Erin man creating map platform encouraging community connection

ERIN – People will be able to browse local businesses and upcoming events, share information, and offer and request help with a map-based online platform called LocalXP.

Erin resident and LocalXP founder Tom Pischel said the platform will use gamification to encourage real-world participation with users being awarded points for visiting local businesses and events, sharing information, or lending a helping hand.

The platform is a map-based overlay, meaning it sits on top of existing maps and systems such as Google and Apple maps.

Organizations such as municipalities, chambers of commerce or community groups will be able to add to it, and it can be connected to these organizations’ existing websites.

While helping consumers find what they’re looking for, the map will also provide analytics to businesses and organizations, going beyond the impressions and clicks ranked my platforms such as Google Maps to include data about in-person engagement, without tracking users’ personal information, he explained.

And business owners will be able to use it to entice people to enter their store, for example by offering 15 LocalXP points for anyone who scans a QR code on site.

Those points could be used in person too, as a business may offer giveaways such as a free coffee for a certain amount of points.

During a storm at the end of December, and the power outages that came with it, Pischel was inspired to add a layer to the platform to connect people in need with neighbours offering support.

During the outage, Pischel said he, along with many others, “relied heavily on community updates to understand what was happening nearby.”

And while that experience made it clear local community members are quick to step up to support one another, it also demonstrated how “important information is often scattered and difficult to follow in real time,” he said.

Through LocalXP, people will be able to add pins to the online map to identify hazards such as fallen trees and offer or request help such as heat, water, food or a generator.

People could also make pins with information about lost pets, coyote sightings and potholes, Pischel said.

Pischel has been crowdsourcing to guide how he designs the platform, and said there’s “a real interest in tools that help neighbours coordinate during moments like this.”

Though LocalXP isn’t yet ready for launch, Pischel hopes to have something fully operational and tested by midwinter. And early access is available to municipalities and service clubs who want to get onboard, he said.

Participation is free, but Pischel said there could be tiers where businesses can pay for a higher level of service, “similar to Instagram pro where you have to upgrade your profile to have more features,” including deals, product lists and e-commerce through LocalXP.

While the platform could potentially generate income this way, if it doesn’t, Pishel will still feel it was worth it to create “a really cool tool” that could benefit the community.

Pischel said he’s funding the platform through money he gets from tenants, because he wants to help others.

He’s put his usual work running a web design agency aside for now to focus on LocalXP.

It’s not Pischel’s first passion project – he’s also the founder of AltGrocery, a map overlay that focuses on helping people source local food to avoid buying American goods, and his first project aimed to connect new Canadians with amenities in their communities.

Some of the information and tech from both of those startups are embedded into LocalXP, Pischel told the Advertiser.

For more information visit localxp.ca or email Pischel at hello@localxp.ca.