About device position reporting

Introduction

Active911 has various features for allowing response coordination through shared position reporting. In plain English, this means that if everything is set up properly, you will be able to see everyone's position on a map in real time.

How it works

We check to see if there is recent GPS position for all the users on your map. If we have a "fresh" position - one that is less than about five minutes old - we will show it to you on a map. Position reporting works on all smartphones and the Webview. We may also be able to make it so you can see this information directly from the More Info button in Cadpage for Android, but it is not in place at this time.

Why can't I see (some iPhone user)?

  1. When the iPhone or iPad app was installed, it asked you if you were willing to share your position. If you answered NO, the app is blocked from using the GPS. Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services. Make sure it is turned ON. Scroll down to Active911 and make sure that it is turned ON as well.

  2. Open up Active911 and tap Settings. Make sure Enable GPS is turned ON.

  3. Make sure you have a good data connection (several bars, preferrably WiFi, 3G or LTE)

  4. Make sure you are somewhere you can get a GPS signal (sometimes metal buildings block the GPS)

If all these items are good, you should see that person the next time they open their app. Note that Cadpage for iOS is not position-enabled and will not allow you to appear on (or view) the realtime map.

 

Note: If you push the home button (the app goes to the background), the app hibernates and stops position reporting. It also stops using your internet connection and battery. Only when the app is in the foreground is it actually running.

Why can't I see (some Android user)?

  1. Open up Active911 and tap Settings. Make sure Enable GPS is turned ON.

  2. Check your device Settings > Location > Active911 > make sure the app has not been Force Stopped. Also check under Location > Mode > to make sure it is set to High Accuracy.

  3. Make sure you have a good data connection (several bars, preferrably WiFi, 3G or LTE)

  4. Make sure you are somewhere you can get a GPS signal (sometimes metal buildings block the GPS)

If all these items are good, you should see that person the next time they open their app. Note that Cadpage for Android is not position-enabled and will not allow you to appear on (or view) the realtime map.

Why can't I see (some Cadpage user)?

Cadpage for Android is a little trickier. In order to see someone on the map, the following conditions must be met:

  1. Position reporting only works for 30 minutes or so after a new alarm.

  2. You must make a positive responding response, which means selecting any response button other than the "Unavailable" button

  3. Cadpage will ask you if you want to report your real time position to other responders. If and only if you press the Yes button, Cadpage will start reporting your real time position so that it appears on the incident map that Active911 displays on IOS and Webview clients.

  4. A new Cadpage status icon will appear in the status bar as long as Cadpage is reporting your position. You can open the status bar and select this notification icon to terminate position reporting for this call.

  5. You must have a good data connection (several bars, preferrably WiFi, 3G or LTE)

  6. You must be somewhere where you can get a GPS signal (sometimes metal buildings block the GPS)

  7. If you stand still for more than 5 minutes, you may disappear from the map

There is a new setting in Additional Settings to control position reporting. The default setting is Ask? which tells Cadpage to prompt you every time you indicate you are responding to a call, but you can also set it to Always or Never in which case you will no longer be prompted. In addition to Yes and No buttons, the dialog box asking if you want to start reporting your position has a "Remember this decision" checkbox. If that box is checked, Cadpage automatically change the position reporting setting to Always or Never depending on which button you press.