parties to receive and verify information. Along with that, a team of more than 70 volunteers supports receiving goods from the donor, transferring them to the warehouse and distributing them to those in need.
Individuals and organizations can register to become volunteers by following the instructions in the 'program information' section. After verifying their identity and health status, users will receive access to a system specifically set up for volunteers.
