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Safety Checks and Return Confirmation

Safety operation depends not only on settings but also on event-day judgment. This page summarizes how to think about safety management when using NaviTabi.

For checks from preparation through event-day monitoring, use the Safety Tracking Event checklist (Excel, Word, and PDF; files in Japanese).

Things to decide in advance​

  • Whether the event should be run as a Safety Tracking Event
  • What procedure to follow when a participant cannot be reached
  • Who handles SOS messages
  • How to confirm return after the finish closing time
  • How far to go when phone contact cannot be made
  • How to share the last confirmed location and timestamp

What to understand first​

Live locations and routes in NaviTabi are useful for safety checks, but location and timestamps can contain errors or delay. Do not make decisions based only on the app display. Combine it with phone contact and field confirmation.

What to watch during play​

  • Whether any participant has not updated location for a long time
  • Whether any SOS has been sent
  • Whether anyone exits the play area or enters restricted areas (red pulsing ring, "Out" / "Restricted" badges, duration in list)
  • Whether any participant inquiry or self-report has been received
  • Whether participants seem likely to return before the finish closing time (the competition end time the organizer sets operationally; in the app settings this corresponds to the category's "Time limit" and "Overtime penalty"; on Fixed Order courses, play ends automatically once the "Maximum play duration" has passed)

On the monitoring screen of a Safety Tracking Event, a participant whose location has been stopped for 10 minutes is shown in orange, and 30 minutes in red. Furthermore, participants outside the play area or in restricted areas appear prioritized at the very top. It is efficient to check on participants shown in red or with area violations first. You can also check each participant's battery level.

The safety monitoring screen. Participant markers on the map at the top and the participant list below, with colors showing the connection status and the participant in SOS highlighted. The participant with an active SOS is first

Basic overdue-return response​

  1. First check the participant status in the app
  2. Try the participant contact methods
  3. Confirm the last known location and time
  4. Proceed according to the procedure you decided in advance

Basics of return confirmation​

  • If the result is recorded as finished, it is easier to judge that the finish operation was completed
  • It is safer to keep a face-to-face confirmation method such as checking against a participant list
  • Even if the app still shows the participant as active, they may already have returned and simply forgotten to finish in the app

How to look at an overdue-return candidate​

If they still appear as active​

  • If location continues updating, check whether they still seem able to return in time
  • If updates have stopped, also consider network trouble, battery loss, or device trouble
  • Use the live position and route as reference, but first try phone contact

If they are shown as DNF​

  • They may not have passed the finish point
  • They may also already be back in reality, so distinguish the case with face-to-face or phone confirmation

When to try phone contact​

  • When they do not appear likely to return before the finish closing time
  • When they remain outside the play area or inside restricted areas with prolonged duration
  • When location updates have stopped
  • When they remain in DNF or active status for a long time with no movement
  • The last location recorded by Live Tracking
  • The last time location was updated
  • The participant's most recent communication
  • The locations of restricted or dangerous areas
It is easier to respond when HQ and patrol share the same picture

It helps to decide in advance what each role sees. For example, HQ keeps the live screen and communication history, while field staff carry a map and contact list. Deciding this division of roles in advance makes the overdue-return response smoother.

Some decisions go beyond what the help site can define

Actual rescue decisions and the wider safety structure must be prepared by the organizer according to event scale and local conditions. This page only organizes checkpoints when using NaviTabi.

Features used in a Safety Tracking Event​

  • Start and stop location sharing
  • Receive SOS messages
  • Check participant status
  • Force actions when necessary (force-stop a participant's location sharing or play, or clear an SOS. A force-stop cannot be undone, so do it only after confirming the person's return)

For how to use these features, see Safety Tracking and Organizer Guide - Safety Monitoring.