by ncliffe » Sun May 09, 2021 3:51 pm
A bit late on the discussion, but Mountain Rescue Teams have been using SarLoc for 10 years to find those requesting help.
It needs a smartphone for the person seeking help, and a minimal data connection (3G/4G), but data needed is small. MRT sends mobile a text with URL, those requiring help click link in text, taking them to a web page which sends their location (from phone's internal GPS) to the webpage. MRT see that webpage report and now have the coordinates of those seeking help. That's it, no need to read out words / numbers, no need to have the "right" App installed in advance.
Having an App like OS-Locate, or a stand-alone GPS, which can report a grid-reference will work when the signal is down to 2G (no data). And, if really pushed on weak signal or fading phone battery, a text might send through better than a scratchy fading voice call.