Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office
UK government department responsible for foreign affairs, international development, and crisis response
Crisis Hub
The Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the UK government department responsible for managing international relations, development, and supporting British nationals overseas during crisis situations.
Designed and developed a mission-critical Crisis Hub platform used to track, locate, and assist British nationals affected by global emergencies. The system enabled teams to coordinate responses, manage critical information, and operate effectively in low or no connectivity environments.
- Role
- Senior UX Designer & UI Developer
- Scope
- Crisis response platform · geospatial mapping · offline-first capabilities
- Duration
- Jun 2014 - May 2016 · 2 yrs 0 mths
- Location
- London
Mapping & geolocation
Designed and developed advanced mapping capabilities to visualise and manage individuals in crisis situations across the globe.
The platform enabled teams to locate, track, and coordinate responses in real time, supporting informed decision-making during rapidly evolving events.
Built using open-source technologies including OpenStreetMap, Nominatim, and Leaflet.
Offline-first design
Designed the platform to operate effectively in low or no connectivity environments, ensuring continuity for operatives working in the field during crisis situations.
Enabled users to securely access, update, and manage critical information without a live connection, supporting uninterrupted workflows in high-risk and infrastructure-limited contexts.
This was achieved through an offline-capable web application using browser storage and encryption, allowing authenticated users to safely store and retrieve sensitive data.
Secure data handling
Designed the system to handle sensitive personal data securely, ensuring information remained protected both in transit and when stored locally.
Implemented client-side encryption and controlled access mechanisms, enabling authenticated users to safely store and retrieve critical data in offline scenarios.
Careful consideration was given to balancing security with usability, ensuring operatives could quickly access critical information without compromising data protection.
The approach ensured sensitive data remained protected while maintaining speed and reliability in high-pressure environments.
The platform was adopted across teams and demonstrated to other government departments as a model for crisis response systems.