[HOT] InSTEDD, and GeoChat

[Eduardo Jezierski]

Yup, Camp Roberts was a cool joint effort (brought lots of feedback, integration w geocommons for geocoding in some of our components, and MGRS support)

I think Jean means using OSM as the basis for the map view that makes the main GeoChat UI; Jean maybe you can clarify?

~ ej



On Fri,Mar 5, 2010, at 16:06 , Kate Chapman wrote:

> 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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>> 
>> 

_____________________________________
Eduardo Jezierski, InSTEDD, VP of Engineering
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