PC Webview

Owned by catharine.rhoades (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Dec 16, 2024 by Nicole Etheridge
8 min read

Introduction

Webview is a way for you to get alarms and mapping in realtime on a PC. For example:

  • On a terminal at the dispatch center

  • On a large display at a station

  • In a truck

Once Webview is running, your computer establishes a data connection to our servers. This allows us to send alerts in real time. Computers running Webview can:

  • Receive alerts in real time

  • Act as part of a Page group

  • Select a response for an alarm by clicking on it

  • View Map Data and associated resources

Note: Webview doesn't provide routing. It was originally developed to be used on stationary devices.

Limitations

Webview is only for use on PC systems, not on mobile phones. Additionally, any computer running Webview must have a constant connection to the internet and be configured for always-on operation. This is very important! Once you have Webview running, we request that you do *not* close or refresh the browser unless absolutely necessary. Webview will automatically refresh the page once every 24 hours, so there should be no need to manually refresh, or use an auto refresh plugin.

Note: The reason for the restriction on refreshing your browser has to do with our license terms with Google Maps. Every time you load Webview into your browser for the first time, or reload/restart the browser window, it costs us money! We are trying to keep this service affordable for everyone, so please only close/refresh Webview when absolutely necessary.

Basic Setup

  1. Go to the Devices tab in your Active911 account, and create a new device. Select device type of “PC” and Set the "Page type" to "Webview"

  2. After saving, write down the Device Code from the right hand column

  3. Go to the PC that will be running Webview.

  4. Check with your IT staff to make sure that the computer won't be powered off each day. Make sure that your firewall is not blocking port 80, 443, or 5280.

  5. Ask your IT staff to check your browser. Supported browsers include:

    • Google Chrome (recommended)

    • Firefox 18 or newer

  6. Open a supported browser, and go to http://webview.active911.com

  7. Enter the code you wrote down and click the button

  8. Webview loads after several seconds. Once loaded, go back to the first computer (the one with your Active911 account loaded) and click the test button () next to the device you created. This will send a test message to the PC running Webview.

Settings

The gear in the top right corner is where you can access your Webview settings. There you can change the following settings:

Map Marker Density

You can change the density of the map markers, so you can see more or less of map data points at a time. The default selection is Normal.

  • None - Selecting this option will prevent all map data points from displaying on the map, at all zoom levels.

  • Dense Urban - Use this setting if your agency has a lot of map data points in a small area. This option will only display map data points when the screen is zoomed in close to ground level, preventing map data from cluttering the screen.

  • Urban - Allows map data to show only when the zoom level is set high enough to only see a few blocks from the center of the screen

  • Normal - When set to Normal, map data is visible when the zoom level is set to view about a square mile of area.

  • Rural - If the device is in a rural setting, with map data miles apart, select the rural setting.

  • Show Alarms For- You can set how long you want to see alerts on the page. The options range from 15 minutes to 1 day.

  • Auto Scroll Triggers- These settings control if the screen automatically opens the details of a new alert and scrolls to the location of a new alert.

    • New Alert

      • When this is selected, Webview will automatically scroll to the location of the new alert on the map. If it is unchecked, it will stay on your current call, or screen.

    • Open Alert

      • When this is selected and you click on an individual alert in the left menu, the map screen will scroll to the alert's location and open the alert details window.

    • Never

      • The map screen will only move when a user manually interacts with the device to move the map screen.

  • Alarm Sidebar-This is the side bar on the left that displays the alarms when they come in. You can select for it to show at all time or to be Hidden at all times.

  • Status Sidebar-This is the side bar on the right that displays the status and assignments for all members on the account. You can select for it to show at all time or to be hidden at all times.

  • Audio Options:

    • Silent Alarms-The alert will show up on the screen, but no sound will be made.

    • Toned Alarms-The alert will show up on the screen, and a sound will be made. If you have more than one agency connected to your account, you can select a different tone for each account by selecting the drop down next to each accounts name.

  • Auto-RecoverOn

    • If Webview experiences a connection issue, it will automatically attempt to reconnect. We recommend enabling this optionOff

    • If Webview experiences a connection issue, it won't automatically attempt to reconnect.

  • System CheckTest-Selecting this option will open a small window that displays information about your Webview device's ability to connect to Active911's servers.

Workflow For Sending Alerts

Webview is also a great way to dispatch alarms. Even when you don't have an actual address - sporting events or off-road locations, for example - you can click on the map and send help directly to the location of your mouse click.

If your Webview device has been allocated the "Send Alerts" capability, you will be able to generate alarms directly from Webview using the following steps:

  1. Use the Webview map to navigate to the location you want to send the alert to

  2. Use your mouse to click on the location on the map

  3. A "Send Alert to" window will appear. Enter the appropriate information into the Title, Details, and Recipients fields

  4. Click the Alert NOW button to send the alert

Note:This is especially useful for directing responders to precise locations with no address - for example, wilderness areas or points within football stadiums or fairground sites.

GPS integration

If your Webview PC is not showing up on response maps, you may need to troubleshoot the GPS. Go to the GPS troubleshooting page and follow the instructions. We need an accuracy of better than 100 meters in order to use your GPS position. If you are not getting good GPS accuracy, you may need to install GPSGate or a plugin supplied by your GPS manufacturer
Troubleshooting Webview

PuTTY.

Troubleshooting

Port Connection Troubleshooting

The number one issue that causes problems with Webview is blocked ports. This should be the first thing that is checked when trouble shooting Webview connection issues.

In order to check the ports, you will need to telnet to http://webview.active911.com using each port. A blank telnet window indicates a successful connection. If that port is not open, you will typically receive an error message that the connection was refused, depending on your telnet client.

For those unfamiliar with this process, here are directions to test with a telnet connection.

Windows command prompt- This may not be possible if your local IT has Windows options locked for your user account.

  1. Click on the Start menu and open the Control Panel.

  2. Select Programs from the options.

  3. Under Programs and Features, click on the link that says 'Turn Windows Features on or off'.

  4. In this box, scroll down and check the box for Telnet Client.

  5. Click OK and your computer should install the telnet client files.

  6. After the telnet client is installed, click the Start menu, type 'cmd' and hit enter. This will start the command prompt.

  7. In the cmd prompt, type telnet