Configuring Locate & Message

Locate & Message lets you find out where a subject (the person you're locating and messaging) is and exchange text messages with them. These settings apply to your whole account, and only Administrators can change settings in the Manage Account area. If you don't intend to use this feature, leave it turned off. No other configuration is required.

Step 1

Navigate to Manage Account via the profile menu.

Step 2

Select Locate & Message from the left-hand navigation, under Configure.

Step 3

Turn on Enable Locate & Message to activate the feature.

Settings and defaults

Each setting below has a default value, so you only need to change the ones you want. Toggles save automatically. Location Formatter and the text messages each have their own Update button.

Start with a text message

Turn on Prioritize Text Messages over Location Requests to start each session with a text message instead of a Locate link. This is called Message first. You request the subject's location later, when you need it. A Locate link is a link the subject taps to share their location.

By default, this setting is off, and each session starts with a Locate link right away. This is called Locate first. The setting applies to your whole account, so all users start sessions the same way.

Translation

Turn on Enable Locate & Message translation to automatically translate text messages between you and the subject, so each side can communicate in their own language. This setting applies to your whole account and is off by default.

Translation costs $0.25 per translated message. You are only charged when a message is translated, and the charge is added to your invoice.

When translation is turned on, Connect Rocket sets the language for each session. If a session starts with a Locate request, it uses the language of the subject's phone when they open the link. If a session starts with a text message, you can set the subject's language when you start the session, or let Connect Rocket detect it from the subject's reply. Once the language is set, Connect Rocket uses it for the rest of the conversation. Each session can use a different language.

Coordinate display format

Under Location Formatter, choose how you want coordinates displayed when a subject's location is returned. Pick the format your team already uses on its maps. The default is Degrees, Decimal Minutes. The available formats are:

• Degrees, Decimal Minutes — 49° 42.173' N, 123° 9.323' W
• Decimal Degrees — 49.7028, -123.1553
• Degrees, Minutes, Seconds — 49° 42' 10.37" N, 123° 9' 19.29" W
• UTM Coordinates — 10U 488794 5505611 (a grid-based format used on many search maps)

After choosing a format, select Update to save it.

Initiation and Completion Messages

Under Text Messages, customize the messages sent to the subject:

• Initiation Message — sent when you send the subject a Locate request. Use this message to explain what's happening and put the subject at ease. In a Message-first session, this message isn't sent until you request the subject's location. This message is translated only when the subject's language is already known.
• Completion Message — shown to the subject on the web page once their location has been obtained. Use this message to share helpful information while the subject waits for help to arrive. If translation is turned on and the subject's language is known, this message is translated.

You can preview both messages in the interface before saving. When you're done, select the Update button in the Text Messages section to save them.

Locate & Message is now ready to use. To send your first request, see Using Locate & Message – Locate Prioritized or Using Locate & Message – Messages Prioritized, depending on how your account starts sessions.