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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Oculi?
Oculi is a peer-to-peer news network. We have developed the technology to stream live video from your cell phone and PC to this website allowing the world to receive streaming updates from their peers. It's a combination of community and software that allows people like you and me to find and report news and important events to each other.
What can I do with Oculi?
With Oculi you can share important news with the world via your mobile phone. You can send and receive 3 types of content, integrated together to create a comprehensive peer-to-peer news system:
  1. Streaming video broadcasts
  2. Map-based location data (GPS and/or triangulation)
  3. Mobilert! Messages
Streaming Vvideo Broadcasts - will allow Oculi users to view news instantly from any where in the world.
Map-based Location Data - will plot the news so you can determine if it is relevant to you.
Mobilert! Messages - Are link based updates that allow you to choose what stories you want to watch.
Why is This Useful to Me?
  • What if you received traffic updates before you left the house?
  • What if you were notified of speed traps 10 miles before you got there?
  • What if you could find out exactly what is going on in Iraq form the soldiers themselves?
Oculi makes all of this possible. By downloading the Oculi software, you can plot your route to work and be notified, via Mobilets!, of any traffic/accidents in your route. In addition, you can select the story and view the streaming video to see the extent of the traffic/accident.
What's a MapCast?
MapCast is a system that streams continuous and contiguous video and location data from a remote device to the web, allowing Oculi to display both the "what" and the "where" simultaneously!
How does Oculi detect my location?
Oculi uses 3 services to determine where you are:
  1. GPS - the Global Positioning Satellite system, which it uses triangulation with long-range, highly accurate satellites to return a location accurate to within a few feet.
  2. Triangulation - a less accurate method of location detection used by mobile devices not enabled with GPS, or when GPS services are unavailable. It uses a similar method of triangulation as GPS, but using cell-phone towers as the location providers. Its accuracy varies, but ranges from a few yards to about a hundred feet.
  3. IP Location - services that retrieve approximate location of a network-connected computer or device based upon its IP address. IP location is usually accurate to within a few miles.
How do I create a MapCast?
Every time you transmit a new broadcast from a location-service-enabled device, you automatically begin MapCasting.
How do I create a Mobilert message from my Oculi Mobile device?
To create a Mobilert, simply start Oculi Mobile, click the "Mobilert" button, and follow the steps on the subsequent pages:
  1. Select an Alert Type, Warning Level, and optionally enter an Title and tap "Next";
  2. Fine-tune the exact location on a Google Map, or just tap "Next" to use your location and proceed;
  3. That's it!
What is Mobilert Linking and why should I do it?
When you finish creating a Mobilert, sometimes Oculi will return a series of possible matches, asking if you'd like to link to them. Mobilert linking is an important factor used by Oculi in determining the importance of individual messages sent via Mobilert. When users link Mobilert messages together, the individual messages have a greater strength and are given more importance and credibility in the system.
Are there any restrictions for using Oculi?
Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for additional details.
How do I contact Oculi?
If you would like to provide feedback on your service, please feel free to contact us.

Note: We reserve the right to remove content if a broadcast does not adhere to the guidelines specified in our Terms and Conditions

© 2007-2007 Oculi, LLC. All rights reserved.