WELCOME TO GEOCHAT – Beta – June 7 09

Team Communication – Mobile & Web

GeoChat - today

Collaboration tool for the field Team communication over SMS Reporting FROM the field Alerts TO the field Connects web and SMS

The goal is REACH Simplest users – no training! Simplest devices – no new gear! No connectivity – do the basics via SMS only

GeoChat Integrating mobile field communications with situational

awareness

How It Works – All Team Communication

Group member sends one message Send water

All team receives the message Can receive it over

SMS Or can receive it on

internet

Send water supplies to Village C

Or…Field to Headquarters Communication

CHANNE: at Village

Kampong Trabek*8

dead chickens

LIM CHANMAN: at Village Phumi Prek*nothingt

o report

SOKHA: at Prek

Thmei*12 dead

chickens, 4 houses

1. SEND A MESSAGE FROM THE VILLAGE

Write “at Village Name*Message”

And these messages appear on a map… (in Cambodia in this case)1. SMS Messages Appear on GeoChat

Website (only viewed by members of that group)

2. Headquarters can monitor field information.

GeoChat SMS messages can also be viewed with other data (like disease outbreaks, KML layers)news feeds, sensor data, imagery, infrastructure, incidents, supplies, facilities, requests….

You can use geochat JUST with a phone or JUST on the internet (or both)

Some ways you could use GeoChat… To connect a group of remote health

centers for ongoing team communication and to ask questions of each other.

To create a support network for youth or women.

To monitor a problem in a community (having field representatives report back over mobile what they find).

Other ideas…

Get Started…Sign Up…

Create account on the internet1. Username(single space name) & password2. Create a display name (a name that will

be viewed before each message)3. Request how you want to send and

receive messages (you can use one or more)

Via email Via your phone (must use Twitter in the US until

late Spring) Via the web (no need to give email or phone –

just view on the map

…and set up a Group

Set up a group, invite people to join1. Name of group 2. Purpose of group3. Invite people to join from their phones4. If they are already logged into GeoChat, you can

search for their name. 5. Type of group Everyone receives the message (team

communication) Message only goes to admnistrator (field to HQ

communication)6. Security Messages are all Anonymous Private or public group

Ask people to join from their mobile – 2 methods

#join GroupName name*GroupName

Where You Send Messages:3 International Gateway Numbers Cover The World (except US, N.Korea, Myanmar)

+447624805700

+45609910321

+61427050281

Test the Gateways BEFORE signing up a group.Send a message: #ping to your designated

number (and wait for a reply)

What GeoChat SMS Messages Cost

- MESSAGES TO GEOCHAT:- Varies by country

- (find out by sending a text to the gateway number and see what it costs)

- Ranges from free to $0.09 per message

- Benefit of GeoChat: Individual pays for ONE message, message sent

to the entire group

MESSAGES FROM GEOCHAT:

-Cost for group BLAST usually 1/3rd the cost of

an incoming SMS

-Total cost of group blast messages cost

$2-$5/month. Can be covered by anyone

(funder, etc).

-InSTEDD covers cost of group blasts during Beta

phase

Start Using GeoChat!

Phone Commands (cheat sheet)

TEST OUT GATEWAY #PING message (to gateway number) – wait for reply

JOIN DISPLAY NAME*NAME OF GROUP (ex: Joe Smith*group123)

SET YOUR LOCATION at city, (ex: at Lagos, Nigeria) GeoChat will display all towns that can be viewed on Google Maps.

OR LAT*LONG

CHANGE YOUR LOCATION at new city, country (ex: at Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

SEND A MESSAGE Just write a message and send to the GeoChat number

LOCATION & MESSAGE LOCATION*MESSAGE (ex: at Lagos*I need supplies.)

Note: Your location will be your last location until you update it.

HELP #support you will receive a list of commands)

CHANGE OR SET YOUR NAME #my name “name” (ex: #my name Dr. Joe Smith)

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHICH GROUP IN GEOCHAT YOUR MOBILE MESSAGES GO TO…

If you are only in one group, all of your messages will go to this group.

If you are in more than one group, write the GROUP NAME before each message (ex: TINT I have enough water.)

If you are in more than one group, you can choose one group as your default and DO NOT need to write the group name.

TO SET A DEFAULT GROUP #my group “group name” (ex: #my group group123)

Questions?

Mary Jane Marcus marcus@instedd.org InSTEDD Contact (main # 650-353-4440) Ideas to improve GeoChat: UserVoice

http://geochat.uservoice.com/