Jabber Google Map

What Is It
The Jabber Google Map shows the positions and status of Jabber users on a google map. Users can log in using their Jabber ID (JID - like "bob@jabber.somedomain.com") on any server, as long as the server supports server to server (s2s) communication. There is no registration required, and we don't need your password. The only requirement is that you must be logged into your Jabber server using the same JID that you are using to sign onto the website. This means that you must have a jabber client running locally while you are logged into the website. You do not need to be running a client to merely view the map. The concept is simple - you list a set of resources and their associated locations (by putting a pin on a map) and bots listen for you to sign in and out. They also keep track of your state, displaying everyone on a single map. All resources you add are considered public.

Browser Support
Currently, we only officially support browsers that conform to international WWW standards (W3C). We suggest using Firefox, but Netscape and Mozilla based browsers should work as well. Opera only recently started to support many mainstream AJAX abilities and has not been tested. IE continues to refuse to abide by any standards other than it's own obfuscated, proprietary standards (which are not exactly "standard" then). Nonetheless, since 90 something percent of people continue to be victim to Microsoft's inveiglement, we are working on catering to IE's innumerous and tricky peculiarities. Everything should work fine in IE, but we're not planning on making it look nice.

First Time Logging In
To log in, just type your JID into the box on the first page. No password is required. When log in for the first time, a message will be sent to the Jabber account you are signing in with requesting to add the bot to your roster. There are two seperate bots, one specifically for GMail (talk.gmail.com) and another to listen to all other servers. You must allow this bot to add you to its roster. It's also a good idea to add the bot to your own roster. The bots will listen for changes in state (say, from "online" to "away") and display those changes on the map.

Adding a Resource
To add a resource, log in and then click the link "Add a Resource". Then it's as simple as clicking the point on the map where you will be when using the resource, and then typing in the resource's name. This is the same resource name that you have specified in your jabber client. When you click the submit button to add the resource, you will be contacted by a bot asking if you want to add the resource you named on the webpage. This is to verify that it is indeed you who is attempting to add the resource. Just follow the directions the bot gives you, and you'll be given a response as to what was done. The new resource will only show up on the map after you log out of your client and then log back in.

Editing An Existing Resource
To change the name of or delete a resource click on the "Edit Resources" link after logging in. To change a resource's name, type in the new name into the input box and then click the submit button. A bot will contact you confirming the change. To delete a bot, click the "Delete Resource" link, and a bot will contact you to confirm the delete. In order to see your changes, you must click the "Edit Resources" link or refresh the page. You cannot change the location of a resource - just delete the old one and create a new one.

Objects and Object Types
Objects reference any location, from your favorite restaurant to the last sighting of your ex-husband. All objects have a type (for instance, "restaurants", or "parks", or "scarey clown hangouts"). Object types should be general and things that other users can add to. For instace, "Brian's Favorite Restaurants" would be a bad object type name, whereas "Good Eats" would be one that other users could add to. When you create an object, there is a text box for the "object type". As you type in the box, possible suggestions show up underneath the box. Try to use a type that already exists if possible. If you type in an object type that doesn't exist, it will be created. When you create a type, you "own" it, and are the only one that can change it's name or description. If you later delete it despite a number of objects using that type, the objects will just be shuffled into the "Unknown" type for object orphans. If you create an object, only you can modify or delete it. All objects and object types are public. Objects and object types can be viewed by the general public, but you must sign in to create or modify existing objects and types. Object types can have properties that are then available to objects of that type. For instance, the objet type "good eats" can have the property keys "average price", "one thing to order", or "don't order this". When someone creates a new object of that type they can input values for those keys.

To Do
We are planning on adding support for the following JEP's:

     - JEP 107: User Mood
     - JEP 108: User Activity
     - JEP 119: Extended Presence Protocol Suite
     - JEP 80: User Geolocation

There's also the possibility of adding support for JID specific objects (favorite restaurant, a meeting place, etc).

Open Source / API
Map Source
Bot Source

To access the resource state or resource addition/modification REST API contact bmuller either via email - mullerb@musc.edu or jabber - mullerb@jabber.lambastard.com.

Bug reports and suggestions can be posted on the bugtracker under the topic "jabber map".