[HOT] InSTEDD, and GeoChat

[Kate Chapman]

There has been integration before between InSTEDD and OSM.

Mikel wrote a blog post about it: http://brainoff.com/weblog/2009/08/10/1435

-Kate

On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 2:42 PM, Jean-Guilhem Cailton <jgc at arkemie.com> wrote:
> Dear Julio,
>
> I just found out about InSTEDD (http://www.instedd.org/) and think it might
> interest you to have a look at what they offer.
>
> As a recent example of their activity, they technically supported the
> emergency short code SMS system in Haiti.
>
> In particular, InSTEDD GeoChat was apparently designed as a communication
> means for "major humanitarian crises". (http://www.instedd.org/geochat)
>
>
> A quote from http://www.instedd.org/technology_overview follows:
> (I do hope nobody takes offence that there might be some common points
> between crisis situations anywhere in the world and common situation in the
> developing world)
>
> "InSTEDD GeoChat is a unified mobile communications service designed
> specifically to enable self-organizing group communications in the
> developing world.   The service lets mobile phone users broadcast
> location-based alerts, report on their situation, and coordinate around
> events as they unfold, linking field, headquarters, and the local community
> in a real-time, interactive conversation visualized on the surface of a
> map.  Once you create a GeoChat group, you may use it as the text equivalent
> of a push-to-talk radio:  send the group a message on the Web, by email, or
> by SMS, and the rest of the group receives it.  GeoChat allows information
> to flow over multiple messaging channels, including dedicated SMS servers, a
> cell phone plugged into a laptop, a satellite phone, and even Twitter.  You
> may learn more about InSTEDD GeoChat here. Please join the online community
> around GeoChat here. GeoChat is hosted "in the cloud" via Amazon, so there
> is no server to deploy.  GeoChat has global SMS coverage through Clickatel,
> has a US domestic SMS shortcode, and may easily be integrated with gateways
> of local carriers.  Users have referred to GeoChat as “Email for the Bottom
> Billion”."
>
> GeoChat is in Beta.
>
> I do not know whether it is easy to have OSM as the map used in GeoChat
> (example pictures display Google maps), but since it is free and open source
> (GPLv3), it would certainly be possible to adapt it if necessary.
>
>
> I am just learning about InSTEDD, so there may also be other potentially
> interesting things on their website (like http://www.trackernews.net/, for
> instance).
>
> Hoping this helps,
>
> Jean-Guilhem
>
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