Almaty is developing and testing AG Tag, a safety system designed to help locate people in mountains and other hard-to-reach areas. The personal device has an SOS button and can send coordinates to rescuers without mobile coverage, a SIM card or internet access.
AG Digital KZ is developing the system with the participation of Almaty’s Digitalization Department. Rescue services report that more than 1,000 search-and-rescue operations are conducted in the mountains around Almaty each year. Many hiking routes have no cellular coverage, making it difficult to pinpoint people who need help.
AG Tag determines a user’s coordinates using satellite navigation and transmits them by radio to a rescue service base station. The data is updated every two seconds. In an emergency, a tourist can press the SOS button to send an alert, and the person’s coordinates appear on the duty officer’s electronic map. The current configuration has a signal range of up to 15 kilometres.
The system can monitor the connection to the device and record its last known location if the signal is lost. The base station can operate without an internet connection or mobile networks. The project is also working on issuing devices to tourists through a QR code in the eGov Mobile app. Users will be able to register a route and expected return time before a hike, then return the device afterward.
The project plans to establish 12 equipment pick-up points along Almaty’s main tourist routes, including Alm arasan, Ayusai, Medeu, Kimasar, Kok-Zhailau, Butakovka and Shymbulak.
The system has been tested on six mountain routes in Almaty, including areas around Tourist, Panorama, Bukreev and Furmanov peaks, as well as the Big Almaty Lake area. Tests took place in different weather conditions, including at high altitudes. Joint trials with the Almaty Rescue Service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan’s Republican Operational Rescue Team confirmed that the system works, including in areas without cellular coverage. The first batch of devices has been produced for further testing.
A pilot involving Almaty tourists and mountaineering communities is planned by the end of 2026. The project also involves Almaty’s Department of Emergency Situations, the Mountaineering Federation and the city’s visitor centres. The technology may later be used in other tourist areas and hard-to-reach parts of Kazakhstan.
