From scattered partner data to a manageable platform for 2,000+ organisations and even more locations
Client
RREUSE
Services
Strategy, UX, front-end development, data modelling, members area, import and synchronisation workflows
Sector
European federation / circular economy / social enterprises
Timeline
2024–2025, in several phases
Region
Brussels: websites in Brussels
Status
Live
Tech stack
Nimbu, custom cloud code, Google Maps, Nominatim, Google Sheets, Node.js, TypeScript
RREUSE wanted an up-to-date map of locations across Europe. It also needed a practical way to manage almost 3,000 locations across around thirty partner networks. The data came from different structures and sources, was often incomplete, and not every member fitted the same organisational model.
We helped RREUSE move to one website with one backend, a members area and several ways to update data: manually, through CSV files, through shared editing links and, later, through targeted synchronisation with partner data.
The map remained the visible core of the platform, but the biggest improvement was behind the scenes: a manageable system for complex partner data, with members taking more ownership and less reliance on manual updates by the RREUSE team.
The map was the starting point. The real problem lay in the data behind it.
RREUSE needed a network map that would let visitors find social enterprises across Europe by location, activity and organisation type. A map like that is only as good as its data, and that was where the difficulties began.
RREUSE works with a layered network. Some members belong directly. Others are umbrella organisations that represent several organisations or locations. A member could be an individual initiative, a parent organisation with branches, or a network with its own members. That makes management complex at both the data and organisational levels.
The data was also inconsistent. Addresses were missing. Descriptions varied widely in quality. Activities were recorded differently. Some information lived in spreadsheets, some in existing systems, and some only in the head of the partner expected to provide it.
The challenge went beyond making a better map. How could partner data from across Europe become manageable without RREUSE having to keep gathering and correcting everything itself?
The early discussions focused on the network map. Over time, it became clear that a map alone would not solve the maintenance problem.
A standalone map would not have been a sound investment for RREUSE’s long-term use of this data. We helped steer the project towards one website with one backend and a members area, bringing content, organisations, locations and management together.
That gave the project a firmer long-term foundation and RREUSE more value from the same investment. Its team gained one central place to manage everything, and members did not have to work in a separate system.
The organisational structure was the most difficult part.
We had to account for direct members, umbrella organisations, smaller umbrella groups, individual members and organisations with several locations. A simple organisation-and-address model would not be enough. We explicitly modelled the membership structure and permissions so that management could follow the way the network actually works.
In the members area, direct members could manage their own organisations and, where needed, the members or locations beneath them. For indirect participants, we added temporary magic links. These let people review or edit their information without every contact first needing a full account, particularly since RREUSE has no direct relationship with them.
A platform like this depends on maintenance. One ideal workflow would never suit everyone in practice.
We provided several ways to update data:
These options were essential to keeping a European network with widely differing digital capabilities manageable.
With a dataset of this size, we faced a practical problem: too many records were incomplete to clean everything up by hand.
We used AI to fill in missing information faster, including addresses, activities and descriptions. The output was reviewed and corrected before publication where needed.
We also built in technical safeguards. Addresses were automatically converted to coordinates, with fallback logic to handle spelling variations. A JSON cache kept the map responsive even with large numbers of locations.
For visitors, the project is about searching, filtering and discovering. They can find organisations by location, activity, product stream and organisation type.
The most important design decision was behind the scenes: the map could not depend on a fragile maintenance process. It needed a system that could adapt to new members, additional locations and changing organisational structures.
RREUSE now has more than a renewed network map.
The platform brings together a public website, a searchable map and a members area. A scattered dataset that was difficult to maintain has become manageable for the long term.
What changed in practice:
More than 2,000 locations can be managed from one backend
Members and umbrella organisations have a practical way to keep their own data up to date
RREUSE relies less on manual steps for updates and corrections
Complex organisational levels can be managed without flattening everything into one structure
Partner data from external sources can be selectively synchronised instead of entered again each time
The map is the visible result of a maintainable system
For us, the main gain is that shift. What began as a location tool has grown into a working platform that better fits how RREUSE operates.
After the initial build, the project continued to focus increasingly on management and scalability.
Further requests covered member management, additional locations and alternative organisational structures. For specific datasets, we also built separate synchronisation workflows so that partner information from external spreadsheets could enter the platform in a controlled way.
We see this project as establishing a better way of working for a complex European network, with development continuing beyond the initial launch.
Registration, contracts, payments and integrations. Growing together for years instead of starting over every few years.
Organisations manage the services together, while visitors quickly find reliable answers.
Members, sponsors and volunteers work in one place, with memberships, symposium workflows and online payments.
If the real challenge lies in managing what is behind the interface, we can help you find an approach that keeps working as you grow.
You speak directly with someone who can help you think it through.
