Frequently Asked Questions

Location & Privacy

What are the Location Settings in the app?

• To get the most of AtlasNXT’s duty-of-care functionality, location services permissions on the device (for the app) should be set to “always allow”

What is the location accuracy?

• CoreLocation on iOS - fine location with accuracy to 25m.
• Fuzed location on Android - fine location with accuracy to 25m.

Does using AtlasNXT mean my location is constantly shared with others?

• No. Due to AtlasNXT’s Privacy-First design, comparing whether a device is within a certain location happens on device only and precise location information (i.e. lat/long) is not directly shared with web platform users unless the device user decides to do so (see below).
  
  So the app will know the device’s location and needs access to the phone’s geolocation services to perform this task, but the user’s precise location doesn’t leave the device unless the user shares their live location during an event.

How does this work during an emergency such as a “Critical Event?”

• When an Operator creates a Critical Event all apps/devices in the event’s country will check locally and confirm whether the device is inside the event zone. This is how AtlasNXT can assign people to “Inside” or “Outside” a zone during a Critical Event thus allowing platform operators to focus on helping those who need it most urgently.
  
  
• As soon as a device enters or leaves a country, event zone, or a site of interest general location information will be updated, but precise location sharing is controlled by each user.
  
  
• The optional switching on of live location sharing during a critical event allows operators to have a more accurate view of where people are in the zone, but this remains totally under the control of each app user.

How does AtlasNXT deal with connection drops for example during Overwatch. How quickly does the platform reconnect?

Web socket connection on the server side and will reconnect 3 times and then will report a timeout. Typically it takes a few milliseconds to reconnect but it depends on server availability. 

What are the app location check-in frequencies?

Note: device motion sensors are used to decide the ‘activity’ currently engaged in.

What data is shared with the Web Operator and/or my Employer?

• There is certain information that is required to get users up and running with the app. For example, First Name, Last Name and Email. Your employer may also hold additional information on users to allow more efficient communications, such as your job function. Please refer to your Employer’s Privacy Policy (or equivalent) for more details.
  
  In terms of location data, please refer to the above information on AtlasNXT’s privacy settings, but in general terms the below applies:
  
  
  • At all times - your current country location
    
    
  • When you’re within a site of interest (such as an office) - your general location. I.e. whether you are within the perimeter of a site or not. Sites are defined/created by platform operators.
    
    
  • When you’re within a Critical Event Zone - (as created by the platform operator) - your general location. I.e. whether you are within the perimeter of the zone.
    
    
  • Based on your response - if/when you activate live location sharing at any time (such as during a Critical Event or Overwatch session) your precise location will be shared until you switch it off.

Can other staff mobile app users see my location?

• No. Other staff mobile app users have no visibility of your location except through your membership of any location-based messaging channels you may be subscribed to. 
  
  For example, if you are a member of the “Paris Office” chat group, then other app users would know you visit the Paris office (site defined by Web Operators). Other staff mobile app users do not have access to your precise location and membership of messaging channels is under the control of each user.

How long is location data held for?

• A history of location data (excepting live-location data) is held on our servers as required for the operation of the platform until such time as your account is deleted. For example, your country, or history of sites visited when using the app. The platform or any users do not know (or store) your precise location data once a critical event or Overwatch session has ended.

Messaging & Document sharing

Will a location-based message be received if a staff member is added to a group, or enters a location after a broadcast message is sent?

• No. Broadcasts and Direct Messages are sent to recipients who match the criteria at the point in time of creation. Location-based Channel messages (and history) will be viewable when recipients enter (or re-enter) the relevant location.

Will a location-based document be visible to an app user after they leave a location?

• No. Unless they download the document to their device. This way you can declutter the information you’re sharing, ensuring it’s only available in the right place.

Will a time-based document be visible to an app user after the time expires?

• No. Unless they download the document to their device.

How does AtlasNXT know which users are in a country or site when sending broadcast messages?

• When a web user creates a broadcast message they define the zone of interest and the application backend defines the users who are in that zone. The platform backend saves the current country of the mobile user as a baseline. The same applies to sites. The backend records which users are in a site at any one time. If a message is sent to a custom location (geofence) - the message is sent to all users in the country but filtered on delivery according to actual location.

Companies & Staff

As a web operator can I view which staff are currently in a certain site or region? 

• The non-precise location of mobile app users can be viewed/filtered according to location and/or site via the map page. See our Privacy FAQs for more information.

Can I set up different sub-companies under one account (i.e. a group of companies)?

• No. At the current time a “company” is a flat structure and you would need separate accounts for each company.
  
  

Overwatch

Is there a limit to the number of Overwatch sessions that can be run at one time?

• No. Multiple Overwatch sessions can run at the same time across the globe. Platform Operators can view all sessions (both active & inactive) via the Locations page.

How can Operators prioritise help to those who need it most?

• Status information such as whether a session has run over the expected time, device battery life, and connection status will all influence whether an Overwatch session turns red on the locations page, which can help operators prioritise. However, these indicators should be seen as a guide only, and it is up to each web operator to best assess the situation with app users via the chat functionality in Overwatch.
• The ‘emergency’ mode also provide a way for users to escalate an Overwatch session.

Critical Events

Are critical events initiated by the app users or web platform operators?

Only platform administrators or operators have the ability to initiate a critical event, but all app users in a CEZ will receive corresponding notifications & messages.

Can more than one critical event occur simultaneously?

• Yes. Multiple Critical Events can run simultaneously but Critical Event Zones must not overlap.

Data & Battery

How does the app preserve/prioritise battery life on mobile?

• AtlasNXT sends location updates frequently only when a user is on the move. While static the location is updated less frequently .

How much data is consumed by mobile users when communicating with the platform?

• Normal usage is calculated as 2.5-3Mb per user per session (overwatch)
  
  
• Use of the library to download documents will impact data usage, but the web app limits max file size to 8mb per document to keep file sizes manageable.