BeaconHound

BeaconHound is a mobile + web app that helps search-and-rescue teams and volunteers rapidly locate missing people by deploying temporary “digital breadcrumbs” without specialized hardware. Team members (or trained community volunteers) place low-cost QR/NFC stickers at trailheads, shelters, and key junctions; when hikers scan them, the app can (opt-in) log a timestamp, coarse location, and direction-of-travel prompt. During an incident, incident command can push a “missing person notice” to recent scanners in the area and collect anonymous tips, last-seen confirmations, and photo evidence. The web dashboard visualizes scan events as a time-ordered movement graph and exports a simple report for incident documentation. This is not magic: it only works where people actually scan, and privacy must be airtight. But it can create actionable leads faster than waiting for formal witness interviews.