MapAction
MapAction is a UK-registered humanitarian charity that provides geospatial data, mapping, analysis, and training to support humanitarian emergency response and disaster preparedness worldwide, relying on a 70+ volunteer workforce and partnerships with UN agencies and regional disaster management bodies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersChinnor, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MapAction does
MapAction is a UK-registered humanitarian charity (charity number 1126727; company limited by guarantee 6611408) founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It provides geospatial data, mapping, analysis, and training services to support humanitarian emergency response, anticipatory action, and disaster preparedness worldwide. The organisation operates a volunteer-driven delivery model, drawing on more than 70 expert information management volunteers sourced from 11 government agencies, 8 academic institutions, and major AI, GIS, and risk-modelling private-sector firms; a small paid staff of 11–50 supports operations. Services are organised around five pillars: emergency response mapping (on-site and remote surge support to UN OCHA/UNDAC, national disaster agencies, and regional bodies), anticipatory action (with Start Network and INFORM Standards), training and knowledge sharing (400+ workshops delivered), data science and innovation, and health geospatial projects (notably identifying unvaccinated children with UNICEF and CartONG in Central and West Africa).
The technology stack is centred on GIS, geospatial analytics, and humanitarian data science, with proprietary components including the OSOCC Map Wall (a rapid-orientation tool for new responders), INFORM Risk Index-based risk modelling, and anticipatory-action data systems. All maps and datasets are released for free through the public Maps Portal (maps.mapaction.org). Distribution is anchored by regional partnerships: CDEMA in the Caribbean (19 participating states, MOU renewed 2021), SADC in Southern Africa (16 countries, with a permanent Information Management Officer seconded to SHOC in Mozambique), and the AHA Centre in ASEAN.
Revenue is grant- and donation-based. MapAction is funded by individual donors, corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations (including UK Aid Direct via the H2H Network for a Syria humanitarian data ecosystem project running to mid-2026, and the German Federal Foreign Office Programme for Humanitarian Assistance for Hurricane Melissa response), and government grants; services are free to humanitarian beneficiaries. Governance sits with a Board of Trustees chaired by Nick Moody, with Darren Dovey appointed CEO in 2025 (a former chief fire officer with 35 years of UK emergency-response experience and recipient of the King's Fire Service Medal).
MapAction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MapAction
- Legal name
- MapAction
- Website
- https://mapaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MapAction is a UK-registered humanitarian charity that provides geospatial data, mapping, analysis, and training to support humanitarian emergency response and disaster preparedness worldwide, relying on a 70+ volunteer workforce and partnerships with UN agencies and regional disaster management bodies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MapAction industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Mapping Services
- NAICS
- Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPAGAAAL), GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK), Refugee Camp Coordination & Management (CCCM) (BPADAHAC)
Keywords
Where MapAction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chinnor
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
MapAction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: MapAction is a registered charity (1126727) that relies on donations from individuals, companies and foundations to fund emergency response operations. They actively appeal for funds during humanitarian crises.
- Corporate Partnerships: MapAction receives support through corporate partnerships, including donations and in-kind support from companies.
- Trusts and Foundations: MapAction receives funding from trusts and foundations including major institutional donors like UK Aid Direct and German Federal Foreign Office Programme for Humanitarian Assistance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
MapAction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MapAction is a UK-based humanitarian charity that provides geospatial mapping, data analysis, visualization, and training services to humanitarian responders before, during, and after disasters. Its core work involves deploying volunteer information management experts to produce maps, datasets, and situational awareness products for UN agencies, national disaster management authorities, and humanitarian INGOs, alongside building local GIS capacity through training and supporting anticipatory action programmes.
Product overview
MapAction is a humanitarian mapping charity offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on geospatial data and mapping for disaster response. The core offerings include Emergency Response Mapping (providing surge support with maps and visualisations), Anticipatory Action (pre-disaster preparedness with Start Network and INFORM Standards), Training & Knowledge Sharing, Data Science & Innovation, and Health Geospatial Projects. Supporting these core services are sub-products for Data Services, Analysis Services, and Mapping & Visualisation, all accessible through the Maps Portal (maps.mapaction.org). The OSOCC Map Wall serves as a rapid orientation tool for responders. Together, these services enable organisations to improve their use of maps and data in effective and innovative ways to assist all aspects of humanitarian work, from emergency response to emergency preparedness and anticipatory action.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Produced 45 maps and data sets for Mozambique flood response
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MapAction
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MapAction technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
MapAction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- World Health Organization (WHO)coreWHO signed a partnership agreement with MapAction in March 2023 for humanitarian data support. MapAction provides mapping and geospatial expertise to support WHO's humanitarian health operations globally.
- Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)coreCDEMA signed MOU with MapAction to renew a longstanding partnership. Over more than a decade, they have conducted 50+ joint training events and emergency responses together, including Hurricane Melissa response in Jamaica 2025.
- UNICEFcoreMapAction works with UNICEF in Central and West Africa to identify unvaccinated children using geo-spatial technology. Also involved in other health projects in Africa and Asia.
- CartONGcoreMapAction partners with CartONG in Central and West Africa for health projects identifying unvaccinated children. Also consortium partner in Syria humanitarian data ecosystem project.
- Southern African Development Community (SADC)coreMapAction is providing training and support to SADC's Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC), as well as information management staff from 16-country SADC bloc. Has a permanent Information Management Officer seconded to SHOC headquarters in Nacala, Mozambique.
- ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre)coreAHA Centre and MapAction partner to strengthen disaster management in Southeast Asia. Co-worked on building capacity in grassroots and national groups in Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka.
- Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR)coreMapAction and CESDRR developed 320 local GIS officers from emergency agencies in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan between 2018 and 2023 in Central Asia.
- Start NetworkcoreMapAction works with Start Network partners on anticipatory action programmes, ensuring national and local disaster management authorities can implement early warning and preparedness measures.
- INFORM StandardscoreMapAction uses INFORM Risk Index model to work with national disaster agencies on modelling threats and capacity to anticipate risks from natural disasters like floods, wildfires and droughts.
- iMMAPcoreMapAction works with iMMAP as consortium partner in Syria humanitarian data ecosystem project to strengthen the humanitarian data landscape in Syria.
- H2H NetworkmajorMapAction's Syria project is funded by UK Aid Direct via the H2H Network, supporting local civil society organisations and coordination actors.
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)coreMapAction supports UNDAC deployments and coordinates with UN OCHA during humanitarian emergencies. Response partner for Venezuela earthquake 2026, Mozambique floods 2026, and other global emergencies.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MapAction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UN OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data: The UN OCHA Humanitarian Data Centre is the institutional platform for humanitarian data sharing (HDX, COD); it is both a key MapAction partner and a broader incumbent whose in-house IM capacity competes for the same donor mandate space.
Others
- NetHope: NetHope is a consortium of NGOs and technology companies that builds digital capacity for humanitarian operations, overlapping thematically with MapAction's training and information management work.
- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): MSF is a large humanitarian medical NGO that operates its own GIS and data functions and is a frequent operational counterpart for MapAction in the field; not a direct competitor but a major ecosystem actor and potential partner.
- Development Seed: Development Seed is a geospatial technology organisation building open-source mapping and data infrastructure for humanitarian and development use, making it a thematic peer in the humanitarian GIS tooling space.
- DataKind: DataKind deploys volunteer data scientists pro bono to humanitarian and social impact organisations; it shares MapAction's volunteer-driven data-for-good model and engages some of the same INGO partners.
- ReliefWeb: ReliefWeb is the UN-led humanitarian information portal; it is an adjacent information dissemination platform rather than a direct competitor but sits in the same humanitarian information ecosystem that MapAction serves.
Direct peers
- Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): HOT mobilises a global volunteer community to create open map data for disaster response and development, overlapping directly with MapAction's volunteer-driven humanitarian mapping model and target end-users (responders, INGO partners).
- CartONG: CartONG is a French humanitarian mapping and data management NGO working on health, vulnerability mapping and information management; it partners with MapAction on Central/West Africa health projects and competes for the same GIS-for-humanitarian funding.
- iMMAP: iMMAP is an international nonprofit providing information management services to humanitarian and development operations; it is already a MapAction consortium partner on the Syria data ecosystem project and competes directly for the same donor-driven IM mandates.
- Standby Volunteer Task Force (SBTF): SBTF is a volunteer-based humanitarian mapping and data analysis organisation that deploys remote volunteers to support UN agencies and INGOs during disasters, making it a close analogue to MapAction's surge volunteer model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MapAction social profiles
Digital presenceMapAction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MapAction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
MapAction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MapAction M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MapAction
What does MapAction do?
MapAction is a UK-based humanitarian charity that provides geospatial mapping, data analysis, visualization, and training services to humanitarian responders before, during, and after disasters. Its core work involves deploying volunteer information management experts to produce maps, datasets, and situational awareness products for UN agencies, national disaster management authorities, and humanitarian INGOs, alongside building local GIS capacity through training and supporting anticipatory action programmes.
Is MapAction a public or private company?
MapAction is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MapAction founded?
MapAction was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MapAction based?
MapAction is headquartered in Chinnor, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does MapAction make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships and trusts and Foundations.
Who are MapAction's main competitors?
UN OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are NetHope, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Development Seed, DataKind and ReliefWeb. Direct peers are Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), CartONG, iMMAP and Standby Volunteer Task Force (SBTF).
Does MapAction have an API?
No public API is recorded for MapAction.
What industry is MapAction in?
MapAction's product category is Humanitarian Mapping Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADADAL, Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment, with a secondary code of BPAGAAAL, Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment. Its NAICS code is 541370 and its SIC code is 8300.