Mapping

Mapping allows you to work with an Ushahidi instance while offline (not connected to the Internet)

NOTE: To use FrontlineMapping, you must be running FrontlineSMS version 1.6.06 or above. To find out, check the top left of the screen when running FrontlineSMS. The number that appears is the version you are running. If you need an upgrade and haven't received an email invitation to do so, get in touch via the Contact form on the website

What can I do in Mapping?

Mapping is a data visualization tool which makes use of online mapping services such as Yahoo, Microsoft and Google Maps to report and plot incidents on a map. Incidents can be fetched from an Ushahidi instance or they can be created from the incoming text messages. An "Ushahidi instance" is a deployment of the Ushahidi platform e.g. http://www.stopstockouts.org, http://drc.ushahidi.com, http://swineflu.ushahidi.com

The Ushahidi instance to be synchronized [8] with is determined by the default mapping setup. During synchronization, locally created incidents (via Mapping) are posted to the Ushahidi instance. New categories, locations and incidents created on the online instnace are also fetched. Synchronization requires an Internet connection.

The Events Filter [1] allows you to drill down the incidents by Keyword or by a Date range (when the incidents occurred).

During the initial setup, Mapping requires you to be connected to the Internet so that the Map [4] can be downloaded. The map can then be saved on the local computer once it has loaded. To do so, right-click inside the map and select "Save"

Mapping requires some familiarity with the Ushahidi platform. You may therefore want to find out more about Ushahidi and what it's about from the Ushahidi website.

 

Activating the Mapping module

When FrontlineSMS is installed for the first time, the Mapping module is initially hidden from view. To activate the Mapping module, go to the View menu, then select Tabs, and make sure "Mapping" is ticked. A new Mapping tab should then appear with your other menus along the top of the screen. To hide the Forms module, go back into the same menu and remove the tick/check from the "Mapping" entry


Mapping Configuration

To begin using the mapping plugin, click on "Setup" [5] from the main window [1]. The following window will appear:

Mapping Configurations [9]
This is where the list of all mapping configurations are listed. When an item is selected from the list, the details of the configurations are displayed in the input fields [10], [11]and [12]. This allows you to edit the settings of the selected configuration.

Source for the Mapping Data [10]
This is where you specify a name (Source name) for url (Source URL) which shall be used by Mapping for synchronization [8]. The Source URL is the source for the incidents plotted on the map [4].

Area covered by the map [11]
This is where you specify the
Longitude and Latitude of the area covered by the map [4]. These values can be obtained from the Admin dashboard of the Ushahidi instance which you would like to synchronize to.

Default [12]
Select this option if you would like to set the mapping configurations being input as the default. Mapping only allows one set of configurations to be set as the default. If no mapping configurations exist, the new settings are designated as default.

Save/Cancel [13]
Once you've finished keying in all the information in the provided input fields, you can
Save it or, if you want to discard it, Cancel [13].


Reporting an Incident

To create an incident, double click on an item/message on the Messages Window [2] . The following window shall appear:

Fill in the necessary information in the provided fields. When you are finished, either Save it or, if you want to discard it, hit Cancel.


Viewing Incident Reports

To view the incident reports, click on Reports [6] . The following window will appear:

To view the details of the incident, double click the selected incident report. The details of the report are shown in the following dialog:

 

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