How to Set Up InstaMapper Live GPS Broadcasting on Your Website

[Greg Hendrickson]

Do you have a great cause, a great event or a race with your quest for a new performance that you want to share with everyone? There are a lot of great applications that can help you share the word, and here at WatchMyRace we are putting together some "How-To" articles on broadcasting your position during an event.

We've learned a bit about what applications work best for different events. This experience comes through supporting events like the 2009 Accu-Chek Cyclebetes Provincial Relay, a relay across the country from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, covering over 10,000 kilometers. WatchMyRace also supported the 11,000 mile Run for One Planet campaign, bike trips of 3,000 miles across the US with Bike the US for MS and Real Geeks Ride and many, many events like Jen Birch running the San Francisco Half Marathon for Molly.

This installment will cover live broadcasting of your position at a race or event using the InstaMapper application. It can work with BlackBerry phones, Android phones and iPhones. It's most accurate if your phone has GPS included, but you can still broadcast where you are even without GPS! Check the list of phones supported by InstaMapper.

There a 4 steps in our "How-To" for Instamapper, and this is based on installing, running and testing the Instamapper application on 2 phones: the G1 Phone from T-Mobile which uses the Google Android operating system, and an iPhone 3GS.

STEP 1: CREATE AN ACCOUNT

Instamapper Reference: "Create a free InstaMapper account. Registration should only take a minute or two. After activating your account, log in and click on "add a tracking device".

Choose a name for your phone and select preferred units. Click "Add". You will be given a 13-digit device key. Write it down somewhere."

STEP 2: INSTALL THE APPLICATION ON YOUR CELL PHONE

BLACKBERRY Instructions (From the InstaMapper site):

Install the "GPS Tracker" application from BlackBerry App World or download it over the air:

http://www.instamapper.com/download/GPSTrackerBB.jad

For BlackBerry Storm, you can also try this binary with a higher resolution icon:

http://www.instamapper.com/download/GPSTrackerStorm.jad

Start the application (look for an icon that looks like a satellite) and enter the 13-digit device key from step 1. If you have a BlackBerry Storm from Verizon, check "Disable A-GPS". Other settings may be left at default values. Press the "Menu" key to save settings.


iPHONE Instructions (From the InstaMapper site):

"Install the "GPS Tracker" application from App Store.

Start the application, tap "Continue" to dismiss the welcome screen, and enter the 13-digit device key from step 1. Other settings may be left at default values. Hit "Save".

If the app is stuck in "Locating..." mode for more than a minute or two, go back to settings and adjust the accuracy threshold as needed."

ANDROID INSTRUCTIONS (From the InstaMapper site):

Install our application (GPS Tracker) from Android Market. Start the application, hit the menu key, press Settings, and enter the 13-digit device key from step 1. Other settings may be left at default values. Hit "Save".

If the app is stuck in "Locating..." mode for more than a minute or two, make sure you are outside and have a clear view of the sky.

STEP 3: LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT AND VIEW THE MAP
Instamapper Reference: "Log in at http://www.instamapper.com to view your account and to see the location of your phone on a map."

STEP 4: SHARE YOUR LOCATION
After you are logged in to your account at InstaMapper click "Devices" at the top of the page, then click on "Sharing" and lastly "OK" at the prompt for "Enable sharing for this device?"

The Sharing page will provide instructions for 3 methods of sharing and broadcasting the location of your phone:

A. Links to a map with your location that can be sent via email.
B. Embedding a map with your current location on Facebook.
C. Embedding a map with your current location on your website or blog.

For an example using the InstaMapper embed code at WatchMyRace check out Jen Birch promoting the Molly Fund with her run at the San Francisco Half Marathon.



ABOUT WATCHMYRACE

Based in Laguna Beach, Calif., WatchMyRace is a website dedicated to live location broadcasting for athletes who want to promote charities, sponsors and their own personal causes with their training and races. WatchMyRace provides services for athletes, race/event organizers, sponsors and charities. Athlete services include location broadcasting solutions using GPS devices, GPS enabled mobile phones, and race tracking services provided by race organizers. Race/Event Organizer services include location broadcasting solutions, accurate GPS course mapping services, and event promotion services. Sponsor and Charity services include marketing and promotion services using social media in association with live location tracking services for athletes. For more information, please visit http://www.WatchMyRace.com.