Satellite Internet Apps - what new apps do you want or need?

[satdev]

Hello everybody!

I'm a software developer and I'm looking for ideas and suggestions for making new Satellite Internet Apps. Please tell me what apps or software you'd like to see or need.

As a developer, I was struck by how little software and apps there are for satellite connections. SMS, email and weather seems to be catered for, but there is little else. General purpose Internet apps and software aren't really suitable since they require more bandwidth than is available or time out with the long delays.

I'm looking to build apps that work on very low bandwidth connections (such as Iridium Go!) and that are very frugal in their data usage. I want to build software that makes that which was previously hard or impossible to do via satellite possible and easy. It won't hurt if it also ends up saving time or money.

I've done satellite work previously, but this would be the first time providing end user software. My specialty is low bitrate encoding and communication which I believe will serve me well when building satellite apps.

Below is a short list of ideas for apps that I've come up with so far. Please let me know if you have better or different ideas or if you like any of mine.

• Facebook for Satellite
  A Facebook client optimized for satellite links with low bandwidth and long delays. Post and read, upload and download images.
• Chat
  Group chat for friends and families. Optimized for very low bandwidth, long delays and intermittent connections.
• Push to talk
  Send and receive audio messages using a very low bitrate. For when you want something more personal than an SMS.
• Forum browser
  An efficient text only browser for discussion forums like this.
• Picture uploader
  Upload and download pictures faster, more efficiently and with better quality than via email. Pause and resume transfers, batch transfer for multiple files.
• News reader
  Catch up on your favorite news sources. Read articles and optionally download pictures and illustrations.

I hope you'll come up with good ideas. If you do, I'll build it

P.S. Please let me know what platform you'd like the software or apps on: Android, Apple, Linux, Mac, Windows or other.

 

[Chris Boyd]

Definitely room for more work in the weather apps space... Especially on something like the Go! There are some ways to get it on the inreach thru SMS, but it's a closed system they control a bit too much. If I could do more open through a Go! Or the inmarsat isatHub without burning a ton of KBs, it would be useful.

I'd be interested in optimized email too without having to lock into gmail.

 

[satdev]

What kind of openness are you looking for in your weather apps?

What kind of email app are you in need of?

 

[mpinco]

Latency is your enemy. High content sites like Facebook, with frequent updates, would be slow to the point of useless (Facebook itself is useless anyway). Weather sites like Intellicast are a good example of what I would like to see but again, rich content is an issue?

 

[satdev]

Latency is of course an issue, but by designing the app correctly any effects can be mitigated. The rate of updates is of course going to be limited by the latency, but normally this isn't an issue. Even a high volume Facebook feed isn't updated several times per second. Anything less than that isn't a problem. A Facebook app need not be slow, but obviously you'd have to be mindful of how many images you load. Status updates themselves don't take much bandwidth.

Rich content is the biggest problem since the bandwidth, especially on Iridium, is limited. Videos are out, but a limited number of images is not a problem nor is sound.

 

[pugslyyy]

I need smart/aware apps that push the information I need to me based on my location. Push the weather to me once a day, but push severe weather alerts based on my location at any time. Push State Department warnings to me based on the country I am in / direction I am headed. When I'm on the interstate push traffic advisories / detours to me based on my direction. Push safety warnings to me anytime (i.e. there's a crazy guy with a gun holed up at the McDonalds at the next exit, might want to drive on by)

If I'm in the backcountry AND haven't moved or sent a message to anyone in 12 hours (or whatever), check in with me to make sure I'm okay and if not call SAR.

There are lots of ways to take advantage of the low bandwidth by doing smart stuff server side and only sending me the timely info I really need.

 

[satdev]

So basically a text message app. One that sends GPS co-ordinates out at predetermined intervals and receives relevant updates as required. This could then also work with the DeLorme InReach too.

 

[Chris Boyd]

I like pugslyyy' ideas. The openness i described would be required to something like this... Iphone knows where it is, and on regular intervals pushes locations. Using push notifications (if continuously connected) or regular polling for receive would be necessary. Doing this in inreach would seem do be difficult since they control the experience.

I use an inreach paired to an iPad mini, but it's a closed experience to the inreach app. I'm not aware the connection is available to other apps (probably by design). I don't like the closed aspect of that, thus something like Go! could allow it through standard IP networking over the wifi connection. Another aspect of using a Go! would allow multiple devices (iPhone,,ipad) to share the connection. Inreach makes me break the bluetooth pairing and re-pair to the other device. It's messy.

 

[pugslyyy]

I like pugslyyy' ideas. The openness i described would be required to something like this... Iphone knows where it is, and on regular intervals pushes locations. Using push notifications (if continuously connected) or regular polling for receive would be necessary. Doing this in inreach would seem do be difficult since they control the experience.

I use an inreach paired to an iPad mini, but it's a closed experience to the inreach app. I'm not aware the connection is available to other apps (probably by design). I don't like the closed aspect of that, thus something like Go! could allow it through standard IP networking over the wifi connection. Another aspect of using a Go! would allow multiple devices (iPhone,,ipad) to share the connection. Inreach makes me break the bluetooth pairing and re-pair to the other device. It's messy.

I use an inreach as well. As long as I am uploading my location you can use their api to get my location and then send me location specific info. I agree that the inreach bluetooth connectivity is not as flexible as I would like for it to be, but that's not really relevant to what I'm asking for.

 

[carbon60]

The key thing I need is a very loud and obnoxious way for the device to get my attention when required.

 

[jyeager]

How about a CW app?

Have the microphone listen to Morse code coming over your radio and decode it to text for you on the display.
Then, vice-versa, you can type in text and have the phone use the external speaker to send Morse out the radio.

 

[carbon60]

How about a CW app?

Have the microphone listen to Morse code coming over your radio and decode it to text for you on the display.
Then, vice-versa, you can type in text and have the phone use the external speaker to send Morse out the radio.

Already a few of those in the iOS App Store.

 

[kevin604]

I'd love an email app. Do you have a hardware platform you are working with. We'll need some type of mobile Sat device. I'm looking at the new Exceed service from Viasat. It's only a year or before it's affordable for us mobile folk. Then it's direct laptop to www!

 

[jerdog53]

I would say the need for an update weather map, the group text or SMS and the ability to send location notifications / check in.

 

[Matt_OCENS]

I would say the need for an update weather map, the group text or SMS and the ability to send location notifications / check in.

The messaging app already exists, which you can see here: http://www.ocens.com/OneMessage-Satellite-Messaging-App-P712C132.aspx.

The location notification capability is already built into the current satellite phones as well as the inReach.

I was wondering if you could elaborate on when you say "update weather map"?