SSA Spot Repository

Hi Gang
I decided I would put my self into the position of a member of a
search and rescue which had been alerted that a certain person Dave
Bingham was missing and that he was carrying a Spot tracker and that a
recording of his flight might be found at the URL ssa.com which has a
repository of recent Spot tracks for a few pilots around the US (maybe
around the world). Now being an average person I am going to assume
(maybe incorrectly) that I know how to turn on a computer and bring up
a web browser and even type in the address bar ssa.com and press
enter. The SSA home page comes up. I don't see anything with the
words track or Spot. The thought occurs to me did I get the words
track and Spot correctly or did I mistake the message. OK what to do?
Should I call back the original message giver and ask for
clarification or should I play around and explore pages outside the
home page? I explore SSA pages and if I am lucky I notice that
cunningly hidden on the SSA page at the one from the bottom of the
long list is "Sailplane Tracker". That's funny! I was told a glider
with a pilot named Dave Bingham was missing. What's a sailplane? Is a
sailplane the same as a glider? Anyhow I click on "Sailplane Tracker'
and sure enough a list of names come up including Dave Bingham.
I click on the name and the Spot shared page message comes up. Now
seeing the Spot message page for the first time is very different from
seeing the message page for the hundredth time. What does it say and
how do I get information from it? There are no GPS coordinates or
times listed only the day on the shared Spot pages. So what to do now?
Finally I see an icon that says "show on a map" and I click it. A map
comes up and the Spot messages are displayed but which is the first
and which is the last in time. Its not obvious which!
Since I view most flights both on SeeYou and Spot everything is
intuitively obvious to me now but for a neophyte that is not the case.
What I have just described could be a nightmare for many people and
could possibly waste valuable time in a search and rescue mission. So
lets think through some of the issues I am raising:

1) Many people have very limited understanding of computers so
everything should be designed to be INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS. SSA should
rethink and redo this valuable Spot repository function and before
releasing it test it out on a few average Joe guinea pigs. Make sure
that most people can quickly find the relevant information.

2) The Spot shared page does not (at least in my case) show either GPS
coordinates nor times of the messages (tracks). This is a serious
deficiency and has to be fixed. My normal message page shows all this
info but to use that page would require entering a name and password.

3) I use my Spot in all my 3 flying machines - SparrowHawk ultralight,
Stemme motorglider and the LSA. So messages seen in the SSA repository
might be from either so why does the SSA require you to list the
glider manufacturer and model in your profile and repository? Keep the
repository simple and remove that unnecessary and not pertinent
information.

Its always easy to criticize something especially when there are no
clear cut presidents. I am very pleased that the SSA has reacted
positively to the suggestion made after Thierry's tragic death this
summer by I think Marty Hellman that a Spot repository could be a
valuable resource in assisting search and rescue missions. I support
this. However it is clear this project is still in the formulative
mode and needs to be refined for it to become a simple help tool. I
would welcome comments on my criticisms and suggestions to make the
SSA Spot repository easier to use.
Dave

On Oct 24, 2:13*pm, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
*I decided I would put my self into the position of a member of a
search and rescue which had been alerted that a certain person Dave
Bingham was missing and that he was carrying a Spot tracker and that a
recording of his flight might be found at the URL ssa.com which has a
repository of recent Spot tracks for a few pilots around the US (maybe
around the world). Now being an average person I am going to assume
(maybe incorrectly) that I know how to turn on a computer and bring up
a web browser and even type in the address bar ssa.com and press
enter. The SSA home page comes up. *I don't see anything with the
words track or Spot. The thought occurs to me did I get the words
track and Spot correctly or did I mistake the message. OK what to do?
Should I call back the original message giver and ask for
clarification or should I play around and explore pages outside the
home page? I explore SSA pages and if I am lucky I notice that
cunningly hidden on the SSA page at the one from the bottom of the
long list is "Sailplane Tracker". That's funny! I was told a glider
with a pilot named Dave Bingham was missing. What's a sailplane? Is a
sailplane the same as a glider? Anyhow I click on "Sailplane Tracker'
and sure enough a list of names come up including Dave Bingham.
*I click on the name and the Spot shared page message comes up. Now
seeing the Spot message page for the first time is very different from
seeing the message page for the hundredth time. What does it say and
how do I get information from it? There are no GPS coordinates or
times listed only the day on the shared Spot pages. So what to do now?
Finally I see an icon that says "show on a map" and I click it. A map
comes up and the Spot messages are displayed but which is the first
and which is the last in time. Its not obvious which!
*Since I view most flights both on SeeYou and Spot everything is
intuitively obvious to me now but for a neophyte that is not the case.
What I have just described could be a nightmare for many people and
could possibly waste valuable time in a search and rescue mission. So
lets think through some of the issues I am raising:

1) Many people have very limited understanding of computers so
everything should be designed to be INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS. SSA should
rethink and redo this valuable Spot repository function and before
releasing it test it out on a few average Joe guinea pigs. Make sure
that most people can quickly find the relevant information.

2) The Spot shared page does not (at least in my case) show either GPS
coordinates nor times of the messages (tracks). This is a serious
deficiency and has to be fixed. My normal message page shows all this
info but to use that page would require entering a name and password.

3) I use my Spot in all my 3 flying machines - SparrowHawk ultralight,
Stemme motorglider and the LSA. So messages seen in the SSA repository
might be from either so why does the SSA require you to list the
glider manufacturer and model in your profile and repository? Keep the
repository simple and remove that unnecessary and not pertinent
information.

*Its always easy to criticize something especially when there are no
clear cut presidents. I am very pleased that the SSA has reacted
positively to the suggestion made after Thierry's tragic death this
summer by I think Marty Hellman that a Spot repository could be a
valuable resource in assisting search and rescue missions. I support
this. However it is clear this project is still in the formulative
mode and needs to be refined for it to become a simple help tool. I
would welcome comments on my criticisms and suggestions to make the
SSA Spot repository easier to use.
Dave

I don't use Spot (yet), and it is the first time I've looked at the
page on SSA.org and the Spot repository. It didn't take longer than a
couple of minutes for me to find the link and figure out how to
acquire the information for tracking point 20. I simply clicked on the
Spot Icon on the Map or the + on the left menu. While I'm reasonably
conversant with technology, the format seemed to be highly intuitive
and in line with the way many programs and internet features like
Google Maps have worked for several years - run the cursor on the map
until a finger or another change to the cursor icon points to
underlying information.


0-7408862Type :Track ProgressLatitude :
39.02135Longitude :-119.75862Time :Saturday, October 24, 2009 5:46:33
PM

On Oct 24, 12:13*pm, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang
*I decided I would put my self into the position of a member of a
search and rescue which had been alerted that a certain person Dave
Bingham was missing and that he was carrying a Spot tracker and that a
recording of his flight might be found at the URL ssa.com which has a
repository of recent Spot tracks for a few pilots around the US (maybe
around the world). Now being an average person I am going to assume
(maybe incorrectly) that I know how to turn on a computer and bring up
a web browser and even type in the address bar ssa.com and press
enter. The SSA home page comes up. *I don't see anything with the
words track or Spot. The thought occurs to me did I get the words
track and Spot correctly or did I mistake the message. OK what to do?
Should I call back the original message giver and ask for
clarification or should I play around and explore pages outside the
home page? I explore SSA pages and if I am lucky I notice that
cunningly hidden on the SSA page at the one from the bottom of the
long list is "Sailplane Tracker". That's funny! I was told a glider
with a pilot named Dave Bingham was missing. What's a sailplane? Is a
sailplane the same as a glider? Anyhow I click on "Sailplane Tracker'
and sure enough a list of names come up including Dave Bingham.
*I click on the name and the Spot shared page message comes up. Now
seeing the Spot message page for the first time is very different from
seeing the message page for the hundredth time. What does it say and
how do I get information from it? There are no GPS coordinates or
times listed only the day on the shared Spot pages. So what to do now?
Finally I see an icon that says "show on a map" and I click it. A map
comes up and the Spot messages are displayed but which is the first
and which is the last in time. Its not obvious which!
*Since I view most flights both on SeeYou and Spot everything is
intuitively obvious to me now but for a neophyte that is not the case.
What I have just described could be a nightmare for many people and
could possibly waste valuable time in a search and rescue mission. So
lets think through some of the issues I am raising:

1) Many people have very limited understanding of computers so
everything should be designed to be INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS. SSA should
rethink and redo this valuable Spot repository function and before
releasing it test it out on a few average Joe guinea pigs. Make sure
that most people can quickly find the relevant information.

2) The Spot shared page does not (at least in my case) show either GPS
coordinates nor times of the messages (tracks). This is a serious
deficiency and has to be fixed. My normal message page shows all this
info but to use that page would require entering a name and password.

3) I use my Spot in all my 3 flying machines - SparrowHawk ultralight,
Stemme motorglider and the LSA. So messages seen in the SSA repository
might be from either so why does the SSA require you to list the
glider manufacturer and model in your profile and repository? Keep the
repository simple and remove that unnecessary and not pertinent
information.

*Its always easy to criticize something especially when there are no
clear cut presidents. I am very pleased that the SSA has reacted
positively to the suggestion made after Thierry's tragic death this
summer by I think Marty Hellman that a Spot repository could be a
valuable resource in assisting search and rescue missions. I support
this. However it is clear this project is still in the formulative
mode and needs to be refined for it to become a simple help tool. I
would welcome comments on my criticisms and suggestions to make the
SSA Spot repository easier to use.
Dave

Dave,

Are you trolling or are you serious? Bottom line is it took me two
seconds to find the correct location on the SSA web page and my track
today clearly shows time and position on the SPOT tracking page. As
for which glider, don't put on if you don't want to; no one is going
to care.

The page is great and the average search and rescue person is not
going to look at the web-page, it is going to be your buddies or
spouse who knows where to look.

TT

On Oct 24, 8:48*pm, Tim Taylor wrote:
On Oct 24, 12:13*pm, kd6veb wrote:





Hi Gang
*I decided I would put my self into the position of a member of a
search and rescue which had been alerted that a certain person Dave
Bingham was missing and that he was carrying a Spot tracker and that a
recording of his flight might be found at the URL ssa.com which has a
repository of recent Spot tracks for a few pilots around the US (maybe
around the world). Now being an average person I am going to assume
(maybe incorrectly) that I know how to turn on a computer and bring up
a web browser and even type in the address bar ssa.com and press
enter. The SSA home page comes up. *I don't see anything with the
words track or Spot. The thought occurs to me did I get the words
track and Spot correctly or did I mistake the message. OK what to do?
Should I call back the original message giver and ask for
clarification or should I play around and explore pages outside the
home page? I explore SSA pages and if I am lucky I notice that
cunningly hidden on the SSA page at the one from the bottom of the
long list is "Sailplane Tracker". That's funny! I was told a glider
with a pilot named Dave Bingham was missing. What's a sailplane? Is a
sailplane the same as a glider? Anyhow I click on "Sailplane Tracker'
and sure enough a list of names come up including Dave Bingham.
*I click on the name and the Spot shared page message comes up. Now
seeing the Spot message page for the first time is very different from
seeing the message page for the hundredth time. What does it say and
how do I get information from it? There are no GPS coordinates or
times listed only the day on the shared Spot pages. So what to do now?
Finally I see an icon that says "show on a map" and I click it. A map
comes up and the Spot messages are displayed but which is the first
and which is the last in time. Its not obvious which!
*Since I view most flights both on SeeYou and Spot everything is
intuitively obvious to me now but for a neophyte that is not the case.
What I have just described could be a nightmare for many people and
could possibly waste valuable time in a search and rescue mission. So
lets think through some of the issues I am raising:

1) Many people have very limited understanding of computers so
everything should be designed to be INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS. SSA should
rethink and redo this valuable Spot repository function and before
releasing it test it out on a few average Joe guinea pigs. Make sure
that most people can quickly find the relevant information.

2) The Spot shared page does not (at least in my case) show either GPS
coordinates nor times of the messages (tracks). This is a serious
deficiency and has to be fixed. My normal message page shows all this
info but to use that page would require entering a name and password.

3) I use my Spot in all my 3 flying machines - SparrowHawk ultralight,
Stemme motorglider and the LSA. So messages seen in the SSA repository
might be from either so why does the SSA require you to list the
glider manufacturer and model in your profile and repository? Keep the
repository simple and remove that unnecessary and not pertinent
information.

*Its always easy to criticize something especially when there are no
clear cut presidents. I am very pleased that the SSA has reacted
positively to the suggestion made after Thierry's tragic death this
summer by I think Marty Hellman that a Spot repository could be a
valuable resource in assisting search and rescue missions. I support
this. However it is clear this project is still in the formulative
mode and needs to be refined for it to become a simple help tool. I
would welcome comments on my criticisms and suggestions to make the
SSA Spot repository easier to use.
Dave

Dave,

Are you trolling or are you serious? *Bottom line is it took me two
seconds to find the correct location on the SSA web page and my track
today clearly shows time and position on the SPOT tracking page. *As
for which glider, don't put on if you don't want to; no one is going
to care.

The page is great and the average search and rescue person is not
going to look at the web-page, it is going to be your buddies or
spouse who knows where to look.

TT- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've been hearing about this Spot tracking for as long as it's been
out. I've never tried to get on a shared page before. Here are my
impressions;

Went to the SSA site; Easy www.ssa,org
Saw the "Track a sailplane icon on the lower right side of the home
page; Easy, click on on it.
Saw a alphabetical listing of pilots, it ended at the letter G. I
went guessed that the letter M might bo on the second page; Easy,
click on page 2.
Found the name of my friend Steve Mason, it says "Click here"; Easy,
click here!
Trac comes up with numbered tags for each reported point starting with
1 and ending at 16 (which happen to be the same location) and a map
appears under the track and tags. Easy.

If you can't figure out what's going on with this system how are you
able to do any part of a serious SAR effort, Give me a break!