Operation Overhaul: A predictive solution for mapping biohazard hot spots

The Problem

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a significant surge in discarded needle complaints on and along Edmonton’s transit system, threatening public safety and operational integrity. Managing this crisis was severely hindered by fragmented data silos across multiple entities, which prevented a coordinated response. The lack of centralized intelligence made it impossible to efficiently allocate cleaning and outreach resources.

The Solution

A dashboard was developed to resolve the surge in discarded needle complaints. This solution integrated 311 complaints and internal transit cleaning reports into a centralized ecosystem. By providing predictive insights and localized visualizations—such as 30-day LRT heat maps—the dashboard maps biohazard "hot spots" in real time. This allows the City to shift from reactive cleanups to the proactive, targeted deployment of custodial staff, effectively mitigating public safety risks and preventing hazardous waste from entering maintenance facilities. Delivered using open-source tools within existing budget.

The Impact

The project rapidly transformed public safety operations by enabling the proactive, data-driven deployment of custodial staff, needle box placements and 24/7 Crisis Diversion teams.

Lessons Learned

Prior to Operation Overhaul, departments handled needle complaints in isolation, which slowed response times. The project proved that consolidating disparate internal data (like transit cleaning reports) with external public data (such as 311 complaints) into a single dashboard allows municipalities to shift from a slow, reactive cleanup cycle to a highly predictive, proactive model.

Launch year: 2020