GoI70

#2 Set up InstaMapper & Android Phone GPS Tracker App

A key contribution to the accuracy and ongoing usefulness of GoI70 comes from collecting speed and road condition data from our I-70 Jackrabbits. We get this data when a Jackrabbit (you for instance) activate the app GPS Tracker on your phone. This will determine your location, speed and heading and share it with GoI70. This is real time information about the highway that we use and share on GoI70.

The application can be turned off any time you want. You decide whether to share your location information with GoI70.

InstaMapper installation Step 2.1

On your computer, go to the InstaMapper web site at http://www.instamapper.com/ and sign up for an account. They have very clear step by step instructions on the website and it only take a minute or two to sign up and setup an Android Phone.

InstaMapper installation Step 2.2

Caution: Please read this section through before you implement it. Note that there are two separate numeric keys involved – the Device key (13 digits) and the API key (19 or 20 digits). This step and the next one require the longer API key.

Login to Instampper at: http://www.instamapper.com/fe?page=login

Click the Devices tab

At the bottom of the Devices page, click the link “Configure API access”. This will take you to the API Access page where you will see the name you gave your phone and the device key number. To the right is a heading “Action” and under it a link “Enable API access” – Click the link.

InstaMapper will generate a new 20 character API key for you. (This is a different number from the device key, they are not interchangeable.)

InstaMapper installation Step 2.3

Return to the Messages tab on GoI70 (goI70.com/maps) and sign in using your Twitter name and password. On the black menu bar at the top of the Messages Tab, to the right of the Twitter button is another button “Join the I70 Corridor Mobile Users” – Click it.

You will be prompted to enter your InstaMapper API key. Enter the API key – the 20 character number from step 2.2.

Start the GPS Tracker app on your Android phone. Let GPS Tracker run.

Check the system out

Launch GPS Tracker and be sure the phone gets and transmits a location. Launch the web browser and go to http://goi70.com/lite. This is our mobile phone application address. Leave the goI70 community a message and tap ‘Update.’ After a few seconds click the ‘refresh’ link to see your message.

To see your location and tweets on the goI70.com map, go to GoI70 on your desktop computer, select the Interactive Map tab and check the boxes for “User Locations” and/or “Recent User Messages”. Your last location and tweet will show up on the interactive map. Your message will also show in the Messages stream.

Return to step “#3 Traveling with Go I70″ to complete the Jackrabbit sign-up process.