On the Road: Mapping the Cancer Council's 5hit Box Rally with ArcGIS

Peter Verwey, Geospatial Intelligence Planning Coordinator at NSW SES, has hit the road for the 2025 Winter 5hit Box Rally—driving his rally car Tardis from Wollongong to Perth, ahead of the 8-day rally to Darwin. In addition to raising funds for Cancer Council Australia, Peter is also demonstrating the real-world application of geospatial technology in some of the country’s most remote environments.

This initiative demonstrates how Starlink satellite connectivity, combined with ArcGIS, enables real-time data capture, sharing, and visualisation—supporting field mobility and situational awareness in some of Australia’s most isolated regions.

Real-Time Mapping in Action

The “Map my Rally” hub page and dashboard are now live, offering a real-time window into Peter’s journey. The page leverages a full suite of ArcGIS tools to deliver a live, interactive experience:

• ArcGIS Online & Hub for public engagement

• Experience Builder for dynamic UI

• Field Maps, Tracker, Survey123, and QuickCapture for mobile data collection and live tracking

• ArcGIS Pro & Notebooks for data processing and automation

• Arcade for smart visualisation and logic

The dashboard includes:

• Live location tracking of Peter’s vehicle, showing his current location and progress

• Route visualisation for the rally 

• Fuel stops, consumption, and cost

• Photos and updates from the road

• Interactive storytelling for supporters and sponsors

View the dashboard here: Access

Applying AI to everyday workflows

To reduce manual data entry during the rally, ArcGIS Survey123’s AI Assistant has been implemented to streamline fuel reporting. Instead of entering litres and cost manually, the Tardis team simply captures a photo of the fuel bowser display in Survey123. The AI Assistant uses image recognition to extract the relevant values and auto-populates the form fields, ultimately saving time and improving data accuracy in the field.

Support the Cause

The Box Rally is the largest community-led fundraiser for Cancer Council Australia. If you’d like to support Peter’s efforts and contribute to vital cancer research, you can donate via this link:

TARDIS

Stay tuned for more updates as Peter joins the rally to continue his journey to Darwin, in what promises to be a fusion of adventure, technology, and purpose.