Rapid Response Mapping Tool
The Business:
Devhaus is a software development company based in Gorey, Co. Wexford, specialising in building software solutions for business problems. 2kmfromhome.com was developed as a free public service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Bottleneck:
On March 27th, 2020, the Irish Government announced movement restrictions limiting exercise to within 2km of home in response to Covid-19. Within hours of the announcement, people across Ireland needed a simple way to understand where they could legally exercise, but no tools existed to visualize these radius restrictions on a map.
The Solution:
We developed and launched 2kmfromhome.com the same evening as the restrictions were announced. The site allows users to enter their address or use GPS location to instantly see a visual radius on a map showing their permitted exercise area. As lockdowns evolved and spread globally, we rapidly expanded the tool to support multiple distance limits (2km, 5km, 20km) and added country-specific options for Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Spain, South Africa, and others experiencing similar restrictions. The interface was designed for simplicity - users could immediately see their boundaries without instructions or learning curves.
The Impact:
Over 800,000 visitors on the first day (March 28th, 2020)
Served over 9 million users worldwide by August 2021
Became the go-to tool for lockdown radius visualisation in Ireland and internationally
Featured on RTÉ News, Dave Fanning Show on 2FM, in the Irish Times, the Business Post and multiple national media outlets
Won the Special Covid-19 Response Award from the Ireland Chapter of the Project Management Institute (June 2021)
Provided as a completely free, ad-free public service, financially supported by Devhaus
Demonstrated the power of rapid software deployment to address urgent societal needs
Continues to serve communities worldwide in various capacities as a useful mapping tool.
