VoIP Data and Google Maps Mashup Shows Live Calls

damianwayne writes "OnSIP, a provider of hosted Voice over IP business communications, announced today the latest addition to their website: a visualization of live calls made using the OnSIP service, made possible by an integration of real time OnSIP data and Google Maps API. Each time an OnSIP customer makes or receives a call, a pin is dropped on the live call map, openly displaying call volume peak and trend information." This is all from one company's VoIP network, though — would be interesting to see an overlay of heatmaps from various providers.

Comments

Interesting, but...

[lscotte]

Too expensive... https://www.callcentric.com/ and others are still cheaper by a significant margin...

How carefully do their customers read the TOS?

[JustinFreid]

I'd like to think my VoIP provider doesn't have the latitude to publish my and my receiver's location in realtime, even anonymously.
Certainly the content of the calls is still private, but maybe a lot of chatter between let's say Redmond, WA and Espoo, Finland could have suggested the recent deal placing Windows Phone 7 on Nokia handsets.
Better read my terms of service...

Re:How carefully do their customers read the TOS?

[drolli]

Yes. and if you actually live in a rural area then this is perfect for stalking. Call your ex-girlfriend and look where the pin drops. In a rural area you then know where she is.

Re:How carefully do their customers read the TOS?

[dissy]

then this is perfect for stalking. Call your ex-girlfriend and look where the pin drops.

Looking at the map, it is clear each call is only identified as one of seven of the phone company POPs (points of presence)

For example there are two pin locations in California, one at Santa Cruz, and another at San Diego.
That does not narrow down a location any further than a state, since each POP services at least many cities, if not many states (They are IP phones after all.) The above example covers all of California, and would only tell you northern or southern assuming only covering many cities. If covering many states, it only tells you she is somewhere in South Western in America.

It in no way allows someone to stalk anyone, any more than me saying "I live within a three state radius from New York", without you even knowing I actually live in Ohio

It is the frequency of the pins dropping that is the interesting part. Seeing roughly two calls a second in northern Cali, and even more in New York, they are clearly the most active locations.

Definition of Slashvertisement

[Dynedain]

Hmmm... so it's a very basic mashup running on an advertising page for a VOIP server to show how spread out their population is.

And coincidentally, the ad in Slashdot's sidebar is for that exact same VOIP service.

Let me guess, the submitter works for them or is getting compensation from their marketing department?