Where is the nearest defibrillator? The open AED map for Greece

Cardiac arrest gives no warning. Someone collapses, stops breathing normally, and from that moment time is measured in minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) buys time, but what actually restarts the heart is an electric shock from a defibrillator. And that is where the problem hides: a defibrillator only helps if someone knows there is one a street away.

What a defibrillator (AED) is

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that analyses the heart rhythm and, if needed, delivers a controlled electric shock to "restart" a heart that has stopped beating properly. You see them more and more in public places: stations, airports, gyms, shopping centres, town halls, schools.

Two things everyone should know:

• You do not need to be a doctor. The device talks to you. As soon as you open it, it gives voice instructions step by step.
• It cannot cause harm. An AED delivers a shock only when it detects one is necessary. On a heart that is beating normally, it does nothing.

How to use it, in simple steps

1. Call 112 (or have someone else do it) and ask for help. If you are alone, put the phone on speaker.
2. Start CPR if you know how, until the defibrillator arrives.
3. Open the AED and follow the voice instructions.
4. Attach the pads to the bare chest, as shown in the picture on them.
5. Do not touch the person while the device analyses or delivers a shock. Then continue CPR as instructed.

That is it. The device handles the hard part.

The real obstacle: we don't know where they are

For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the chances of survival drop by roughly 7 to 10%. Within a few minutes, the window has almost closed.

Often the defibrillator is closer than we think. It might hang on a wall fifty metres away, and yet nobody at the scene knows it is there. A defibrillator you cannot find is as good as one that does not exist.

In Greece, the number of defibrillators recorded in public, open data is still small compared with how many actually exist. The safety net is there, but it has large holes.

The solution: an open map of defibrillators

openaedmap.org is an open, free, global map of defibrillators, built on OpenStreetMap data. You open it, you see the dots around you, and you find the nearest AED. It works in your phone's browser, and it is also available as an app.

What matters is that the data is open: it does not belong to one company, it is not locked behind subscriptions. It is free for any citizen, any municipality, any rescue app to use. Our own app, Life Support Hub, is fed directly by this data: whatever is recorded on the map shows up for us too.

How to register a defibrillator in 5 minutes

This is where you can help. If you know a defibrillator that is not on the map (at your work, your gym, your building, your neighbourhood), you can add it yourself:

1. Create a free account at openstreetmap.org (once — it is needed for the entries).
2. Go to openaedmap.org and sign in with that account.
3. Find the exact location of the defibrillator on the map and add a point there.
4. Fill in what you know: floor, a description of the spot ("ground floor, next to reception"), access hours (24/7 or the building's hours) and a phone number if there is one.
5. Save. Done.

One rule only, and it is non-negotiable: we record only what we have seen with our own eyes or confirmed by phone. A wrong defibrillator on the map, in a real emergency, is worse than none.

Why it is worth it

Every dot you light up on the map is a defibrillator that, one day, someone will look for with shaking hands. Five minutes of your time today could be the difference for a family tomorrow.

At Life Support Hub we are starting a campaign to get as many defibrillators as possible onto the map, across the whole of Greece. We are not doing it against anyone. We are doing it because open data saves lives, and because a map we build together belongs to everyone.

Go to openaedmap.org, find your nearest defibrillator, and if you know one that is missing, put it on the map. It's your turn to light up a dot.

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This article is informative and does not replace specialised training. The best way to be ready is to train in CPR and the use of a defibrillator. In a real emergency, always call 112 first.