The VolunteerRescue mobile app stores data locally on the device the app is being run on, however as mobile devices are portable they can easily be lost and damaged which would result in loss of the data stored locally for the app; data that you have spent time entering and maintaining.

Why do we need the cloud ?

Using the cloud you can back up the data from a mobile device to a centralised server and once backed up the data can be downloaded from the cloud to mobile device(s) and computers alike.  This also means that you can use the cloud to transfer data between devices.

Along with native iOS and Android versions of the app there is also a web browser version of the app, using the cloud and the web browser version of the app enables you to enter data using any computer such as a desktop or laptop and then download to your mobile device(s); whilst you can enter and maintain data on a mobile device I find using a desktop or laptop much easier as I am using a full screen, standard keyboard and mouse.

To summarise the cloud can be used for

• A backup of data in case of loss or damage to a device
• A means to transfer data from the VolunteerRescue app between computers and mobile devices

Private accounts vs Public accounts

To use the cloud you need to register a new or link to an existing account, when you save data to the cloud you need to specify whether the data set is private or public therefore before explaining how to use the cloud an understanding of the difference between private and public accounts is required.

Accounts are registered to e-mail addresses, the idea here being that e-mail addresses are unique between users of the apps and are easily remembered by the user; no need for you to remember yet another username and password.

Along with saving your own data to the cloud, groups can use the cloud to save data they want all their members to be able to load onto their devices therefore groups can also register accounts using a group e-mail address; groups may wish to use the cloud for

• A set of waypoints such as location of backcountry huts, location of the repeater tower, location of a gear cache etc...
• A set of useful rescue based web links
• Standard kit lists for items such as mandatory ready pack items, stretcher kit etc...
• etc...

A private account is an account that can only be accessed by somebody who has access to the inbox and therefore e-mails sent to the e-mail address the account was registered to.

A public account is an account that anybody who knows the e-mail address the account was registered to can access.

The subtle difference therefore is for public accounts knowing the account e-mail address is sufficient whereas for private accounts you need to be able to read e-mail sent to the account e-mail address.

How to use the cloud ?

All tasks relating to the cloud can be found using the Extras option on the bottom navigation bar and selecting the Data management option from the subsequent page.

The first step is to register an account, to do this

• Select the Register account option
• Give the account a description
• Enter an e-mail address that you own and can access
• Click or tap the E-mail registration code option
• Check the inbox of the e-mail address entered in step 3 for a registration e-mail
• Enter the 5 digit code from the registration e-mail in the Code field
• Click or tap the Register button

Once completed the above steps will have created a Private account registered to the e-mail address entered in step 3.

To be able to transfer data from the device or computer you registered the account on to alternative devices or computers you need to link all alternative devices or computers to the registered account, to do this follow these steps

• Select the Link to existing account option
• Select a type of Private (the default)
• Give the account a description
• Enter the e-mail address the account was registered to
• Click or tap the E-mail registration code option
• Check the inbox of the e-mail address entered in step 4 for a registration e-mail
• Enter the 5 digit code from the registration e-mail in the Code field
• Click or tap the Link to account button

NOTE: To link to an existing account do not use the Register account option, when an account is registered a unique key is allocated to the account and if you use the register account option using an e-mail address that is already registered to an account the unique key is regenerated and all devices that have subsequently been linked to that account will also need to be relinked.  There is a reason for this in that if the unique key is compromised it can be reset by using the Register account.

You can now use the Save to the cloud and Load from the cloud options to backup and transfer data.  Both options provide a list of accounts you have registered on the device or computer and when selected will show a list of data sets that have already been saved to the cloud.

So what about public accounts and data sets ?

The above steps have only created a private account therefore data sets can only be accessed by users who can view e-mails sent to the e-mail address registered to the account but as a group (or an individual) you may want to create data sets that can be accessed by others.

When saving data to the cloud you specify whether the data set is Private or Public, data sets saved as Private can only be accessed by the owner of the account whereas data sets saved as Public can be accessed by anybody; Public data sets can have a password assigned to restrict access to only those that know the password (e.g. just group members).

Having created a public data set you need to give access to your members and for this your members must again use the Link to existing account option and follow these steps

• Select a type of Public, on doing so the form will change slightly and the registration code options will be hidden
• Give the account a description
• Enter the e-mail address the account was registered to
• Click or tap the Link to account button

Your members can now use the Load from the cloud option and the list of accounts to load data sets from will now include the public account created above which upon selection will list only the public data sets created for this account; where a password has been allocated to the data set a field is provided in the list for the password to be entered before access to the data set is granted.

Summary

Whilst referred to a mobile app remember it can be used on any computer or device allowing you to use whichever interface you prefer for data entry.  Using the cloud allows you to transfer data removing the need to duplicate data entry across multiple devices.  This is useful to both those members that have multiple devices such as a tablet and a smartphone and for groups as they can define data sets that all their members can access.  Removing the need for duplicate entry of the same data also removes the chance of errors in the duplicate entries.

The cloud reinforces the VolunteerRescue approaches of centralising information and enter once and use anywhere by anyone with access.